Coordinator of the Caribbean Chapter of the International Network in Defense of Humanity, David Commissiong and Member of the Network, David Denny, at the press conference on Monday announcing the first Peace Conference in Barbados.
On October 6, the Anniversary of the 1976 Cubana Flight tragedy, Barbados will host the inaugural Pan Caribbean Peace Conference.
This was announced by Coordinator of the Caribbean Chapter of the International Network in Defense of Humanity, David Commissiong, during a press conference at the National Public Workers Union (NUPW) Headquarters on Monday. The social activist noted that the conference was another attempt to “bring the Caribbean around a people’s movement.”
“The number one thing we need to be doing in Barbados and in the Caribbean is really mobilising our people behind a people-centered progressive agenda of peace and development,” said Commissiong.
Commissiong told the media that the two-day conference was a project of the International Network of Defense of Humanity, The Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration and Cuban Movement for Peace and People’s Sovereignty. He revealed the theme of the event, “Resisting Nuclear and Environmental disaster, Building Peace in Our Caribbean”, and explained the importance of the Cuban organisation in the conference.
“That organisation is very important because it is the Caribbean representative of the World Peace Council and standing behind this World Peace Council (WPC). Last year at the World Peace Council assembly in Brazil, the World Peace Council determined that the Caribbean region should make an effort to concretise a Pan Caribbean Peace movement,” said Commissiong.
He added that it was understood that Barbados would host the first Caribbean Peace conference to carry out the task issued by the WPC. Commissiong who is also the member of the International Executive Secretariat is representing the human rights network which was the brainchild of former political leaders, the Late Fidel Castro and late Hugo Chavez. It is also found throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Nine territories which include Cuba, Venezuela and the United States of America will be represented at the conference with a scheduled start at 8:45 am on Friday, October 6 in the NUPW auditorium. The first day which is open to the public will feature presentations from President of the Jamaica Peace Council, Hope McNish, President of Global African Congress, Cikiah Thomas and veteran trade unionist, economic researcher and political activist from Trinidad and Tobago, David Abdulah, to name a few. Members of church organisations, schools including the University of the West Indies, labour and trade unions have been invited to the first day of the conference. However, Commissiong highlighted that the second day, Saturday October 7 is a closed door session where peace representatives will discuss the various matters and the proposed Pan Caribbean Movement.
After the first day of the conference ends, the participants will make their way to the Monument, a symbol of terrorism’s victims, in Payne’s Bay, St. James. At the monument, Commissiong and his colleagues will lay the wreaths on the 41st anniversary of the bombing of CU-455 flight.