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.
TheRussian 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:
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.
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 15th.
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”
Italian citizens who are eligible to vote can support this citizens’ initiative by signing it online through the official Ministry of Justice portal using SPID or an Electronic Identity Card (CIE). Find out how to sign.
Coordinamento Campagne Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo September 14, 2026
A crucial turning point for the peace and nonviolence movement: yesterday, the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign surpassed the 50,000 signatures required to submit its citizens’ initiative bill on unarmed and nonviolent civil defence. Signature collection will continue until 18 September and must be supported right up to the deadline: every additional signature strengthens the bill. In the coming days, the signatures will be formally submitted to the Senate, setting the parliamentary process in motion.
We did it. The “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign has reached its target of 50,000 signatures, the number required to bring before Parliament the citizens’ initiative bill establishing a Department for Unarmed and Nonviolent Civil Defence. This milestone was achieved thanks to a collective mobilisation and an extraordinary surge in signatures during the final days of the campaign.
This is a crucial, momentous and historic result. For the first time, a concrete and comprehensive proposal to build an alternative to armed defence—based on conflict prevention, mediation, grassroots diplomacy and cooperation—can be considered by Parliament, giving full effect to Articles 11 and 52 of the Italian Constitution.
Signature collection, however, is not over: the campaign officially confirms that the proposal can still be signed up to and including 18 September (until 11:59 p.m.). In the coming days, the promoting networks will formally submit the signatures. This will also provide an opportunity to assess the campaign’s collective journey and outline the “next steps”. Going well beyond the 50,000-signature threshold is important, because no additional signature is superfluous: the higher the total, the stronger the political mandate and the greater the weight of the proposal when it is debated in Parliament. Broad popular support makes it harder to ignore or set the issue aside and can demonstrate that the proposal for unarmed and nonviolent civil defence has deep roots in society. For this reason, the appeal to sign and encourage others to sign during these final five days remains more vital than ever.
This is a fundamental and transformative issue, which the more than 50,000 signatures collected have placed firmly on the political agenda, including in the run-up to 2027. This achievement gives the campaign and the entire peace movement a practical tool for bringing nonviolent civil defence into public and institutional debate. With the 2027 elections on the horizon, the proposal will be a test on which political forces will be called to take a stand: choosing to allocate resources to conflict prevention, mediation and cooperation, rather than solely to increasing military expenditure, is a fundamental choice concerning the country’s future.
This achievement—an overwhelmingly positive one—belongs to an enormously broad community. First and foremost, thanks go to grassroots organisations and the dozens of local coordinating groups that supported the campaign, as well as to everyone who made space for the proposal at countless events, festivals and camps. Thanks also go to third-sector organisations, civil service bodies and NGOs that supported the initiative; to the dozens of municipalities, mayors and local councillors who adopted resolutions in support of nonviolent popular defence and Civil Peace Corps; and to parishes, community centres, local committees and all the organisations that opened their doors to dialogue. Recognition is also due to those media professionals who showed the sensitivity and curiosity needed to give the campaign a voice, and to the many individual citizens who helped circulate its message and encouraged others to sign, whether through personal conversations or on social media.
It is important to remember that the opening months were the most difficult. Even raising awareness of the existence of the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign was no easy task, partly because much of the mainstream media devoted so little space to the issue. If today we can celebrate the wave of signatures received in the final days, it is because the patient, widespread work carried out by hundreds of activists and organisations—often out of the public eye—laid the groundwork: the signatures gathered in such a short period are the fruit of months of persistent, decentralised commitment. The promoting organisations extend their deepest gratitude to everyone involved.
Statements from the promoting networks
“The bill on unarmed and nonviolent civil defence enters Parliament backed by the strength of a grassroots mobilisation that saw an extraordinary surge in its final days—a collective determination to support institutions for peace, disarmament and nonviolence. The goal now is to place the idea of another form of defence firmly on the political agenda and at the heart of the national debate, redirecting public funds from preparing for war to building peace. We thank all the voters who added their signatures; the activists who built support in their local communities; the public figures from the arts, culture, science, politics and the media who lent their names and faces to the campaign; the associations, clubs, parishes and groups that mobilised; and every person who, through word of mouth or social media, helped fill the information vacuum surrounding our campaign.”
Mao Valpiana, President of the Nonviolent Movement and coordinator of the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign
“Reaching 50,000 signatures for unarmed defence—despite the media’s silence about this initiative over recent months—is a major achievement. It demonstrates the widespread opposition in our country to war and military expenditure. We now expect Parliament, instead of adopting further rearmament measures, to debate the bill and respond to the demand rising from citizens: an unarmed form of defence that contributes to building peace.”
Giulio Marcon, Co-spokesperson for Sbilanciamoci!
“At this moment in history, when war is increasingly normalised, society is being militarised and the arms race is presented as the only way to guarantee security, the fact that so many people chose to sign this citizens’ initiative bill sends an extraordinary signal. It is a powerful call for a change of perspective in how we understand defence and how we build genuine peace policies. For the Civil Service system, the implementation of this law would make it possible to enhance and renew the institution’s purpose—the unarmed and nonviolent civil defence of the country—in coordination with the Fire and Rescue Service, Civil Protection and the Civil Peace Corps. Through the proposed Peace and Disarmament Research Institute and the allocation of six per thousand of personal income tax, it would also finally allow us to build a defence system based on civilian, unarmed and nonviolent means, equal to the challenges of our time.”
Laura Milani, President of CNESC (National Conference of Civil Service Organisations)
“We are ready to engage with Parliament and public opinion on the model of defence our country needs. Backed by more than 50,000 signatures, our citizens’ initiative bill for civil, unarmed, popular and nonviolent defence reaches Parliament before the much-heralded ‘Crosetto reform’ of the national military apparatus. While militarism is demonstrating its failure on every front—incapable of resolving conflicts or providing security for peoples—the peace movement is proposing a genuine defence of our society and democracy, faithful to the principles enshrined in Articles 11 and 52 of the Constitution. This broad and united alliance, which has made nonviolence and disarmament its political manifesto, is an important resource for our democracy. At a time when rearmament is being passed off as the only response to a ‘world war fought piecemeal’, writing a different page was no easy task. Yet we have written it, and for us it is the first step in the right direction.”
Alfio Nicotra, Executive Coordinator of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network
What the proposed law calls for
The bill presented by “Another Defence Is Possible”—a campaign promoted by the National Conference of Civil Service Organisations, Sbilanciamoci! and the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network—would establish a department within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, bringing together instruments that already exist under Italian law—the Universal Civil Service, Civil Protection and Civil Peace Corps—under a single prevention-oriented strategy. It would also establish a Peace and Disarmament Research Institute and a dedicated national fund, financed in part through proceeds from an optional allocation of six per thousand of personal income tax (IRPEF). It is a constitutionally grounded response based on a simple principle: we must stop funding war and finally begin preparing for peace through means consistent with that goal.
At a time of rising military expenditure and multiplying threats of war, the campaign has shown that security can be discussed in a different way—and that another form of defence, one that is civil, unarmed and nonviolent, is genuinely possible.
Live Peace brings together 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and more than 80 events worldwide for the 2026 International Day of Peace.
As the world marks the International Day of Peace on 21 September, celebrated annually under the auspices of the United Nations, Live Peace, in collaboration with 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates is bringing together cities, artists, organizations and civil society actors from around the world around one simple but essential message: WE WANT PEACE.
Coordinamento Campagne Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo September 10, 2026
Over 70% of the target has been reached, with around 20% of all signatures collected in the past week alone. Only a few thousand more are needed to bring the citizens’ initiative bill on unarmed and nonviolent civil defence before Parliament. The recent surge gives grounds for optimism, but the campaign must gather momentum in its final days. The appeal is simple: sign—and encourage everyone who cares about peace, disarmament and nonviolence to sign.
We are getting there. With seven days remaining before the signature drive closes, the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign has surpassed 70% of its target of 50,000 signatures, the number required to submit a citizens’ initiative bill to Parliament establishing a Department for Unarmed and Nonviolent Civil Defence. Only a few thousand more signatures are needed, and they are now coming in at a rapidly increasing pace.
The momentum of recent days is particularly encouraging: around 20% of all signatures were collected in the past week alone, a surge that has brought the target firmly within reach. But this growth also shows that success is not yet guaranteed. We must strengthen the campaign in its final week, multiplying signatures and spreading the word throughout the days ahead. Our optimism is well founded—but everything depends on what we do now.
This progress has been driven by the mobilisation of the campaign’s promoting networks—the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network (Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo), the National Conference of Civil Service Organisations (CNESC) and Sbilanciamoci!—together with all their member organisations and the many public figures from culture, journalism, politics and civil society who have lent their faces and voices to the message: “I’ve signed—have you?” We must now step up efforts to promote this concrete, effective and achievable proposal within Italy’s constitutional framework.
The most important result has already been achieved
Over recent months, the campaign has accomplished what initially seemed most difficult: bringing an alternative form of defence into public debate and presenting both the public and political leaders with a concrete, viable alternative to rearmament. As Europe pushes for greater military spending and the winds of war intensify, “Another Defence Is Possible” has shown that security can be approached differently: through conflict prevention, mediation, grassroots diplomacy and cooperation. In doing so, it would give full effect to Articles 11 and 52 of the Italian Constitution.
This work of raising awareness has, at least in part, lifted the veil of militarisation that has dominated public discourse in recent months—a period during which the campaign did not receive the visibility and attention it deserved. Those who profit from militarism fear proposals like this because, if widely understood, they would attract broad public support. That is why the voice of nonviolence must be amplified, not silenced.
What the proposed law calls for
The bill would establish a department within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, bringing together instruments that already exist under Italian law—the Universal Civil Service, Civil Protection and Civil Peace Corps—under a single prevention-oriented strategy. It would also establish a Peace and Disarmament Research Institute and a dedicated national fund, financed in part through proceeds from an optional allocation of six per thousand of personal income tax (IRPEF). It is a constitutionally grounded response based on a simple principle: we must stop funding war in the hope of achieving peace and finally begin preparing for peace through means consistent with that goal.
The final seven days: one last push
Between now and the formal end of the signature drive in seven days, local committees and networks across Italy will organise numerous events devoted to public information, debate and signature collection.
To support this final push, the campaign has released a video, “Another Defence Is Possible | The campaign video: add your signature!”, across the social media channels of the networks promoting the campaign. In the video, representatives of several supporting organisations join together to deliver a collective appeal: Salvatore Marra (CGIL), Mao Valpiana (Movimento Nonviolento), Tonio Dell’Olio (Pax Christi), Francesca Farruggia (Archivio Disarmo) and Laura Milani (CNESC).
The message is direct: “They tell us” that we must prepare for war and that ever more weapons are needed. But another path exists: redirecting even a small portion of military expenditure towards institutions for peace, thereby building the civil, unarmed and nonviolent form of defence envisaged by the Constitution.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
On National Days of Actions, 12-21 September, people from all walks of life and communities across the country, in cities and regions, are gathering around united calls for Peace – Not War, Cancel AUKUS and End the US alliance.
As the undersigned international human rights, peace, and conscientious objection organisations, we declare our full solidarity with South Korean peace activist Min-hyung Kim before his first criminal trial, scheduled for September 10, 2026, at the Seoul Central District Court.
Min-hyung Kim, a long-time peace activist and staff member at the Korea-Vietnam Peace Foundation, publicly declared his conscientious objection to military service on February 23, 2026 [1]. As a total objector, he refuses both compulsory military service and South Korea’s punitive alternative service system, making him the first non-religious pacifist in South Korea to publicly take this stand [2].
We call on the South Korean judiciary to immediately acquit Min-hyung Kim. We also urge the South Korean government to follow its international obligations and fully recognise the right to conscientious objection without punishment, discrimination, or administrative pressure.
WG on Demilitarisation/GCOMS – International Peace Bureau (IPB)
This calendar provides an overview of key international disarmament meetings and relevant dates for the remainder of 2026. It is intended to support information-sharing within the WG on Demilitarisation/GCOMS and identify opportunities for monitoring, communication, advocacy and possible content for IPB communication channels.
A strategy for European States, EU Institutions, Municipalities and Civil Society Actors. This book contains 42 proposals for active peace policy.
Concept and Project Lead: Thomas Roithner, Int. Fellowship of Reconciliation – Austrian Branch, Fabian Hämmerle, ICAN Austria – Kampagne zur Abschaffung von Nuklearwaffen Marit Seyer, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Austria
We support Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his representative Andriy Kryuchkov in their resistance to the lawlessness of territorial recruitment centers (TCCs). We are concerned about the information attacks on the Ombudsman’s institution and the attempts by offending commanders to shift responsibility for their unlawful actions onto the human rights defenders who exposed them.
As a reminder, in April of this year, Lubinets finally acknowledged that TCC premises have effectively turned into places of detention without any legal grounds. He cited examples of the illegal detention of people in unsanitary and degrading conditions at the Uzhhorod District TCC for up to 50 days, the confiscation of documents and phones, and the deprivation of the right to legal aid and medical assistance. The photos and videos published by Lubinets shocked the nation.
Pacifists have many questions regarding formal brush-offs instead of human rights work by the Secretariat of the Commissioner and Lubinets personally in cases of brutal violations against conscientious objectors in general and our members in particular. We understand the pressure the Commissioner’s institution faces from the army and security service. We remember how he was summoned to the Ministry of Defense in 2024 and pressured not to insist on the unacceptability of legislation regarding tough mobilization that allowed systemic violations of fundamental rights.
However, it deserves respect and support that in some of the most egregious cases, the Commissioner and his representatives still dare to fight against gross and systemic human rights violations by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, or at least publicly tell the truth about terrible abuses, arbitrariness, inhumanity, legal nihilism, deaths, and severe injuries in TCCs.
The fact that after these illegalities are exposed, the perpetrators remain unpunished, investigations are formalistic, victims and human rights defenders face retaliation, and temporarily suspended officers return and continue in the same vein is utterly mind-boggling and demands louder public calls for reform.
We urge the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense to review mobilization approaches that are incompatible with Ukraine’s obligations under Articles 3, 5, and 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and to stop obstructing the implementation of alternative non-military service in Ukraine during wartime, in line with Ukraine’s EU accession commitments. Pacifists cannot be forced into becoming part of the system of industrialized mass murder that is war and the armies that wage it. Kidnapping and torture should have no place in a democratic state governed by the rule of law, even during wartime.
We can and must defend Ukraine through peaceful, lawful means.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Instagram. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from reCAPTCHA. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from X. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
