Peace Is A Disability Issue

25 January 2003

EDITORIAL NOTE: Recent comments by world leaders, suggesting that we are close to war with Iraq is very alarming to the CCD International Development Committee. On 18-19 January 2003, the Committee met and members agreed that we needed to share with the community the work of CCD and Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) on peace.

On 24 June 1982, Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) adopted its Peace Statement at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima Japan. The CCD Council adopted the Peace Statement at a National Council Meeting on 19-20 January 1985.

In October 2002, DPI held its World Assembly in Sapporo, Japan. Once again peace was an issue on the agenda of the international cross disability rights movement and others. The delegates included a statement on peace in the Sapporo Platform, one of the documents arising out of the World Assembly.

As the Canadian member of Disabled Peoples' International, CCD is sharing the following information on peace with the Canadian disability rights movement. CCD encourages Canadians to share this information in any upcoming forums where there are discussions about the possibility of war.

DPI Peace Statement

Disabled people all over the world know from their deepest personal experience, the capacity of war to cast its mantle of death and destruction over life and limb. The ability of modern weapons of war to devastate a people, to sear human memory with permanent scars of personal tragedy, to shatter the dreams and hopes of children, to maim and injure, is nowhere more eloquently proclaimed than here, the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima.

Everyday the absolute sanctity of human life is asserted by the aspirations of this planet's 500 million disabled people. The creation of disability and the ending of life by the waging of war is an abomination. Yet the accumulation of the engines of war gains pace.

The talents of human kind are turned from the satisfaction of people's needs to the invention of more and more horrific devices of destruction.

The products of human labors, wrested from the earth with all the ingenuity of generations of men and women, are dissipated in gigantic stockpiles of armaments which are of benefit to no one. The power of cooperation amongst individuals and the organizing capability of the human race are squandered in the creation of gigantic war complexes whose sole intent is the destruction of people.

HOW LONG CAN THIS OBSCENITY CONTINUE?

We, the representatives of the world's disabled people, have come to Hiroshima to make known our resolute condemnation of the arms race. We affirm, in the strongest terms, our determination to join with others and take our rightful place in the forefront of the worldwide movement for disarmament.

Disabled Peoples' International says:

LET ALL OF US JOIN TOGETHER IN A WORLDWIDE MOVEMENT FOR PEACE.

LET US CALL FOR ALL NATIONS' ECONOMIES TO BE TRANSFORMED FROM WAR ECONOMIES TO PEACE ECONOMIES.

LET US INSIST THAT THE $600 BILLION NOW SPENT ON ARMAMENTS IS DIVERTED TO SOCIALLY USEFUL PROJECTS.

LET US DEMAND THAT THE WORLD LEADERS NOW, IN THIS MOMENTOUS EPOCH, WHERE WE HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY AND CRIPPLE, BEGIN THE ENORMOUS TASK OF REDIRECTING OUR RESOURCES, OUR PRODUCTIONS, OUR TALENTS AND OUR ABILITIES FROM THE CREATION OF THE WEAPONS OF WAR TO THE CREATION OF INSTRUMENTS OF LIFE.

The Disabled Peoples' International calls on all people to affirm this movement.

(Disabled Peoples' International, Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan, June 24, 1982.)

From the DPI Sapporo Platform

October 2002

Peace

As disabled people we are opposed to wars, violence and all forms of oppression.

Daily, men, women and children are being disabled by land and personnel mines, and forms of armed destruction and torture.

We must work for a world where all people can live in peace and express their diversity and their desires.