RESOLUTION # 1.
BUILDING A GLOBAL CULTURE OF PEACE
1.1 Therefore be it
resolved that the overarching goals of CUC policy respecting
peace and global security be to prevent wars and violent
conflict, and to promote respect for international law and
the use of dialogue, negotiation and compromise as the
principal tools for resolving conflict, and
1.2 Be it further
resolved that the CUC promote the broader objectives
necessary to achieve these overarching goals, namely,
respect for human rights as set out in the United Nations
(UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and sustainable
economic and social development with equitable participation
in the global economy, and
1.3 Be it further
resolved that the CUC promote, and encourage its members and
the Canadian public at large to support, Canada’s active
membership of the United Nations and the fulfillment of its
obligations therein, including seeking needed reforms within
the UN to ensure the continued relevance and effectiveness
of this organization as a primary key to a pervasive culture
of peace.
RESOLUTION # 2. ARMS AND DISARMAMENT
2.1 Therefore be it
resolved that the CUC urge the Government of Canada to
advocate within NATO, the North American Aerospace Defence
Command (NORAD) and the UN (1) the reduction of the
immediate danger posed by nuclear weapons and (2) urgent
action on concrete steps for the abolition of nuclear
weapons, and
2.2 Be it further
resolved that the CUC support, and urge the Government of
Canada to continue to support, the universal ratification of
the international treaties banning chemical and biological
weapons and landmines, and the strengthening of their
mechanisms for implementation and effectiveness, and
2.3 Be it further
resolved that the CUC advocate international regulation and
control, under the UN system, of all international trade in
arms, including trade in small arms and light weapons
(including Canada-US trade) and
2.4 Be it further
resolved that the CUC advocate the negotiation of an
international treaty controlling the development and use of
new weapons technologies and call for a ban on weapons
employing depleted uranium, laser, microwave and sonar
weapons until such a treaty is in force, and
2.5 Be it further
resolved that the CUC oppose the placement of weapons in
space and urge the Government of Canada to continue its firm
opposition to any moves in this direction, and
2.6 Be it further
resolved that the CUC urge the Government of Canada, through
its membership in NORAD, NATO and UN agencies, and through
bilateral relations with the USA, to oppose the development
of a US missile defence system and to refuse to participate
in its operation.
RESOLUTION # 3.
DEFENDING CANADA AND KEEPING PEACE
3.1 Therefore, be it
resolved that the CUC urge the Government of Canada to
develop a defence policy that will equip and train our
military to:
(i) patrol and
protect our borders;
(ii) carry out
search and rescue operations;
(iii) provide relief
assistance in disaster situations;
(iv) give aid to the
civil authorities when called upon;
(v) carry out
peace-keeping assignments mandated by the United Nations,
ensuring that the safety and rights of civilians are
protected through peace keeper training, with attention to
the safety and rights of women and children as required by
UN Security Council Resolution 1325; and
(vi) participate in
state interventions for humanitarian purposes that are fully
and transparently compliant with international law and
mandated by the UN Security Council, or in an exceptional
case where the will of a majority of UN Security Council
members is blocked by a major power veto,
(a) that is
undertaken by a coalition of willing member states committed
to carry out their assignment consistent with the “basic
principles” of The Responsibility to Protect the report of
the International Commission on Intervention and State
Sovereignty (ICISS) and (b) that has as an overriding
consideration the avoidance of serious harm to the civilian
population.
3.2 Be it further
resolved that the CUC urge the Government of Canada to
refuse Canadian support of any kind for any military mission
which allows the threat or use of nuclear weapons by Canada
or an ally under any circumstance.
RESOLUTION
# 4. THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT
4.1 Therefore be it
resolved that the Canadian Unitarian Council endorse the
“basic principles” in the ICISS report, The Responsibility
to Protect, namely
• “State sovereignty
implies responsibility, and the primary responsibility for
the protection of its people lies with the state itself,”
and
• “Where a
population is suffering serious harm, as a result of
internal war, insurgency, repression, or state failure, and
the state itself is unwilling or unable to halt or avert it,
the principle of non-intervention yields to the
international responsibility to protect.”
Passed May, 2004 and amended May, 2007
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