A Salute to my companions in promoting a lasting individual, community, and world peace at United Nations Peacekeeping (UNP)...

Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.
Peacekeeping has unique strengths, including legitimacy, burden sharing, and an ability to deploy and sustain troops and police from around the globe, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates (UNP, 2022).

UNP helps countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace.
UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace. UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:

Consent of the parties;
Impartiality;
Non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate.

Peacekeeping is flexible and over the past two decades has been deployed in many configurations. UNP operates in some of the toughest and most dangerous places in the world and tailor each deployment to suit the specific needs on the ground. There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations deployed on three continents. UNP are actively engaged in protecting civilian populations, helping prevent conflict, reducing violence and strengthening security in the field where it matters most (UNP, 2022).
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https://peacekeeping.un.org/en
https://research.un.org/en/peacekeeping-community
https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/dpko-brochure-2018v17_1…
https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/20190926_orolsi_kit_col…
https://www.un.org/en/A4P/

The Superhero Behind Earth Day...

“Gaylord Nelson was a leading figure in the fight against environmental degradation and social injustice in the twentieth century. Growing up steeped in Wisconsin’s progressive heritage and New Deal liberalism, Nelson began his political career as one confident in both the political power of ordinary citizens and the government’s ability to promote the public good.

Though the 1950s brought prosperity to some Americans, Nelson's attention was with those in the city and the countryside who were disadvantaged. He never overlooked the social and ecological costs of technological innovation and industrial expansion.

As a Senator, Nelson contributed to important liberal reforms but struggled for years to interest his colleagues in environmental protections. So he turned instead to the people, proposing April 22, 1970 as a day for Americans to speak out about the environmental crises they faced.

Earth Day's massive public support forced politicians to see the severity of the problems and the extent of public concern. The first Earth Day galvanized Congress into creating some of the most important U.S. environmental legislation. Gaylord Nelson earned environmentalism a lasting place in national politics” and the international consciousness (UW Nelson Institute, 2022).
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http://www.nelsonearthday.net/nelson/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/climate/NYT-first-earth-day.html

Earth Day 2022 and Beyond...

For those that may not know, Earth Day 2022 is coming soon on Friday, April 22. This year's theme as announced by EARTHDAY.ORG is “Invest in Our Planet.”

This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet (EARTHDAY.ORG, 2022).

In honor of Mr. Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day Founder and our dear Mother Earth, I'd like to share a few relevant quotes...

I also became close to nature and am now able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed. James Dean

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! Sitting Bull

Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind. Amit Ray

Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself. L. Wolfe Gilbert

Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carson

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. Khalil Gibran

The earth is the general and equal possession of all humanity and therefore cannot be the property of individuals. Leo Tolstoy

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. William Shakespeare

The earth is what we all have in common....the care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope. Wendell Berry

If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food, either. Joseph Wood Krutch

Everything costs and costs the earth. Maya Angelou

We are living on the planet as if we have another one to go to. Terry Swearingen

There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. Marshall McLuhan

The earth is but one country and humankind its citizens. Baha'U'Llah

The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth. Marlee Matlin

The earth is the general and equal possession of all humanity and therefore cannot be the property of individuals. Leo Tolstoy

The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations. Pope John Paul II

Do no dishonor to the earth least you dishonor the spirit of man.
Henry Beston

This land, this water, this air, this planet - this is our legacy to our young. Paul Tsongas

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. Native American Proverb

The most important environmental issue is one that is rarely mentioned, and that is the lack of a conservation ethic in our culture. Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day Founder

Conservation is not merely a question of morality, but a question of our own survival. Dalai Lama
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https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/
https://www.earthday.org/

Our current way of living - especially in rich countries - is driving environmental degradation, climate change and a growing sense of dissatisfaction and mental health issues.

Will Stockholm +50 be able to reimagine a future that is thriving for all living species, including humans?

Thanks a lot Erin Remblance for this powerful blogpost!

Is becoming evident that climate action is no longer just a priority, but a pressing need. Will Stockholm+50 be the turning point to boost climate adaptation and resilience?

Read Anowyesha Dash interesting article to find out more!

Looking for Finance Industry Expertise to formulate recommendations for LD

If you search the IPCC AR6 WG3 Full Report for the term "stranded assets", you get 117 instances.

There are different estimates regarding the total stranded assets if we do everything necessary to stay "well below 2°C". In any case, we are talking about many trillions of USD.

Hence, without finding a way to "organize" this part of the transformation, there will be enormous resistance to transforming at all. (and it might give a clue why there was no transformation in the last 50 years)

I want to discuss the possibilities of getting rid of these toxic assets without crashing neither the world economy nor pension funds. (and if GFANZ would be a good platform to "use")

Is somebody interested?

The latest IPCC report warns that the time for action is now, there must be "rapid, deep and immediate" cuts in CO2 emissions. The IPCC Chair said that the decisions we make now can secure a liveable future.

The message in this latest blog post couldn't be more timely - it can be done - as the blog author, Nawal Amjad, puts it there's a 'flicker of hope'. BUT we’d better re-approach and realign now and drop the 'exceptionalist' approach!

Hands and Hearts...

This post is a sequel to my recent post on compassion, love, and a lasting peace and highlights the wonderful work of the UN World Food Program. Long May You Run!...

Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands. Clint Eastwood

It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it....It's in your hands to make the world a better place. Nelson Mandela

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. Audrey Hepburn

God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with. Billy Graham

Having a rough day? Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? It's called purpose. You're alive for a reason. Don't give up. Joyce Meyer

Extend your hand with the strongest reach. Mary Anne Radmacher

Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts. William Shakespeare

Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to take yours. Vera Nazarian

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded. Maya Angelou

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. Blaise Pascal

A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. Washington Irving

If it were not for hopes, the heart would break. Thomas Fuller

The heart will break, but broken live on. Lord Byron

A loving heart is the truest wisdom. Charles Dickens

If you become a helper of hearts, springs of wisdom will flow from your heart. Rumi

When the heart speaks, its language is the same under all latitudes. Ella Maillart

The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers. Deepak Chopra

If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom? Khalil Gibran

Our hearts are lamps forever burning. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A heart makes a good home for the friend. Yunus Emre

There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate. Robert Frost

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer. Mahatma Gandhi

A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love. Mother Teresa
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https://www.wfp.org/

With compassion and love, peace will prevail...

Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation. Henry Ward Beecher
Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. Helen Keller

Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability...Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. Dalai Lama

If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. Bob Hope

There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. John Holmes

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. Plato

If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. William Penn

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another. Thomas Merton

I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness. Mother Teresa

Suffering and joy teach us, if we allow them, how to make the leap of empathy, which transports us into the soul and heart of another person. Fritz William

Compassion is a foundation for sharing our aliveness and building a more humane world. Martin Lowenthal

A great nation is a compassionate nation. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Tenzin Gyatso
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Words and music to “Get Together” by The Youngbloods – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGxQXmu7Os. Words and music to “Let It Grow” by Eric Clapton - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V069wWEnCys.