The Hague Appeal for Peace & A Conversation with Jane Goodall

From 11-16 May, 1999, I attended The Hague Appeal for Peace Conference with over 9,000 delegates from around the world. This conference was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899. It was viewed it as a chance to learn about what other groups were doing to promote peace, disarmament, and conflict resolution in the world.  Students, non-governmental organizations, academics, civil society leaders, peace activists, and Nobel Peace laureates came from 100 countries. My husband Robert Muller was on several peace panels.

The themes of the Hague Appeal for Peace were conflict resolution, disarmament (nuclear and conventional), creating a “culture of peace,” and human rights and humanitarian law. Seminar topics stressed the role of women and youth in making peace. The notion of “human security, ” which represents a holistic approach to building peace, was a central theme as was identifying and addressing the root causes of war.

At that time, I was producing and hosting Inspiring Conversations for the Radio for Peace in Costa Rica. Jane Goodall agreed to an interview, which I proudly share with you now. Ms. Goodall was my hero for her work in chimpanzee research and in the field of wildlife conservation. I was especially interested in her global program which allowed us to see how respecting all creatures large or small contributes to world peace.