The Concept of Jai Jagat

The Concept of Jai Jagat

Thousands of marchers committed to nonviolent change all over the World will march from India, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Mali, Senegal, Spain and other countries to Geneva (Switzerland). They will meet in Geneva between September 25th and October 3rd, 2020, in the city that symbolizes peaceful coexistence and that is home to many UN organizations. Geneva city and canton have both agreed to welcome the marchers for a week-long People's Action Forum to facilitate the dialogue about the conflicts and issues that local people worldwide are facing as a result of a violent, inequitable economy, polarizing politics and an accelerating arms race that is making peace a distant dream.

Jai Jagat: The Vision

Jai Jagat means "Victory to an Inclusive and Peaceful World" where no one is left behind -- no person, no group, no nation, no individual. Jai Jagat is working towards a new global model of bottom up development, certain that greater social, political, economic, and ecological inclusion is the only way to achieve peace and the foundation for a just way of living together.

The Jai Jagat campaign is built on the legacy of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, the suffragette leader, Emmeline Pankhurst the environmentalist Rachel Carson and many others. Just as each of them used nonviolent strategies in uniting people globally especially for those whose rights had been deprived, nonviolence originated in their individual commitment, and led them to fight for justice while sowing the seeds of peace. 

Nonviolence as a Citizen’s Choice..#Bethechange

Active nonviolence is a choice for every citizen. Most people want peace, but in an oppressive and conflict-ridden society, this can seem like an insurmountable challenge. Choosing nonviolent conflict resolution in the family, community, workplace, and society helps to break the cycle of meeting violence with violence and to create nonviolent strategies for change. #Bethechange expresses the choice that all of us as individuals help create a peaceful and sustainable world.

Jai Jagat: The Campaign – www.jaijagat2020.org

People are encouraged to move…to march and to use different channels, such as art, music, drama, social networking, literature, journalism, and education, to counter the violence of politics and the media, with nonviolent and positive action.

It is those at the bottom of the socio-economic hierarchy that are key in the Jai Jagat campaign –people from indigenous communities, socially discriminated groups; small farmers and landless communities; refugees and those in war zones; the ecologically displaced.

The focus of the Geneva action and the marches in 2019-2020 will be on young people who will bring forward the grievances of the most marginalized, with the aim of finding constructive ways to address and engage with the United Nations organizations for creating a more peaceful and just world.

The four areas of constructive engagement with people and the United Nations are:

(1) reducing poverty,

(2) decreasing social exclusion,

(3) improving ecological harmony, and

(4) halting conflict and violence.

The United Nations agreed in 2015 to pursue Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that re-introduce people, not profits as the center of international development. It sets 17 targets to be reached by 2030, for all 193 countries that are signatories. While Jai Jagat values each of the SDGs, we realise that unless people at the grassroots are consulted by their Governments and the civil society gets involved in realizing the SDGs, these goals will not be made concrete and will not be implemented. It requires people’s bottom up engagement and problem solving that will lead to sustainable solutions.

Call to Action

“Bottom-up”economic development and political representation requires leadership and engagement and inclusion of local people across the world. The final Call to Action will be finalized through a process of consultation. What follows is indicative of some of the expected actions.

1.Develop a new generation of young leaders at the local level that have the skills and capacities to address the above concerns.

2.Network with concerned individuals/organizations to educate, and advocate for greater impact on the UN and National Governments making them accountable to local people and participatory processes of decision-making.

3.Organize and Identify local initiatives to increase local sovereignty that can guide policies and programs of National Governments.

4.Organize civil society to use nonviolent action to make National Governments accountable.

5.Initiate ways and means for women and youth to lead peacebuilding processes.

6.Identify cases where people are actively engaging in their own development and strengthen people’s economies that are equitable, sustainable and nonviolent.

7.Make civil society presence more significant in decision-making in global organizations. 

8.Come together and make financial institutions more accountable.