The Green Party observes the 39th anniversary of the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21 by affirming support for the UN General Assembly Resolution 36/37 to “commit to peace above all difference.” The 1981 Resolution established the International Day of Peace with unanimous support.

Green Party leaders condemn the perpetual state of war launched, with bitter irony, on the 19th anniversary of the Day of Peace Resolution with the passage of the post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Green Leaders also emphasized the party’s demand for the repeal of the AUMF, which has even greater urgency with the global crises of COVID-19 and climate disruption.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Monday, September 21, 2020

Contact:
Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, [email protected], 202-804-2758
Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee, [email protected], 202-804-2758
Craig Seeman, Co-chair, Media Committee,  [email protected], 202-804-2758

Howie Hawkins, Green Party Presidential Nominee:

“It is shameful that in May the US was the sole UN Security Council veto of the proposed global ceasefire in order to cooperate to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is a far greater threat to Americans than any force the US is fighting in its endless wars. The US ruling class would rather make war than heal the sick. So the US leads the world in deaths from COVID-19 at home and deaths in its foreign wars abroad. Those are terrible facts to recognize on the UN’s International Day of Peace."

Angela Walker, Green Party Nominee for Vice-President:

"If the United States is to change its status in the world from one of aggression and domination to one of peace and cooperation, we must repeal the Authorization for Use of Force Act."

Madelyn Hoffman, Green Party Candidate for US Senate (NJ), and Co-Chair of the Green Party’s Peace Action Committee (GPAX):

“The ramifications of war and preparation for war echo in every corner of human society in our country and abroad with devastating effects. It is time to end the horrible atrocities and unacceptable costs inflicted on humanity by the perpetuation of endless war.”

Lisa Savage, Green Party Candidate US Senate (ME):

“Our nation has become a military empire exporting violence and weaponry around the world while imposing austerity at home to pay for it. I call for an immediate end to US wars of aggression, occupations, and military bases in other people's countries. Let's bring the war dollars home and take care of our own urgent needs during this pandemic: Medicare for All universal single-payer improved and expanded health care, and a demilitarized Green New Deal to address the climate emergency that is our biggest security threat. As global citizens, let's not fight each other for resources but instead cooperate with one another to develop a response to the immediate threat of the COVID-19 virus.”

This year’s Peace Day theme is “Shaping Peace Together,” with the emphasis on working together globally to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate global ceasefire, saying, “End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world. . . That is what our human family needs . . .” His call for “solidarity across borders” is consistent with the Green Party’s belief that peace, environmental responsibility and health are intimately connected. Anyone who now denies we are one interdependent human species across borders on mother earth is not in tune to the unprecedented moment we share today.

According to the GPAX World Peace Action platform: “Despite the United Nations call for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 world-wide pandemic, our government has instead deployed 20,000 troops to Europe to encircle Russia, and has sent warships to threaten Venezuela, Iran, and China. … Further, our country’s interventions in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have left us mired in endless wars that have weakened our country’s economic vitality and decreased opportunities for our children.”

The Green Party’s Peace Action Committee has issued a Peace Pledge which they encourage all candidates for state and local office to sign. 

“We have the opportunity while being forced to adapt to a pandemic to reflect on the very real opportunities to end our unsustainable way of life,” said Susan Lamont of the Green Party of California. “Let’s use this opportunity to rethink the ways in which we interact as people and as nations.”  She added that the Green party of California platform “advocates a fundamental change in the way we socialize our citizens, structure our institutions, and relate to the planet and its people.” On this 2020 International Day of Peace, we remind people loudly and clearly that “peace is not just the absence of violence, it is a willingness to resolve conflict in a constructive manner with a spirit of good will and respect.” http://www.cagreens.org/platform/peace-non-violence

For more information

UN General Assembly Resolution 36/37, General Assembly - Thirty-sixth Session, UN.org, 1981

170 signatories endorse UN ceasefire appeal during COVID crisis | | UN News, UN News, June 24, 2020

Secretary-General’s Appeal for Global Ceasefire, UN.org, March 23, 2020

Secretary-General reiterates Appeal for Global Ceasefire, Warns ‘Worst Is Yet to Come’ as COVID-19 Threatens Conflict Zones, UN.org, April 3, 2020

H.R. 2829 Authorization for the Use of Military Force Clarification Act, congress.org, May 17, 2019

Green Party Platform:  Foreign Policy - Peace and Disarmament

Green Party Peace Action Committee Peace Pledge

The Green Party’s World Peace Platform

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