The Parliamentarians for Peace (P4P) compose a transnational and transpartisan network of 15 members of national parliaments committed to improving peace governance. Created and curated by the Open Diplomacy Institute, this program is powered by the Normandy World Peace Forum.
The 2021 P4P are currently working on the next Peace Policy Platform. Based on principles of international cooperation agreed upon across national and political boundaries, this Platform will refer to solutions addressing the most pressing international challenges.
On May 18th, the Open Diplomacy Institute gathered the fifteen Parliamentarians for Peace for a session focused on the issue of innovation regarding peace governance.
In a first audition, the Parliamentarians met with Dr Laurence Monnoyer-Smith, Director of Sustainable Development at the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). “Space documentation is crucial for climate adaptation”, highlighted Dr Monnoyer-Smith, drawing on the GCOS (Global Observing System for Climate) Essential Climate Variables. They agreed on the importance of reinforcing international cooperation on space issues, especially regarding Earth observation technologies. “For the sake of global peace, it is vital to maintain outer space as a common good”, emphasized Ms Monnoyer-Smith.
Then, the P4P welcomed Mr Leon Sánchez, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Together, they discussed the stakes of global Internet governance. “We need to foster a multi-stakeholder Internet governance, encompassing the voice of every actor involved: governments, but also civil societies, NGOs and nonprofit organisations such as ICANN”, stated Mr Sánchez.
“All over the world, cybersecurity threats are rising and technology issues are at the forefront of political agendas. We need to act quickly to reinforce global Internet governance, to foster an inclusive Internet which is an essential aspect of sustainable peace”, concluded Indian Parliamentarian and former Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari, as the P4P prepared their recommendations on innovation for the Peace Policy Platform - which will be presented at the fourth Normandy for Peace Forum.