Introduction to Nonviolent Peaceforce

Presentation

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is an International NGO engaged in the creation of a large-scale international unarmed peacekeeping force, composed of trained civilians. In partnership with local groups, NP members apply proven non-violent strategies to protect human rights, deter violence and help create space for local peacemakers and human rights’ defenders to carry out their work.

Conceived by a group of participants at the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace and constituted in the 2002 Convening Event in India, the growing international network of Nonviolent Peaceforce now includes over 60 member organizations from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and the Americas. Together they elect the International Governing Council, governing body of Nonviolent Peaceforce, whose members represent 13 countries.

Activities

Nonviolent Peaceforce :

• Deploys international, trained, civilian field teams to conflict areas upon invitation by local peace groups.

• Builds capacity for nonviolent intervention through trainings, assessment, recruitment, rosters, and rapid response mechanisms in crisis areas.

• Conducts public awareness campaigns and political advocacy to increase international support and recognition of civilian nonviolent intervention’s effectiveness in preventing violence and fostering a global culture of peace.

NP launched its first joint project in Sri Lanka in summer 2003 at the invitation of - and in partnership with - local groups. More than 64,000 people have been killed and 1.6 million displaced in the civil war that has ravaged Sri Lanka since 1983. NP Sri Lanka Project has now acquired, by January 2007, a staff of more than 50 individuals, both local peacekeepers and international professionals.

In spring 2007, after 2 years of thorough preparation, NP has deployed its teams in Mindanao, Philippines, to support the locally led peace initiatives by the civil society. In April 2007, only after one month from the initial request, NP deployed a rapid reaction team to accompany an association of Human Rights’ Defenders in Guatemala, where the electoral year brings increased threats. NP is working also on the field start-up of additional projects in Northern Uganda and in Colombia.

In September 2007 NP organised an international conference in Nairobi with 150 practitioners from all over the world about Nonviolent Civilian Protection: Building the Global Capacity.

Our Field Team Members shield, witness and bridge local communities in conflict-prone areas, upon request of local peace constituencies. They use various techniques to reduce and prevent violence, each applied specifically to the circumstances.

These include:

• Accompanying civil society activists, especially human rights defenders and peace workers.

• Providing protective presence to vulnerable groups and communities.

• Monitoring ceasefire agreements, demonstrations and other volatile situations.

• Connecting remote communities to national and international resources.

• Linking local leaders, authorities, community based organizations and other individuals aiming at peace.

• Introducing other NGOs and INGOs to the area.

• Consulting with local activists and communities their needs in crisis time, so to represent them to international agencies and opinion.

• Providing safe places to meet and bridge conflicting communities.

Funding and support

Funding for NP comes from a diverse base, including donations from individuals and religious communities, foundations, governments, independent aid agencies and UN agencies.

Over the past 8 years Nonviolent Peaceforce has built up support for its work and shown that large scale unarmed civilian peacekeeping is important and brings added value to the work of other international organisations, as well as sustaining local communities.

…The case for unarmed peacekeeping which Nonviolent Peaceforce makes is compelling and deserves to be applied on a large scale… One can readily see than NP’s added value lies in its low key, low cost, neutral, benign presence at the local level…The best thing that could happen for concerned actors in the international community is that organizations like NP would successfully and significantly enhance their cost-effective peacekeeping capacity…

Bryan Deschamp, Senior Special Advisor, United Nations High Commission on Refugees, April 2006

Website

www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org