WAITING FOR THE SUN. WHEN EVERY MEETING CARRIES LOSS
Press release
Rome, 23 September 2022 - The delegation of Italian civil society led by the NGO Un Ponte Per and the Nonviolent Movement will leave on 26 September and will remain in Ukraine until 3 October as part of the initiatives of the "Stop the War Now" network, set up to build an alternative to the current war from below and to contribute to the immediate cessation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to the start of negotiations between the parties to resolve the current disputes through diplomacy.
After two delegations and several exploratory missions in the past months, the organisations of the 'Stop The War Now' caravan will return to Ukraine to hold a series of meetings with civil society engaged in humanitarian support for the victims of the conflict, peace building, support for conscientious objection and non-violent resistance actions.
Activists and representatives of Italian organisations will be part of the delegation: ARCI, ARCS, Anche Noi Cittadinanza Attiva, Casa della Donna - Pisa, COSPE, Coop. Mag4 Piemonteed, Gruppo Abele, EQUA, Libera, Pax Christi, JEF Europa, Movimento Nonviolento and Un Ponte Per.
The objectives of the mission include laying the foundations for partnership agreements between the more than 175 Italian organisations that are part of the "Stop the War Now" network and Ukrainian civil society organisations, including trade unions and local universities; the possibility of establishing agreements for youth exchanges between Italian and Ukrainian universities; and the relaunch at an international level of the campaign to support Ukrainian conscientious objectors currently on trial or under investigation by the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's Office, accused of high treason. A similar campaign of support for conscientious objectors is also being carried out on the Russian side, all the more so in the light of an ever-increasing mobilisation to arms of young Russians decided by Putin.
The delegation's aim is to build bridges and networks between all those subjects, both secular and religious, who pose the problem of coexistence between different people, respect for linguistic and cultural pluralism, and support, including psychological support, for the victims of violence and war.
The delegation will also be an opportunity to launch an awareness-raising and fund-raising campaign to support the legal and court costs of the Ukrainian activists under investigation, and to support their valuable peace-building work (more information at this link: www.unponteper.it/ucraina-stop-the-war-now/).
The programme of meetings is dense, including a stop in Chernivtsi, a city where the university has welcomed hundreds of displaced persons and is in dire need of humanitarian aid, and numerous exchanges with representatives of associations, including the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, and trade unions in the city of Kiev. The Italian delegation will also bring to the country a load of humanitarian aid destined for the population.
For information, contacts and interviews
Un Ponte Per Press Office
stampa@unponteper.it
339 6641600
Movimento Nonviolento Press Office
redazione@nonviolenti.org
328 3736667
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Un Ponte Per is a non-governmental organisation for international solidarity that has been engaged in peace building in the Middle East and Italy for over 30 years. https://www.30anni.unponteper.it/
The Nonviolent Movement is the association founded by Aldo Capitini in 1962 for the promotion of organised nonviolence. The MN is a section of EBCO-BEOC and War Resisters' International. www.azionenonviolenta.it
#STOPTHEWARNOW is a network of over 175 Italian organisations committed to peace-building and international solidarity through non-violent peace and humanitarian actions, created to launch a message of solidarity and opposition to the conflict in Ukraine. https://www.stopthewarnow.eu
