HUFUD is very excited to announce our President Alberto Portugheis and Vice-President Angelo Cardona have been invited to speak at the United Nations Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland on 10th December this year during the OSI Geneva Forum 2020 (Objectif Sciences International).

Those of you who are in Switzerland or can travel to Geneva for the event, please contact us.

The Programme:

How more than fifty years of armed conflict could come to end. 
– Presentation by Mr Angelo Cardona, International Peace Bureau Youth Network, Colombia
A Peace Agreement to end the 50-year old armed conflict between Colombia’s Military Forces and the insurgents group, The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, (People’s Army or FARC) was agreed in Havana, Cuba, in 2016. While this treaty represents hope for the people of Colombia, and all peace treaties in conflict zones around the world, there are still some questions left to answer:
1 – what does exactly this agreement mean to the Colombian people and to the world?
2 – how effective has its implementation been?
3 – what lessons we can learn from it?

The Colombian Peace Treaty is probably the most comprehensive peace agreement ever signed in the history of peace treaties. However, its implementation has been extremely hard. It is now four years since it came into force and more than 700 ’social-leaders’, working predominantly in the implementation of the Peace Agreement, have been systematically murdered. Is this our punishment for living in a military economy?

Conducted by Colombian peace and disarmament activist Angelo Cardona, the presentation will aim to answer these questions stressing on how disarmament can help us live in a better world — a world of peace and sustainable development. While governments spend millions of dollars in military equipment, other millions of people live in poverty conditions, die from hunger and curable diseases. Colombia’s Peace Treaty is going through a volatile time and there are many lessons we can learn from it. This session will focus on the lessons learned so far from the implementation of this ambitious Peace Agreement, and how we can use them to change the paradigm of war and conflict in our modern societies.

Global Disarmament, as the only vehicle that can guarantee long-lasting Peace to humankind
– Presentation by Mr Alberto Portugheis, Humanity United for Universal Demilitarisation (HUFUD), UK
HUFUD (Humanity United for Universal Demilitarisation) was founded to help all of us live in peace and prosperity, in a world without wars, civil insurgencies, terrorism, unemployment, homelessness, illiteracy, hunger and environmental pollution. HUFUD believes we should all help our Governments to create Peace and save our beautiful planet, something impossible to achieve in a world dominated by the military Economy. If we accept scientific military research, military production, military trading, military training, the existence of Armed Forces, we cannot ban wars. Same as we could not ask our governments to promote the manufacturing and sale of musical instruments, allow us to learn how to play them, allow musicians to form orchestras and choirs, allow the recording and trade of CDs, build concert halls, and then ask the same Governments to ban Music. Militarism for Peace is as logical and effective as recommending lots of chocolate, cream, sugar and cheese as part of a slimming diet. We believe Universal Demilitarisation is possible. We shall be presenting our proposal and discuss complementary activities with all present.