Global role models

adminonNovember 5, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

The Alternative Nobel Prize goes this year to four different laureates. Among others, the organization "White Helmets", Syria Civil Defence, is awarded for its commitment in saving civilians in the Syrian civil war.

This was announced by the Right Livelihood Award Foundation on Thursday. The 3.000 volunteers from the "White Helmets" have risked their lives since 2013 to rescue people from the rubble of destroyed buildings in the war zone, the Stockholm-based foundation said in its statement. "The White Helmets were bakers, tailors, salesmen or teachers in peacetime and now – as trained firefighters, search and rescue workers, and medics – have over 60.000 lives saved."

Award for Turkish newspaper "Cumhuriyet

In addition, three other awards were given. An award goes to the Turkish newspaper "Cumhuriyet" in recognition of its "fearless investigative journalism and unconditional commitment to freedom of expression despite repression, censorship, imprisonment and death threats". The employees of "Cumhuriyet" had accepted "immense personal risks such as assassination and imprisonment"."The daily newspaper, which was founded in 1924, is one of the oldest in Turkey. In mid-August, editor-in-chief Can Dundar had resigned from his post. In justification, he said he feared unjustified persecution by the Turkish judiciary after the attempted coup in mid-July. Dundar is currently staying in other European countries.

Egyptian feminist honored

Egyptian feminist Mozn Hassan and her organization Nazra for Feminist Studies were honored "for their commitment to equality and women's rights in circumstances of ongoing violence, abuse and discrimination". After the sexual assaults on women at rallies during and after the Egyptian revolution in 2011, the organization "Nazra" had not only denounced the sexual violence, but also provided medical, psychological and legal assistance to the victims.

Prize for Russian human rights activist

In addition, Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina was awarded "for her decades-long commitment to human rights and justice for refugees and migrants, and for promoting tolerance between different ethnic groups". Through their work, they have helped to draw public attention to human rights violations in crisis regions, particularly in the Caucasus.

"This year's laureates are addressing our most pressing global challenges – be it war, freedom of speech and press, women's rights, or the plight of refugees and migrants," said Right Livelihood Award Foundation Director Ole von Uexkull.

The Alternative Nobel Prize has been awarded annually since 1980. This year's laureates share the prize money equivalent to 315.000 euros. Established in 1980, the Right Livelihood Award has honored 166 laureates from 68 countries to date.

Orthodox clergy during Holy Mass © L'osservatore

Religion is experiencing a new flowering in Eastern and Central Europe. A Pew Research Center study finds a correlation between recovered faith and national identity in the Orthodox world.

In the successor states of the former Soviet Union, religion experienced an unimagined upswing barely 30 years after the imposed atheism. Denominational confession has become an important part of individual and national identity in majority Orthodox countries. This is the finding of a wide-ranging study by the Washington-based Pew Research Center. Basis are surveys in 18 countries of East-Central Europe.

Orthodoxy: religious confession determines national consciousness

The authors of the study were not only interested in religious aspects of everyday life. They also confronted the respondents with questions about democracy, the economy and social ies. The remarkable results show how closely the religious confession among Orthodox Christians determines national consciousness.

This is particularly clear in the former USSR. The percentage of Russians who now call themselves Orthodox Christians is 71 percent. In 1991, just 37 percent identified themselves as Orthodox Christians. The trend was similar in Ukraine and Bulgaria.

The situation is somewhat different in the classical Catholic countries of East-Central Europe. Since the end of socialism, the "catholicity" of societies in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary has declined somewhat, but is still at a high level.

Mass Attendance – Tradition among Catholics

However, these findings are not reflected in participation in religious rituals. The renaissance of Orthodoxy in the East is not necessarily reflected in increased worship attendance. Only six percent of devout Russians say they attend church at least once a week. Catholics, on the other hand, strongly adhere to the tradition of attending mass on Sundays. Among Poles, 45 percent are weekly churchgoers.

About 70 percent in Orthodox majority countries consider their faith to be particularly important when it comes to the question of national identity. For Catholics, the connection between faith and nation is less important. Almost inevitably, 69 percent of Orthodox Christians consider themselves culturally superior to others – something only 46 percent of Catholics claim for themselves.

Demand for state protection

The actual or perceived proximity of religious affiliation and national identity also affects the question of whether the state should actively promote and financially support the majority religion. Here, too, Orthodox demand significantly more protection by the respective state than Catholics.

Differences also emerge with regard to general questions of democracy and society. Orthodox define themselves more strongly as conservative compared to Catholics. This becomes clear in the stronger rejection of homosexuality. The majority of Orthodox Christians also regard abortion as illegal.

Contradictory acceptance of democracy

According to the Pew study, Catholic abortion opponents are found in lower numbers in East-Central Europe than Orthodox ones. Interesting also this: In the world of the Eastern Church, a larger proportion of people adhere to traditional social and gender norms. For example, the fact that women should obey their husbands.

A striking feature of the post-communist world of the former Soviet Union is also the widespread nostalgia for the then multi-ethnic empire. A visible sign of this is the even greater popularity of Stalin today compared to Mikhail Gorbachev, who is blamed for the end of the USSR.

Acceptance of democracy is correspondingly contradictory. It is not universally appreciated as the best of all forms of government. Considerable proportions of the Orthodox population, according to the study, consider an undemocratic, i.e. authoritarian, government to be better than a pluralistic system of government under certain circumstances.

UN refugee summit in New York © Justin Lane

The United Nations wants to improve the lot of millions of refugees. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon calls for consistent implementation of promises. Church representatives called for peaceful resolution of armed conflicts.

The 193 member countries of the United Nations have agreed on better protection and more aid for refugees. At the first major UN refugee summit, delegates in New York on Monday adopted by acclamation the so-called New York Declaration. This is the world community's response to the biggest global refugee crisis since World War II, with more than 65 million people currently on the run.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi hailed the declaration as a "political commitment of unprecedented force". Now, states would have to deliver on the pledges. The world expects "action and results". UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon also called on UN states to take seriously and implement the Declaration's commitments. No refugee or migrant should be left behind, he said.

Protection and education for refugees

In the "New York Declaration," member countries reaffirm their political will to protect the lives of refugees, uphold their human rights and share responsibility for the refugee crisis. The statement also stresses that refugee and migrant children should be enrolled in school within months of arrival. Refugees should also be better protected from sexual violence.

In addition, the UN states want to support the refugee agency UNHCR in resettling refugees. However, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon's demand to resettle at least ten percent of refugees each year was dropped following prere from many countries. Ban wanted to accommodate countries such as Jordan and Turkey, which host a large proportion of refugees.

Treaty rules

Secretary-general to report on implementation of declaration. The individual points of the "New York Declaration" are to form the basis for two global agreements: One treaty would address burden-sharing and refugee protection; the second agreement would establish principles of safe, orderly and legal migration. According to the UN plan, countries should adopt both agreements in 2018.

On the occasion of the refugee summit, the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches called for peaceful resolution of armed conflicts. German Development Minister Gerd Muller (CSU) demanded that the international community pay the promised aid money for Syria.

"Aid only on paper"

"It is a scandal that some countries promise their aid only on paper and the people in and around Syria have to starve and have no roof over their heads," the minister said in New York. Not even half of the ten billion U.S. dollars in aid pledged at the Syria conference in London in February has flowed, he said.

The UN Children's Fund Unicef drew particular attention to the situation of suffering children. Nearly 50 million girls and boys have left their homes worldwide, the organization said in Cologne. The international community must pay special attention to the protection of children, he said.

For Tuesday, US President Barack Obama has invited to another refugee summit at the UN. There states are to make concrete financial pledges and commit to resettlements.

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