Alfred de Zayas - Peace Quotes

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Peace is what today's world needs most urgently, in Egypt, in Syria, in the Middle East, in Africa. Peace and reconciliation. Peace with rehabilitation of victims. Peace with understanding of causes. Peace with a plan for reconstruction – but not only material reconstruction. Moral reconstruction, value reconstruction, commitment to human dignity, faith in the future – this is essential to achieve peace with justice.

Alfred de Zayas
Without peace and the rule of law, civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights cannot be enjoyed, when killing, maiming and mutual poisoning prevail.

Alfred de Zayas
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries, but the song of social justice.

Alfred de Zayas
Democracy is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve the sacred promises of human dignity, justice and peace

Alfred de Zayas
It is time to reinvigorate the UN General Assembly so that it can exercise a more decisive role in peace-making and peace-keeping, consistent with the will of the international community.

Alfred de Zayas
Since a democratic and equitable international order requires peace, States must engage in good faith negotiations for disarmament and significantly reduce military expenditure and the arms trade.

Alfred de Zayas
I would call the human right to peace an ultimate or end right, in that the state of peace is the result of the promotion and protection of human rights. Indeed, a society where human rights are upheld is a society that is free of the kind of structural violence that leads to armed conflict. Now, as it has been said many times, peace is not the mere absence of war. Peace in a holistic sense, peace in its individual and collective dimension, entails a state of internal and external harmony.

Alfred de Zayas
The Independent Expert is persuaded that recognition of peace as a human right will promote a democratic and equitable international order and that national and international democratization will reduce conflict, since peoples want peace. It is Governments that stumble into war.

Alfred de Zayas
Attention must be given to the penal consequences of violations of the right to peace, including the punishment by domestic courts or in due time by the International Criminal Court of those who have engaged in aggression and propaganda for war.

Alfred de Zayas
World peace is threatened not only by weapons of mass destruction but also by conventional weapons which have led to countless violations of human rights, including the rights to life and to physical integrity. A strong treaty can contribute greatly to international and regional peace, security and stability.

Alfred de Zayas
States have the sacred duty to ensure peace, while individuals and peoples have the right to peace.

Alfred de Zayas
If we want world peace, we must break the vicious circle of violence and reprisal, of an eye for an eye, of endless hate.

Alfred de Zayas
World peace is continually threatened by the paranoia of power, as internal and international conflicts plague humanity. Confronted by the danger of weapons of mass destruction, humanity must take effective measures towards disarmament. Albert Einstein warned us: I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

Alfred de Zayas
Global military spending levels constitute an unconscionable use of resources and remain at an all-time high, reaching a total of USD 1.75 trillion in 2012, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Alfred de Zayas
As Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly said, 'the world is over-armed and peace is under-funded'. A major shift in priorities is vital for both States and peoples.

Alfred de Zayas
Downsizing military budgets will enable sustainable development, the eradication of extreme poverty, the tackling of global challenges including pandemics and climate change, educating and socializing youth towards peace, cooperation and international solidarity.

Alfred de Zayas
World peace and security are best served when States observe treaties in good faith.

Alfred de Zayas