Towards: A World in Which All Children Can Play

Open Letter – Let All Children Play in Ukraine and the rest of the World, a call for Peace

To:

President of the United States, Mr. J. Biden

President of the Russian Federation, Mr. V. Putin

President of Ukraine, Mr. V. Zelensky

President of France, Mr. E. Macron

President of the European Commission, Ms. U. von der Leyen

USA Secretary of State, Mr. A. Blinken

Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. S. Lavrov  

Foreign Minister Ukraine, Mr. D. Kuleba

Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mr. J. Stoltenberg

Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. A. Guterres

High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Mr. J. Borrell Fontelles

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. M. Rutte

Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. W. Hoekstra

 

Cc: His Holy Father Pope Francis

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill  

 

Bussum, the Netherlands, March 14th, 2022

 

Open letter

 

Subject: Let All Children Play in Ukraine and the rest of the World,  a call for Peace

 

Your Excellencies,

 

We are very shocked by the situation in Ukraine. Many lives have been lost. Refugees are seeking shelter…

 

We reiterate our call of January 21st this year and kindly ask you to:

  • Respect life
  • De-escalate the situation
  • Sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

 

We hope that negotiations may be fruitful. That we see a nationwide ceasefire soon and that people in Ukraine and the refugees get the help they need. We hope for the citizens of Ukraine that restrictions on freedom of movement of all males between the ages of 18-60 years will be lifted. We hope for all people that conscientious objectors to military service will not be compelled to fight or be punished.

 

We hope that world leaders unite. Unite for peace, unite to end hunger, unite to take climate action, unite for nature etc.

 

If we can contribute to peace via peaceful means in Ukraine, please let us know. We hope to see soon: A World in Which All Children Can Play.

 

Peace and all the best,

 

Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, USA

Anna Zanen, Women for Sustainable Peace (umbrella organization), Netherlands

Brian Jones, Vice Chair CND Cymru, United Kingdom

Chris Geerse, Peace movement Pais, Netherlands

Chale Guadamuz, director of Hague Peace Projects, Netherlands 

David Swanson, Executive Director, World BEYOND War

Désirée Klain, artistic director of “Imbavagliati – International Festival of Civil Journalism”, Italy

Gar Smith, co-founder and director Environmentalists Against War, USA

Henk Baars, Kerk en Vrede, Netherlands (Church and Peace)

Ingeborg Breines, consultant and former co-president International Peace Bureau

former director UNESCO, Norway

Jodie Evans, co-founder CODEPINK

Joke Oranje, peace activist for women, Netherlands 

Jorge Leandro Rosa, Co-founder of ALOC – WRI-Portugal

Kate Kheel, Advisory board of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

Koldobi Velasco, Antimilitarist Alternative MOC of Spain

Kristine Karch, co-chair international network “No to war – no to NATO”

Ludo De Brabander, woordvoerder Vrede vzw, Belgium

Marlies Tjallingii Platform for Peace Zwolle, the Netherlands

May-May Meijer, founder Peace SOS, Netherlands

Marcy Winograd, Coordinator, CODEPINK Congress

Marika Lohi, chairman, Amandamaji ry, Finland

Matthias Reichl, press speaker, Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence, Austria

Oksana Chelysheva, journalist, laureate of 2014 Oxfam/PEN International award for Freedom of Expression and 2015 Eleonora Fonseca award from the city of the Naples, Finland

Panos Balomenos, Visual artist, Helsinki, Finland

Platform Vrede Hilversum, the Netherlands

Peter Griffin. Pax Christi NSW, Australia

Peter Spreij, clerk of Quakers in the Netherlands (Religious Society of Friends)

Pim van den Bosch, Vredesmissies zonder Wapens, Netherlands

Rita Salaris-Lichtenberg, Chair, Women’s Federation for World Peace, Netherlands

Sviatoslav Zabelin, Socio-ecological union international, Russia
Yurii Sheliazhenko, Ph.D., Executive secretary, Ukrainian Pacifist Movement

Stephanie Mbanzendore, Burundian Women for Peace and Development, Netherlands, Burundi

Tiny Hannink, Women for Peace Enschede, Netherlands

Trident Ploughshares

Angie Zelter XR Peace

Yan Shenkman, journalist, The Novaya Gazeta, Russia

Vladimir Gusatinsky, the editor-in-chief of the Finnish Gazeta, Finland

Weldon D. Nisly, Seatle, USA

Wim Koetsier, Secretary General, Universal Peace Federation, Netherlands

Women Against Nuclear Power – Finland, contact person Ulla Klötzer

Women for Peace – Finland, contact person Lea Launokari

 

Please address your correspondence via e-mail to: May-May Meijer, E: info@peacesos.nl

 

 

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