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XV^th Congress,
Havana,
October 2000
    • Themes
    • Declaration

IADL Resolutions

Third Conference
of Lawyers of
Asia and the
Pacific (COLAP)

Links

Appeal for Peace and Development from the
Third Conference of Lawyers of
Asia and the Pacific (COLAP)
Hanoi, Vietnam

As we enter the 21st century, we Asian-Pacific lawyers committed to peace, human rights, and development under globalization participated in the hird Conference of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific sponsored by the Association of Vietnam Democratic lawyers in Hanoi 9-20 October 2001. We pledge to work for peace and the advancement of Asian and Pacific peoples, and make this appeal to the citizens of the world.

During the previous century, the world repeatedly experienced the scourge of war. In the Asia-Pacific region, foreign colonial domination, the two world wars, the wars on the Korean peninsula, in Vietnam, and the Gulf War, all have tread harshly on human dignity, having left untold consequences including effects of such toxic chemicals as Agent Orange on human beings and environment. It was also in the Asia-Pacific region wherthe world's first nuclear bombs killed noncombatants of all ages indiscriminately, and where many nuclear tests have been conducted. What is more, in this region continuous regional conflicts have encroached upon the peoples' right to self-determination.

We recall that the United Nations was established to ensure the peace and security of the world, and human rights and well-being of all people, and we note the importance of the fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights were created to assure that all people have rights which are grounded in human dignity, and have since their creation developed further.

In view of the facts that our part of the globe, home to half the world's population, has yet to eradicate poverty and starvation, is defenseless against natural disasters, and still lacks the human rights to free growth and development in a flourishing natural environment, we pledge efforts to achieve the right of all people to live in peace as the most basic right for assuring human survival, and to secure the right to flourish. We at the same time condemn attempts of certain countries to impose their own human rights viewpoints linked these with international trade relations.

We also protest the continued presence of U.S. and foreign troops in South Korea, Okinawa, and other permanent military bases in East Asia and in the Indian Ocean. We condemn terrorist acts and support all efforts aimed at eradicating terrorism from the life of humanity. We can not by any means agree with the current war against Afghanistan in the name of anti-terrorist defense, without the UN Security Counsel's approval and against international law as well as Article 51 of the UN Charter, which is causing increasing death, suffering and destruction among innocent people, and therefore must be stopped. It is our strong hope that the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula in the spirit of the Joint Declaration signed between leaders of North and South Korea, and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts between Palestine and Israel leading to the establishment of State of Palestine, and the peaceful solution of conflicting claims relating to a number of archipelagoes and islands will be achieved in accordance with the universal principles of international law.

We also note that the missile defense program promoted by the Bush Administration violates international disarmament treaties, especially international pledges for nuclear disarmament. We express deep concern over cooperation with the program by Asia-Pacific governments, and demand that they immediately halt all actions that aggravate military tensions.

Additionally, we are concerned that the attitude of the great powers and their vague stance on war responsibilities assumed recently by certain persons in the Japanese government are causing problems in the relationship between Japan and several countries, and likely to affect peace and security in Asia-Pacific. We call upon Japanese Government to reconsider its military alliance treaty with the U.S.

Observing that war arises from hate and discrimination, we pledge efforts to build a "fortress of peace" within the heart of each person, and to bring about peace ourselves through a spirit of mutual respect and symbiosis.

Hanoi, October 20, 2001