Normandy for Peace Forum 2021

The Normandy for Peace Forum was held at the Abbaye-aux-Dames at Caen in Normandy on September 30 and October 1, 2021. SFG was happy to participate in this vibrant event, which has been held since 2018 in honour of the commemorations of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. The Forum is the perfect place for reflection, discussion and inspiration and it attracts the general public, experts in geopolitics, Nobel Prize winners, government representatives, diplomats, academics, NGOs and associations, in order to build together lasting peace and anticipate the world of tomorrow. The Forum is structured around plenary conferences and thematic debates as well as cultural nights and a Village for Peace in which numerous exhibitions, events, activities and festivities take place.

President of SFG, participated a Plenary Session titled “How can Peace be Restored”. World peace is currently destabilised by the emergence of multiple threats which go far beyond inter-state conflicts. The UN Security Council, a symbol of multilateralism, is regularly stymied by institutional deadlocks and appears to be the preserve of the major powers. Although it is not entirely ineffective, radical changes must be made to the principles on which this system is based. Speaking about the need for reforming the UN Security Council, SFG President spoke about the origin of the veto vote for the P5 members and how this was a condition that was put on the Council by Stalin. Surprisingly this is a condition that the democracies of the world have accepted, creating great inequality in the functioning of the UN Security Council.  

The Plenary Session had a strong focus on Afghanistan since the American withdrawal on August 15 accelerated the fall of Kabul and led to the takeover of the country by the Taliban. Herve Morin, President of the Normandy Region, Bertrand Badie, Emeritus Professor at Sciences Po, David Martinon, French Ambassador in Afghanistan, Catherine Morin-Desailly, President of the Senate Culture, Education and Communications Committee, Checkeba Hachemi, President and founder of Afghanistan Libre spoke about their concerns for the future of the country along with many Afghans present. The Norman initiative for Afghan culture was launched on this occasion.

Interesting break out sessions were held on Iran, Libya, Yemen and Syria apart from thematic sessions on issues such as reconciliation, building peace and remembrance. The session on Iran was particularly interesting as for the first time Mr Saeed Khatibzadeh, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran and President of the Center for Public Diplomacy spoke at a public forum outside of Iran on behalf of the new government.

One very interesting interaction that the SFG management had was with Cacique Ninawa, Chief of the Huni Kui people who lives in Acre, a state in the Brazilian Amazon. He is a healer and an activist for the rights of indigenous people and chairs the Federation of the Huni Kui which means “true people”. His ethnic group consists of about 8,000 people, living on 114,000 hectares. As an ambassador for his people who travels all over the world, Ninawa is also involved in agroforestry and the fight against the financialisation of carbon. He spoke to SFG about his desire to have the Amazonian Forest and the Amazon River to be declared as a legal entity that could be represented by the Amazonian people in a court of law.