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The International Peace Bureau (IPB) Has Announced its Intention to Nominate Three Remarkable Organizations with a Focus on the Right to Conscientious Objection for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

3 August 2023

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) Has Announced its Intention to Nominate Three Remarkable Organizations with a Focus on the Right to Conscientious Objection for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

Berlin, Germany – The International Peace Bureau (IPB) has announced our intention to nominate three exceptional organizations for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize: the Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors, the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, and the Belarusian organization “Our House”. The decision to nominate these three organizations is a testament to their unwavering dedication in advocating for the right to conscientious objection to military service and promoting human rights and peace in their respective countries.

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the world’s most esteemed awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the pursuit of peace and harmony. The nomination period for the 2024 prize will open on 1 September 2023 and the nominations will be promptly submitted for consideration.

The Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors (https://stoparmy.org/), the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement (http://pacifism.org.ua/), and the Belarusian Our House (https://news.house/) have demonstrated unparalleled excellence and dedication in their efforts as defenders of peace, conscientious objection, and human rights, especially after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 and despite the considerable stigmatization each organization has faced since.

The fundamental right to conscientious objection to military service is an inherent human right, protected under the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion as safeguarded by Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This right remains inalienable, even during periods of public emergency, as explicitly stated in Article 4(2) of the ICCPR. Embracing conscientious objection is a concrete means of contributing to peace. Hence, it becomes imperative to emphasize and safeguard this fundamental human right, especially during times of war.

Even in the face of escalating threats, the three movements persist in their dedication to aiding individuals who resist war and military mobilization. Their focus is particularly on supporting those who endure persecution, torture, and imprisonment. This commitment encompasses all instances of forced and violent recruitment into participating armies, as well as the persecution of conscientious objectors, deserters, and non-violent anti-war demonstrators.

“We are humbled and honored to nominate these three remarkable movements for the Nobel Peace Prize. Their courage in championing the right to conscientious objection and their tireless efforts to promote peace and human rights serve as an inspiration to us all,” said Philip Jennings, Co-President of IPB.

By nominating these three movements, we seek to raise awareness about the importance of the right to conscientious objection, fostering peace and human rights. Furthermore, we hope that the announcement of this intended nomination will remind and pressure governments and nations across the globe to respect the right to conscientious objection in their own countries and provide alternatives to military service for those that object. This includes the right to asylum for conscientious objectors forced to flee their own countries in order to avoid military service.

We call other organizations and particularly Nobel Peace Laureates from across the globe to support this nomination. Together our voices in support for conscientious objection can protect those who are selflessly putting their lives on the line to defend their beliefs and their compatriots who reject war and violence.

The selection process for Nobel Peace Prize laureates is highly competitive and is conducted by esteemed committees dedicated to recognizing peace efforts worldwide. We firmly believe that these three movements stand among the most deserving candidates for this prestigious recognition.

About IPB

The International Peace Bureau is dedicated to the vision of a World Without War. Our current main programme centres on Disarmament for Sustainable Development and within this, our focus is mainly on the reallocation of military expenditure. We are a Nobel Peace Laureate (1910); over the years, 13 of our officers have been recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

International Peace Bureau

info@ipb-office.berlin

+49 (0) 30 1208 4549

Marienstraße 19-20 10117, Berlin – Germany

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Justice for Yurii Sheliazhenko

Berlin, Germany – The International Peace Bureau strongly condemns the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) decision to charge IPB Councilmember and Seán MacBride Prize Laureate Yurii Sheliazhenko with “justification of Russian aggression” and search of his apartment. The charge is based solely on Sheliazhenko’s “Peace Agenda for Ukraine and the World,” a document which explicitly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and promotes peace, justice, and the right to conscientious objection to military service.

Yurii and his organization, the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, have always opposed both sides of the current war and advocated for dialogue, negotiations, and a peaceful resolution which addresses the underlying causes of the war.

We call on the Ukrainian government and the SBU to respect the rights of conscientious objectors and the right to free speech for peace in Ukraine, rights that cannot be violated even during times of war. We vow to support Yurii’s rights and to rally international support for his freedom and wellbeing.

Yurii’s response to the charges and search can be found at https://worldbeyondwar.org/we-object-to-the-illegal-search-and-seizure-at-apartment-of-yurii-sheliazhenko-in-kyiv/

A petition for the Ukrainian government to drop the prosecution of Yurri can be found here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-ukrainian-government-to-drop-prosecution-of-peace-activist-yurii-sheliazhenko/

Please see attached Press Release.

IPB-Statement-Yuri Download

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Report – 2nd Negotiations Round on a Nulcear Weapons Ban Treaty

After the successful session in March 2017 and the publication of the draft of the Convention to prohibit nuclear weapons by the Chair Ambassador Elayne Whyte from Costa Rica, the Second round of negotiations on a Convention started on June 15^th.

The sprit of the 125+ participating countries is productive and dynamic and no major disagreements have been stopping the hard works of the participants from going forward. Nuclear weapons States possessors and their allies, the countries who rely on nuclear weapons in their security doctrines, have chosen to boycott the process, except the Netherlands. Continue reading “Report – 2nd Negotiations Round on a Nulcear Weapons Ban Treaty”

IPB 2025 Survey: Peace Education

Contribute to the Development of IPB’s Peace Education Strategy

The International Peace Bureau is in the process of developing its peace education strategy, and we invite you to contribute to this important initiative.

We have prepared a short survey to gather information on your learning preferences, interest in online formats, and the peace-related topics of greatest relevance to you. Your responses will play a vital role in shaping educational offerings that are accessible, meaningful, and of value to our global network.

Boston-Hiroshima 80th Anniversary

6 August 2025, Boston – To mark the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, the Boston-Hiroshima 80th Anniversary Commemoration Coalition produced a 70-minute video, shown repeatedly during today’s event. The film is divided into three parts, exploring:

The significance of August 6, 1945
The legacy of the Hibakusha — survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
A call for nuclear disarmament

Watch the Film Here

The coalition also organized a gathering at Dewey Square, across from South Station in downtown Boston. On this occasion, IPB Executive Director Sean Conner delivered a message to the people of Boston and fellow citizens across the United States. You can read his full speech below.

IPB Executive Director’s Speech at Boston-Hiroshima 80th Anniversary

Many US Americans my age and younger may not be aware of the true dangers of nuclear war in the modern era. There is a common misperception that the risk of nuclear war drastically decreased after the end of the Cold War when in fact the current situation is as dangerous, if not more.

Nearly all nuclear-armed states are undergoing intensive nuclear modernization programs and the total number of nuclear warheads is on the rise. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research institute, the total number of warheads in 2024 was estimated to be 12,241, with 2,100 in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles. Nuclear arms control is all but abandoned – the last remaining nuclear limitations agreement by the US and Russia, the New START Treaty, is set to expire in February 2026. Nuclear threats and talk of proliferation – including the deployment of Russian nuclear missiles in Belarus and the return of US nuclear missiles to the UK – are on the rise. New so-called ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons increase the risk of their usage.

Make no mistake – nuclear deterrence theory is based fundamentally on a lie. There have been several close calls over the decades – from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii. On each of these occasions, it is only by pure luck that we have not seen catastrophe. Whether purposeful or accidental, any use of nuclear weapons will likely cause a chain of events in which more weapons will be used. Even if a mere fraction of nuclear weapons are used – including in a regional conflict – the consequences will be global.

Nuclear weapons are by nature indiscriminate – there is no distinction between military and civilian, or environment for that matter. And the consequences are long-term and widespread.

80 years after the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we would be wise to learn the lessons that the Hibakusha, the survivors, share. We must abolish nuclear weapons and strengthen peaceful conflict resolution mechanisms. The good news is that there is already a framework – the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join us in demanding that the US and all countries sign and ratify now!

Exploring the Future of Peace and Security: IPB Executive Director’s Speech at the Helsinki +50 People’s Conference

The IPB Executive Director’s speech at the Helsinki +50 People’s Conference on 1 August 2025 — a conference exploring the future of peace and security in Europe and beyond, through both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

This month we mark fifty years since the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. It could not come at a more vital moment, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and genocide in Gaza – as well as the more general increase in conflicts and military tensions from Sudan and DRC to the South China/West Philippines Sea and the Korean peninsula – force us to question the role of Europe in peace, solidarity, and diplomacy in the continent and indeed internationally.

Letter for a World Free of War and Nuclear Weapons

English and Spanish

On August 6 and 9, 2025, the individuals and organizations signing this letter will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the events in which the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 150,000 people and leaving thousands more injured and suffering serious consequences. We honor and remember all those lives lost and injured by the nuclear bombs. For them, for us, we say No to the existence and use of nuclear weapons!

Urgent Appeal: Women describing how the Israeli-Manufactured Famine Is Slowly Killing Two Million Palestinians in Gaza

The report is from the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC), dated 5 August 2025. They encourage everyone to share this appeal, amplify the voices of women from Gaza, speak to elected representatives, and demand accountability and access to aid.

The world is witnessing a man-made famine unfold in real time. Over two million Palestinians in Gaza are being systematically starved while being bombed and torn apart. This has driven many mothers to strip their children in front of cameras, hoping that the sight of exposed ribs might stir enough compassion to bring food to their empty stomachs. These images have become tragically routine. Small, frail bodies are reduced to symbols of suffering, while their mothers stand helpless—laying bare their pain to a world that cannot deliver food to their plates.

IPB’s Voice for Peace at the 2025 World Conference Against A- and H-Bombs: Sean Conner’s Speech

IPB Executive Director Sean Conner Speech in the World Conference Against A- and H-Bombs 2025

Dear friends and colleagues,

We are truly living in unprecedented times, in what seems like a parallel universe where people have forgotten the horrors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 80 years ago; where we have forgotten the promises of the post-second world war era, when global powers moved to prevent any future war; and where nuclear-armed states in 1968 signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty included article 6 – with a commitment to good faith efforts towards complete nuclear and conventional disarmament.

Workshop Report on Peace and Peaceful Coexistence in the DRC- Focus on Conflicts in the East

This report provides an account of the work of the multi-stakeholder workshop organized by the Consortium Amani na Umoja (“Peace and Unity”), a platform bringing together seven civil society organizations working for peacebuilding, social cohesion, and sustainable development in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Action pour les Droits Solidaires (ADS), Africa Reconciled, Congo Security Update Alert (CSUA asbl), Women Concern (WOCO), Action pour le Dévéloppement de Jeunes au Congo (ADJC), Ministère d’Accord et de Rapprochement pour l’Essort Collectif en Afrique (MARECAR) et Encadrement des Femmes Indigènes et des Ménages vulnérables (EFIM).

This workshop was part of a collective dynamic aimed at analyzing conflict dynamics in the Eastern part of the country, identifying the underlying causes of tension, and proposing concrete actions to promote peace and harmonious coexistence between communities. The dialogue brought together community-led/national organizations (NGOs), international organizations (INGOs), some UN agencies, medias and public administration.

AMANI NA UMOJA DETAILED WORKSHOP REPORT FINAL_compressed Download

IPB Executive Director Sean Conner’s Common Security Speech

IPB Executive Director Sean Conner’s Common Security Speech in the International Trade Union’s July 28 webinar For Democracy that Delivers Peace and Prosperity for All.

The basic idea behind Common Security is that the security of one is inextricably linked to the security of all; that the security of a state, nation, or peoples cannot be achieved at the expense of the security of another; that security is not a zero-sum game.

Three Japanese Groups, Including A-Bomb Survivors’ Organization, Issue Joint Statement on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 80th Anniversary

23 July 2025, Japan – Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, three organizations calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, including the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, issued a joint statement on the 23rd, calling for “the most important thing is to raise awareness in Japan and around the world about the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, regardless of differences of position.”

Peace in Europe or war: Thoughts 50 years after the CSCE (Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe) in Helsinki in 1975

The opinions and views expressed in the article below are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IPB.

The West is much closer to war with the nuclear power Russia than to the resumption of cooperative relations with this largest country on earth. The structural economic crisis in Europe, with the apparent way out being a military Keynesianism, will not necessarily lead to war. But its probability cannot be underestimated.

An arms race reminiscent of the worst times of the Cold War in many European countries, including Germany, will lead to profound economic and social upheavals.