A Case Study of the DPCW Handbook Education Project to Institutionalize Peace

Rommel Santos Diaz, President of the Dominican Federalist Foundation 

 

From the Dominican Republic, we want to present a case study of the DPCW Handbook Project for institutionalizing peace and present you all our speech in this DPCW Commemoration.

I believe that the DPCW is a document of universal value. It is a vital and ideal document to be incorporated into primary and university education programs with the objective and purpose of providing guidance to citizens about peace as a global movement. In addition, it is a document that can strengthen the rule of law and protect fundamental human rights.

The beginning of our work with HWPL dates back to 2018 with a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the 48th General Assembly of the Organization of American States where we met several of the members of HWPL’s international team. Currently, I’ve had the honor of coordinating important dialogues on the DPCW, connecting HWPL with students from INCE University and the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, which are two of the best universities in our country.

We have worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General’s Office of the Dominican Republic to provide feedback on the Dominican State’s decision-making for public policies on citizen security and human rights, with the DPCW as a guide. We have formed a strong NGO Coalition to support the DPCW and we have presented the DPCW to important non-governmental organizations to support the process of institutionalizing the DPCW in the Dominican Republic.

An important factor for our work in the Dominican Republic is the DPCW Handbook (to teach the DPCW) in schools and universities and at the same time, we are working with civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations. Currently, many professors from different universities are expressing interest and requesting to teach these materials and have DPCW training with their classes. We are in the process of institutionalizing the trainings of the DPCW Manual so that they will not be administered once, but will be part of the international law university curriculum to help instill in the minds of our future leaders the importance of uniting our voices to promote peace through legislation.

Currently, we are working with the Dominican Republic’s Senate and the Chamber of Deputies to approve the Resolution in support of the DPCW, which was drafted by the coalition with comments from HWPL. We are preparing comuniqués for the President of the Dominican Republic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Organization of American States to request support for the DPCW throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

I have the honor to introduce within the framework of the Annual Commemoration of the DPCW, the Non-Governmental Organizations that have formed a coalition to support the DPCW in the Dominican Republic. It is a diverse group of civil society organizations that support the DPCW in the Dominican Republic. It forms strategic alliances in the long run to obtain support for the DPCW and HWPL by other organizations, the government and their key institutions. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Youth.

The organizations are as follows: Commission for the Inter-American Democratic Charter, Dominican Federalist Foundation, National Foundation for Democracy, Dominican Organization for Studies and Promotion of International Relations, Institute of Lawyers for the Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources, Family Restoration Help Center, Dominican Literacy Foundation, Horizon of Light Foundation, Dominican Network for Democracy, and the Dominican Coalition in Support for the International Criminal Court.

We once again thank HWPL and Chairman Lee for their tireless efforts to spread the true message of peace not only in our country but throughout the world. As we continue to work to institutionalize DPCW training at the university level, build and strengthen our CSO coalition, and advocate for the DPCW at the national level through communiqués and meetings with officials, and legislative resolutions, I hope that our passion, plans and progress in the Dominican Republic can be an inspiration for everyone present today. We will continue to be the hands and feet of HWPL and Chairman Lee to create a world of freedom, peace and love that we can leave to future generations, starting here in the Dominican Republic, as an example for the world.