WORLD COUNCIL SOLIDARITY FUND
May 2016, $22K
In May 2016, The Grace Foundation and the Tamera Peace Research Center co-produced a gathering to foster the emergence of a “World Council for the Healing Biotopes Plan.” Inviting international activists, specialists from various fields and allies from the global community, the 3-day event hosted three working groups: “movement building,” “the new water paradigm” and “healing the money story.”
The Grace Foundation offered a solidarity fund of $15K – topped up with $7K of donations from participants – covering flights, board and lodging for members from the Peace Community San José de Apartado, Colombia, media makers and politicians from La Paz, Bolivia, musicians from the Middle East and a water specialist from India.
Highlights/Outcomes:
1. Movement Building
[I.] – The group hosted several peace activists from South America, which brought the process of the peace negotiations for Colombia right to the center of the group. Within just a few days they produced a petition campaign urging politicians to create a special status of political protection for peace villages, especially San José de Apartado, in the peace deal. Although not making it into the final contract, the petition was successful enough to have the matter discussed at the negotiation tables in Havana, Cuba, introducing the idea of peace villages and their political protection to high-level politics. This is a clear step towards talking about concrete cultural models as a relevant peace strategy.
[II.] –In the media group, ties were formed between the peace community San José and new Bolivian minister of foreign affairs Fernando Huanacuni. The connections led to the planning of a journey of Tamera co-workers and Huanacuni to Colombia, due to happen in March 2017, to strengthen San José through international presence.
[III.] – The media group found itself in one of the most crucial processes of political activism of our times. Hosting both media makers/system thinkers from the Global North and resistance fighters from the Global South, the questions of compassion and effective political work became central to the process of the group. Besides the tangible outcomes of this working group, we see the healing of some of the Global North/South relation in this process as part of its success.
2. New Water Paradigm
[I.] – As a result of the water group in October 2016, the Walking Water pilgrimage happened in Portugal. Walking the watershed of the Sado river with a group of 40 people over 2 weeks, the project was aimed at raising awareness for regenerative water treatment and creating stronger bonds with local community in these questions. The extensive experiences of Sabine Lichtenfels and Gigi Coyle in political pilgrimages, partially passed on throughout the World Council gathering, prepared, empowered and formed the team for this project.
[II.] – The essay “The New Water Paradigm” by Bernd Walter Müller was written, inspired by the work of the water group and based on the “Global Action Plan” by participant Michal Kravcik. Later that year this document was brought to the COP22 gathering in Marrakesh, Morocco. Here it was introduced to a relevant political audience through a presentation by Ethan Hirsch Tauber, co- worker of Tamera’s Global Ecology Institute.
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