“In the face of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, global anti-war movements have rallied together on a scale previously unseen--more and more people are daily seeking alternatives to mainstream sources of information, and peace networks are growing around the world.”
– From the ‘working vision’ for the World Peace Forum, released in November 2004.

In less that one year, anti-war and peace activists will descend upon the city of Vancouver for the 2006 World Peace Forum. The forum is an initiative of the Peace and Justice Committee of the Vancouver City Council and was met with approval by council earlier this year. This forum is a major initiative which will run for one week and include participants and presentations from leading anti-war activists across the globe.

The World Peace Forum will be held on June 21st - 28th 2006, in Vancouver. Over the week, the forum organizers are seeking to meet a number of objectives. These include increasing awareness and education on issues of peace and war and connecting activists across the world through a network of community organizations. The forum will include a number of core plenary sessions as well as concurrent workshops and seminars touching on various themes related to war and peace. While the program has not yet been released, the organizing committee has posted almost two dozen themes that will be explored in June 2006. Themes include: Youth Against War, Women Against Wars & Wars Against Women, Impunity and International Law, Labour and Peace, and Indigenous Peoples and Peace.

This event is an important step forward for the Vancouver movement against war and for peace and justice. An event with the size and scope of the World Peace Forum will undoubtedly impact the anti-war movement in a significant way through raising awareness and increasing the involvement of many people.

Action at all levels from grassroots, to municipal government, to labour unions cross Canada is important in maintaining energy and motion against the wars and occupations that are destroying our world. It is a feeling of joy and pride to see the Vancouver City Council Peace and Justice Committee leading the way in this important initiative. Fire This Time will follow this event closely and will have a special section in every issue of the newspaper regarding the build up to the World Peace Forum.

We encourage readers to go to www.worldpeaceforum.ca for more information and how to get involved





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