Rome, Italy
November 10-12, 2004

About the Summit

Paul Lacey, chair of the AFSC board, and Mary Ellen McNish, AFSC general secretary, participated in the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The theme of the summit was "A Divided World or a United World?" and dealt with themes of multiethnicity, human rights, 'terrorism,' and other threats to human life. The summit was called by the Gorbachev Foundation.

The summit participants concluded with this statement:

Two decades ago, the world was swept with a wave of hope. Inspired by the popular movements for peace, freedom, democracy and solidarity, the nations of the world worked together to end the cold war. Yet the opportunities opened up by that historic change are slipping away.

For more information, see the summit's web site.

Paul Lacey's and Mary Ellen McNish's Speeches

Terror and Other Threats to Humanity
Delivered by Paul Lacey
I will concentrate on two aspects of the same problem: the threat of terror and the danger of the War on Terror.  I speak as a Quaker pacifist and as an American citizen, fully recognizing that terror has been a condition in which many of you have lived your lives and done your work for peace and justice. I must therefore speak carefully and with humility. For the most part, I have known terror only as I have known thunder and lightning-most of the time as a distant rumble, occasionally a near flash which spared me direct injury.

Multi-Ethnicity & Human Rights
Delivered by Mary Ellen McNish
I have come across a quote by Hermann Goering, Vice Fuhrer to Hitler, from the Nuremburg Trials that states, "It is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."

I am here to assure you that it will not work now or ever in the United States . We, in the US peace and justice movement, who are especially grateful for support from peace movements around the world, will not sleep at night until we have our country back. It is our right. It is our responsibility!