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Proposed by National Ethical Service, an affiliate of the American Ethical Union, to the 2021 Assembly of the American Ethical Union.

WHEREAS the American Ethical Union has supported a culture of peace throughout its existence, asserting the worth and dignity of all human beings without exception, and has repeatedly called upon our national leaders as well as its own members to act to resolve conflict peaceably and equitably;

WHEREAS several United Nations General Assembly resolutions in the last quarter century have called for a culture of peace, as an “alternative to the culture of war and violence,” describing a culture of peace as “an integral approach to prevent violence and conflicts and to contribute to the creation of conditions for peace” through “education for peace, the promotion of sustainable economic and social development, respect for human rights, equality between women and men, democratic participation, tolerance, the free flow of information, and disarmament.” [1998 United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the Culture of Peace, 1996 United Nations General Assembly Resolution on a Culture of Peace, 1999 Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, adopted by the General Assembly];

WHEREAS the American Ethical Union explicitly supported the establishment of a United States Department of Peace and Nonviolence in a resolution in 2006;

WHEREAS a new proposal has been introduced in Congress in 2021, H.R. 1111, which also promotes a culture of peace, seeking to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding. and rooting the need for such a Department not only in the continuing human and economic costs of violence and war in global wars involving the United States but also in the continuing human and economic costs of violence within our nation;

WHEREAS systemic racism, economic injustice, and climate change are key root causes of violence and war;

WHEREAS H.R. 1111 incorporates proposed goals aligned with past positions of American Ethical Union resolutions, including building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society; confronting and uprooting systemic racism in America; working for economic justice; and addressing climate change;

THEREFORE The American Ethical Union in 2021 resolves to:

Renew our commitment to a culture of peace within the United States and globally;
Continue to stress in our public presence the importance of a culture of peace in our personal relationships, in our homes, in our local communities, in the work of our Ethical Societies, and in our nation, including how our work against economic injustice, systemic racism, and climate change promotes such a culture of peace;
Support the National Ethical Service, an affiliate organization, in its work in coalitions that support a culture of peace internationally; and
Urge Ethical Societies and their members to take actions to promote a culture of peace, including:

learn about peacebuilding and a culture of peace, including the content of the United Nations documents and H.R. 1111 and similar proposals;
work with other Ethical Societies, including regionally and nationally, in education and action;
support H.R. 1111 and future equivalent proposals through appropriate activities and actions;
continue to educate themselves and others on root causes and effective solutions to violence and war;
continue efforts to educate about and dismantle systemic racism as a key root cause of violence;
continue efforts to educate about and act to reverse climate change as a key root cause of war;
continue efforts to educate about and act to end economic injustice as a key root cause of violence; and
support in coalitions and by their own efforts other global, national, local, and interpersonal peacebuilding efforts to end violence and build a culture of peace, including human rights, economic justice, and an environment that can sustain human thriving