Editor's Note

During the June 1914 fifth annual convention of the International Association of Rotary Clubs in Houston’s Municipal Auditorium, the 1,300 Rotarians who were gathered passed a 183-word Resolution which in part boldly declared -- “Whereas war is universally recognized as a bloody weapon handed down from a dark past … [Rotary should] lend its influence to the maintenance of peace among the nations of the world without recourse to war.”

The Resolution, proposed by Rotarians from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is most telling as it showcases the Rotary’s clear opposition to any form of armed conflict. After the first world war erupted in 1914 just a few days after the 5th Rotary convention adjourned, Rotarians advocated for a peaceful resolution of the raging war. The Rotary Club of Minneapolis, for instance, declared -- “We must not take sides. We cannot interfere. But we can give to the voice of peace a volume that will penetrate the confusion of the most impassioned battle.”

Indeed, as a humanitarian organization, the cornerstone of Rotary’s mission is peace. Rotary believes that whenever people work to create peace in their communities, the change that ensues can have a global effect. The world is getting smaller such that events unfolding in every corner of the globe affect us one way or the other. This is the reason why every Rotarian strives to serve and help alleviate communities around the world – because every enabling and ennobling act done for others has a ripple effect. Yes, each Rotarian strives to make the world a better place, by helping one person at a time… by creating peace in one community at a time.

War, therefore, is the exact opposite of a Rotarian’s vision of having and striving for a better world for everyone. This is why Rotarians have, even prior to the eruption of the first World War, already regarded war as a “bloody weapon handed down from a dark past.” In fact, after the great war ended, delegates to the 1921 convention in Edinburgh, Scotland, amended the association’s constitution to include the goal “to aid in the advancement of international peace and goodwill through a fellowship of business and professional men of all nations united in the Rotary ideal of service.” In 1940, while World War II was raging, the Rotarian delegates to the convention adopted a statement -- Rotary Amid World Conflict -- which emphasized that “where freedom, justice, truth, sanctity of the pledged word, and respect for human rights do not exist, Rotary cannot live nor its ideal prevail.”

The Rotarian idea and ideal of advancing international peace and goodwill emboldened and inspired Rotarians to take an active role in the creation of the United Nations after the second world war. Rotary International was one of 42 organizations the United States invited to serve as consultants to its delegation at the San Francisco conference. Other Rotarians from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America served as members of their own nations’ delegations. Among the notable Rotarians who played a huge role in the UN’s creation are Tom Conally (Co-Vice Chairman of the US Delegation), Ricardo Alfaro (Member, Panamanian Delegation), Jan Masaryk (Chairman, Czechoslovakian Delegation), and our very own Carlos P. Romulo (Head, Philippine Delegation). Rotarians also served as consultants to their national delegations.

Today, the world is again witnessing an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. After the first Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014, war between the two countries erupted anew in February 2022. Ruefully, there seems to be no signs of the combat being abated soon. Because we live in a global village, whenever countries are engulfed in armed conflict, the turmoil, disruption of the supply chain, as well as the social dislocation brought about by the war invariably affect many other countries. It is saddening to note that during an armed conflict, those who suffer most in a war zone are children. Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations; and half of them are children. Thus, for the sake of the children and the next generation, and for the sake of improving the global economic situation which has recently been severely affected by the COVID pandemic, let Rotary continue to be a strong advocate of peace, and a reliable helping hand in at least mitigating the brutal effects of war on those directly affected.