By Pou Sovachana

Deputy Director in Charge of Research and Publication The Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace

First of all,I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the CPAPD.

I understand that this“Exchange Program for NGOs Leaders”is organized to promote practical bilateral cooperation and take joint initiatives between CPAPD and other relevant organizations to promote lasting peace,security,and development for all nations of the world.Today,I would like to share my perspective on“How Can People’s Organization Contribute to Peace Security and Development”as follows:

As we all heard this morning session at the high level dialogue,today people around the world are facing many challenges in terms of having peace,security,and development.The current situation on peace and security in Asia and the world at large,including the growing tension and conflicts between nations over sovereignty on the sea and islands in the Asia-Pacific;the rebalancing of the United States to the region;the ongoing conflicts between Israel and the Hamas in Gaza;the rising terrorist aggression of the fundamentalist forces of the so-called Islamic States in the Middle East;the tension in the Korean Peninsula;the nuclear arm race;the complex situation in Ukraine;the impact of environment and global warming,and the deprivation of human basic needs such as human rights,food,shelter,health care and education;all have huge impact on people’s livelihood.These situations also raise an open question of how we as people’s organizations can contribute to easing the situation and maintaining peace and security wherever the trouble spots exist.I will offer a few suggestions on the role the people’s organization can play to contribute to peace,security,and development.Then I will draw my conclusion based on the responses I have provided.

Let me begin by stating that I hold the view that we,as an organization of the people,can play a constructive role in pursuing a durable peace,preventing conflicts from happening or escalating,ensuring that development policies are inclusive and sustainable,by uniting together to develop new way of thinking and acting on security issues,emphasizing on peace building,strengthening rule of laws,creating sustainable development policies in order to assure that our livelihood can be improved and our future is bright.

There have to be a way to solve territorial disputes in the peaceful manner without the threat of force or the use of military force.Affecting parties should adhere to international norms and resort to diplomacy for an effective negotiation and to avoid any misunderstanding.They should engage in building up mutual trust rather than compete with one another based on nationalistic sentiments.They should uphold common interests rather than pursuing individual national interests exclusively.The people organization,such as ours,should support regional efforts in the finding of acceptable resolution to all parties in conflict.We must welcome more partners for peace,and avoid those who play out wider rivalries in our region and regional hegemony.

In addition,our people’s organization should also support firmly the abolition of nuclear weapons,weapon of mass destruction,including small arms as this type of weapons creates catastrophic destruction toward nation and humanity and impede on the civilian lives,and the disastrous effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombs as the reminder of this destruction in the history of mankind.Therefore,our people’s organization should support fully the implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT)and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty(CTBT).There should be a more strict use of small arms so as to avoid any harm and threat to civilian life by bandits and criminal groups.All forms of terrorism,separatism,and extremism must be eliminated at all cost.

With regards to human security,we must endeavor to promote sustainable and inclusive development.We must also pay serious attention to further develop any agenda and action plan that will promote peace-building through the abiding of the respect of human rights and justice and work harder to achieve the objective set forth in the Millennium Development Goal.We must stand prepared to assist countries,which have been affected by armed conflict,terrorism,natural disaster,violence,and social injustice.We must help those people who have been affected by inequality and related social and economic exclusion by working with others to provide essential services like drinking water,appropriate healthcare,and adequate education so as allow so many people to break away from the cycle of poverty.

In conclusion,in response to the situations I have raised above and in order to increase the role and involvement of people’s organization to promote peace,security and development,I find that the initiative taken by CPAPD to convene this exchange program hold important and valuable contributions toward easing the tensions which we have witness within and among states.I am sure that if we work together collaboratively,we can make peace and security more durable which are prerequisite to sound development in order to lift the lives of people out of poverty and ensure that they can live a life with dignity and free from suppression.

We are all here today–representatives of small states,medium states and big and powerful states–and all on board of the same ship withthe same common call to promote and maintain peace,security and development,we have to make sure it is not a“Titanic.”

Foreign participants at the sessions.