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International problems are not able to be solved by war - it usually makes
them worse. This page gives some of the constructive non-violent
alternatives.
The United Nations and its agencies are central to world peace
-
United Nations
Association of Australia (UNAA)
- UNAA and its
Tasmanian Division promote the UN as the vehicle for resolution of the present crisis
over Iraq. Both Web sites have useful information and resources.
- United
Nations Charter
- "... to save succeeding generations from
the scourge of war, ..."
- United
Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDR).
-
On 3 July 2003, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a milestone
Resolution A/RES/57/337 on the Prevention
of Armed Conflict.
- Department
of Disarmament Affairs of the UN.
- This UN site emphasises peace and security
through disarmament.
The WMD Branch
has information and links to treaties and conventions.
- Security
and Peace - UNESCO
- An international discussion site, with many UN
and UNESCO publications on peace and security.
- UN
PeaceKeeping information
- The
Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit (PBPU) of the UN’s Department of
Peacekeeping Operations. (It is different from peace making.)
- Reform of the UN:
- Secretary
General's Panel of Eminent Persons on Civil Society and UN
- Report of 21 June 2004.
International law & Government institutions
- Departments of Peace in governments
around the world
- This is a peoples' International Initiative to
set up a Department of Peace in every national government. It is supported
by the Global Partnership
for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
The US Peace
Alliance is working for a US Department of Peace.
Canada
also has a working group.
- Download
the report of the first international People’s Summit, held in London
16-19 Oct 2005.
- International
Criminal Court
- Set up to deal with international abuses of
human rights.
It has an informative
support group.
Academic Centres
- Australian
Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies - University of
Queensland
- A key Australian Centre focussed on research
and professional practice in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and economic,
social and political development, with a prime objective to locate and
explore avenues for peace and conflict resolution. ACPCS has many links
to other centres.
- Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace
- CEIP is a private, nonprofit organization
dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active
international engagement by the United States.
- Centre
for Peace and Conflict Studies - University of Sydney
- It promotes interdisciplinary research and
teaching on the causes of conflict and the conditions that affect conflict
resolution and peace, and to facilitate dialogue between individuals, groups
or communities who are concerned with conditions of positive peace.
- Rotary
Centers for International studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution
- Rotary Centers provide Rotary World Peace
Fellows with the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in conflict
resolution, peace studies, international relations, and related areas.
- SIPRI
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
- One of the world's most respected
institutions, "for peaceful solutions of international conflicts and
for a stable peace". They have many resources.
- Transcend Peace
University
- TPU runs courses in peace building, and Transcend
has many publications on peace making.
- UPEACE
- University for Peace - established December 1980.
- Based in Costa Rica, United Nations-mandated.
Its Mission includes: “to provide
humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace ...
in keeping with ... the Charter of the United Nations.”
- US
Institute of Peace
- Set up by Ronald Regan, but is doing some good
things.
Conflict resolution organisations and programmes
- Centre
for Humanitarian Dialogue
- An independent and impartial organisation,
based in Geneva, for using dialogue to promote humanitarian principles,
prevent conflict and alleviate its effects. It has a programme
to reduce the human cost of small arms use.
- Christian
Peacemaker Teams
- An ecumenical violence-reduction program with
roots in the historic peace churches. Teams of trained peace workers live in
areas of lethal conflict around the world. Present in Iraq since October,
2002.
- Conciliation
Resources (CR)
- CR works to
prevent violence, promote justice and transform conflict into opportunities
for development. Their July 2005 briefing paper is "Engaging
armed groups in peace processes".
- Conflict
Resolution Network
- This Sydney-based organisation works nationally to facilitate and promote non-violent
conflict resolution. Their "Trainers'
Manual: 12 Skills" is now available for download at no cost
to you. This is the essential document for highly successful Conflict
Resolution sessions and is their contribution to support CR Trainers
worldwide.
- Decade
to Overcome Violence of the World
Council of Churches and the NCCAustralia
- Churches activities seeking reconciliation and
peace. An August 2005 resource on Australians acting to overcome
violence: "Seeds
of Peace".
- European
Centre for Conflict Prevention
- ECCP has resources, databases, peace-building
programmes, networks and links, including to the Global
Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict.
- Foundation
for Global Community
- This US "Silican Valley" foundation
is "to discover, live and communicate what is
needed to build a world that functions for the benefit of all life." It has
a program to build
a world Beyond War. It has a
bimonthly journal Timeline.
- Global
Action to Prevent War
- An exciting new international initiative to
phase out war as a method of settling international conflict over the next
30 to 40 years.
- Global
Nonviolence Center
- The Center for Global Nonviolence arises out
of faith that a nonviolent world is possible. It is possible for
humans to stop killing each other.
- Global
Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
- The Global Partnership for the Prevention of
Armed Conflict is an international network of civil society organisations.
It was formed to build a new international consensus on the prevention of
violent conflict and peacebuilding.
- Institute
for Peace Studies
- A collaboration between a Middle
East women's peace movement and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt.
- International
Crisis Group
- An
independent, non-profit, multinational organisation, with over 100 staff
members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and
high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.
- International
Peace Bureau
- Dedicated to the vision
of a World Without War. With 282 member organisations in 70
countries, and individual members from a global network, IPB brings together
expertise and campaigning experience. IPB current main programme centres on
Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development.
- Iraqi
Institute for Peace
- An Iraqi group supported by the Three
Faiths Forum in London.
- The Islam
Project
- A U.S. community
engagement and educational outreach campaign providing multimedia resources
(including two PBS documentaries) on the nature of Islam and its role in the
world in which we live. It is funded by the Carnegie and other US
philanthropic foundations.
- Nonviolencehelp
- This site
is a resource for nonviolence activists and trainers. The site is an attempt to draw together some of the available on-line resources on the history, theory and practice of
nonviolence. It is both an introduction to nonviolent social change and a resource for trainers and more experienced activists.
- Nonviolent
Peaceforce.
- the Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a trained, international civilian
peaceforce committed to third-party nonviolent intervention.
- Pax
Christi - Publishes "Disarming Times"
- An international movement for peace within the
churches and the community.
P.O. Box 31 Carlton Sth Vic 3053 email: pax@paxchristi.org.au
- Positive
Solutions
- This Hobart-based initiative assists resolving conflicts in our community.
- Preparing
for Peace -
- by asking the experts to analyse war. The
conclusion, presented in a book (2005), is that war is futile.
- Project
on Defense Alternatives of the U S Commonwealth
Institute
- It promotes a "transitional security
policy", as a move towards "nonmilitary means of conflict
prevention, containment, and resolution".
- The Traprock
Peace Center
- A Quaker peace portal.
- Women
Peacemakers Programme
- WPP works to support and strengthen women's
peacemaking initiatives, through international training for nonviolence
trainers, gender and nonviolence trainings, the annual May 24 International
Women's Day for Peace and Disarmament, and documentation of women's peace
initiatives. A project of IFOR.
- World
Institute for Nonviolence and Reconciliation
- Contact: the
Director, (03)6227 1494. PO
Box352 Kingston, Tas 7050
Visions of peace, Educating for peace
- 1000
Women for Peace - the book
- The work and visions of 1000 women. It
describes the life and achievements of each, whether she works at the
grassroots, nationally or internationally. The book is both a good read and
a concise reference for NGOs, relief organizations, governments, peace and
women's networks.
- A
Force More Powerful - the
game
- The first and only game
to teach the waging of conflict using nonviolent methods. Destined for use
by activists and leaders of nonviolent resistance and opposition movements,
the game will also educate the media and general public on the potential of
nonviolent action and serve as a simulation tool for academic studies of
nonviolent resistance.
- Arundhati
Roy: 2004 City of Sydney Peace Prize Lecture
- "Peace and The New Corporate
Liberation Theology", Wednesday 3 November.
- Australian World Citizens
Association.
- This new initiative is led by A/Prof.
Chris Hamer.
It will link with the World
Federalist Association.
- A Christian
theological perspective for non-violence
- Catholic theologian James Alison, on ABC Radio
National Encounter 24 October 2004, argues that God is not violent.
- Charter
for a World without Violence: 2007
- ‘No state or individual can be secure in an
insecure world. The values of non-violence in intention, thought, and
practice have grown from an option to a necessity’. Nobel Peace Laureates
and Organizations in Rome draft a Charter for a World without Violence. Download
the Charter [PDF].
- Charter
of the United
Nations
- "... to save succeeding generations from
the scourge of war, ..."
- Fellowship
Of Reconciliation (USA)
- A revolutionary vision for a world of justice,
peace and freedom. FOR supports the I
will not kill programme and 2005 Nyack
Declaration.
- Flashpoints
- Information, commentary and analysis of
current conflicts.
- Global
education for peace
- Australian peace education site, designed to
assist schools.
- I
will not kill
- It takes courage to be a conscientious
objector. Sign
the pledge online if you are aged up to 26. If older, sign the 2005 Nyack
Declaration.
- Michael
Leunig - thoughts on war 23 April 2005
- "Lest we forget the ultimate price of
warfare."
A thoughtful and incisive article about war from an admired cartoonist.
- Millennium
Declaration of the UN
- and the Millennium
Development Goals.
Secretary
General's evaluation of the Millennium+5
World Summit, held on September 14-16, 2005.
- Preparing
for Peace -
- by asking the experts to analyse war. The
conclusion, presented in a book (2005), is that war is futile.
- Psychologists
for Peace
- This is part of the Australian
Psychological Society, "Working to promote peace in the world and
prevent conflict through psychological research, education and advocacy".
They have useful
resources.
- United
Nations peace education
- Designed to assist schools.
- War
- the lethal custom
- This book, by Gwynne Dyer, describes the need
to de-legitimise war before it destroys us. Scribe, ISBN 1 920769 390
- World Beyond War - (document)
- A statement from 1989 that is even more
relevant today.
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Proclaiming actively
a vision of peace,
social justice and the non-violent resolution of conflict to
inspire our personal lives, our society and our world.
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