Countries: International

The Ribbon of Tangible Hope: has inspired many peopole around the world to express their thoughts on panels of cloth of what they hold near and dear to their hearts. The process of creating Ribbons, joining Ribbon panels in events and exhibiting Ribbons calls attention to peace, disarmament and care of the enivronment and helps people find common ground about what they care about. Started by Justine Merritt in 1982, a grandmother and former school teacher, she is one woman who made a difference, inspiring people to think and act from her idea to surrouond the US Pentagon and the A-Bomb Memorial in Horoshima, in 1985 with Ribbons. The original theme of the Ribbon project “What I cannot bear to think of as lost forever in a nuclear war.”

Pax Christi International is a non-profit, non-governmental Catholic peace movement working on a global scale on a wide variety of issues in the fields of human rights, human security, disarmament and demilitarisation, just world order, and religion and violent conflict. Pax Christi International was started in 1945 as an organisation of Catholics in Europe who wanted to promote reconciliation at the end of the Second World War.

Pax Christi International is made up of more than 100 Member Organisations, affiliated, local groups and partners spread over 50 countries and 5 continents. Most of the regular work at the international level is done through regional and continental consultations and special sessions on specific issues.

Pax Christi International’s governing bodies include a World Assembly, an Executive Committee with an International Co-Presidency, currently held by Msgr. Kevin Dowling and Marie Dennis. The day-to-day operations are carried out by the Secretariat’s office inBrussels.

Representation and advocacy are integral to Pax Christi International’™s work. Pax Christi International is recognised and has representation status at the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Vienna, UNESCO in Paris, the African Union in Addis Ababa and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

Recent Work:

– Publication of various advocacy pacakges on nuclear disarmament, missile defence shield, arms trade treaty, and human rights mechanism;

– Triennial World Assembly was held in Strasbourg in 2010 and included more than 120 delegates from around the world;

– Completion of re-integration project of ex-combatants in Great Lakes region of Africa;

– Workshop on nonviolence and peace spirituality in different Latin American & Caribbean countries;

– Regional consultation for the Middle East in Amman, Jordan.