“Poverty is day-to-day violence, no less destructive than war.”
Receiving the 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, Ela Bhatt re-examines our idea of peace, arguing that equity, local economies and the empowerment of women through work are central to supporting economic freedoms, and therefore peace.
At the World YWCA International Women's Summit in Zurich, July 2011, Mary Robinson speaks about the role of girls and young women as human rights defenders and leaders of their communities.
Speaking at an international conference held in Paris, February 2011, Mary Robinson discusses the relationship between religion, tradition and gender inequality. Citing the issue of child marriage as one example, she argues that promoting the rights of girls and women cannot be imposed on a society; instead, we must support activists working to change their culture from within.
In this speech delivered on the occasion of his 89th birthday, Nelson Mandela announces the formation of The Elders and expresses his hope that the group will "work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair."
Speaking at the University of Helsinki, Martti Ahtisaari stated his belief that religions play a major role not only in the creation of conflicts, but also in their resolution.
In his lecture 'Bridging the World's Divides', held at the British Museum and extracted in The Independent, Kofi Annan argues for a renewed urgency to resolve conflicts and promote understanding between peoples.
In his speech to a conference to mark 60 years of the Geneva Conventions organised by Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Kofi Annan outlined what he saw as the real challenges facing the Conventions - and international law - in the coming decades.
