A few months back, IPB released our first “Save the Date” announcement for this fall’s Second World Peace Congress in Barcelona, from October 15-17. We are now excited to share with you that we have launched our social media and website for the congress. Through these platforms, you can stay up to date with all of the latest developments and events related to the congress and participate actively as we prepare for the gathering in Barcelona.
Peace Education
Report: IPB at ‘Cooperation for Peace’ Annual Conference
On Friday, 26th and Saturday, 27th of February 2021, the IPB supported the German initiative Kooperation für den Frieden (Coopeation for Peace), in collaboration with Welt ohne Waffen (World without Weapons) Weimar and the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation, hosting their Annual Conference ‘Für ein Europa, das Frieden wagt’ (‘For a Europe daring Peace’).
Cooperation for Peace encompasses and association of more than 50 initiatives and organizations of the German peace movement. Founded in 2003, they strive for the development of peaceful methods and strategies for conflict prevention and resolution, denouncing politics of violence and coercion.
Albeit held in a fully virtual format acknowledging the exceptional circumstances we are currently living and working under, the conference featured everything a great gathering of passionate peace activists ought to display: Opening music, moving speeches, passionate panelists, skilled exposés, intriguing discussions, and of course as much socializing as can possibly be cramped into the tight but rigorously rich schedule.
Dr. Klaus Dörre from Jena University impressively demonstrated in eight theses the connection between peace, climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals. The subsequent panel discussion with, among others, IPB-Board member Alain Rouy (Mouvement de la Paix, France) and Yuri Sheliazhenko (War Resisters International. Ukraine) sketched out intriguing perspectives and proposals regarding Europe’s ongoing militarization.
Saturday morning, again moderated by Torsten Schleip (Friedenszentrum Leipzig e.V.) and IPB Executive Director Reiner Braun, started with the very holistic European security assessment from a Russian perspective by Vladislav Belov, European Institute Moscow. Straight forward, Ralf Becker (Coordinator initiative ‘Sicherheit neu denken’/’Rethinking Security’) explained the five pillars of a European civil security concept based on the sustainable development of EU-neighbor states and an economic and security partnership with Europe.
Imagining a ‘European Peace Project’ could have been the headline of the following session featuring Alain on the French security ideology and practice-paradox, Yuri on peace with and within the European Union, Willy van Ooyen (Bundesausschuss Friedensratschlag) on collective security and Dr. Christine Schweitzer (Bund für Soziale Verteidigung) calling for a diverse, inclusive ‘peace from below’. Five different breakout sessions on topics from disarmament to social movements and trans-border cooperation, new humanitarian politics in Europe and feminist perspectives allowed for dynamic conversations and interactive sharing of knowledge and experiences.
Closing with remarks from Reiner, Renate Wanie (Kooperation für den Frieden/Werkstatt für Gewaltfreie Aktion) and Jens-Peter Steffen (Co-Speaker Cooperation for Peace) two days of intense exchange drew to a close. Despite minor technical hick-ups, the overly positive feedback from the no less than 100 participants reassured us of the importance that peace work carries now when physical distance easily amplifies mental and ideological disconnect, motivating us to keep the ball rolling and stay engaged even when this means spending more time in front of a screen than we would all wish to.
Many thanks to all the speakers, organizers, moderators and participants who made this event such a great experience and huge success! See you (hopefully) next year, live and in colour!
You can find the conference’s full programme here. Learn more about ‘Kooperation für den Frieden’ and the conference here.
Youth Fusion Elders Series: In Conversation with Bruce Kent
On March 1, Youth Fusion, the Youth network group from Abolition 2000, will be launching the Youth Fusion Elders initiative in conjunction with Nuclear Remembrance Day and World Future Day.
The first interview of the podcast series honors Bruce Kent, former IPB President and MacBride Peace Pize Laureate 2019, as one of the Elders. The initiative highlights the importance of inter-generational dialogue, and of youth learning from the experience of those who have been long-time and effective leaders in the peace and disarmament fields.
Please access the link to their website and the podcast here.
IPB Calls for Solidarity with the People of Myanmar
1 March 2021
IPB calls for solidarity with the people of Myanmar
Peace movement condemns Bloody Sunday in Myanmar.
Military brutality is on the rise.
The military is targeting political parties, the trade union movement and civil society. The military is forcing people at gunpoint to return to work. They are in fundamental breach of ILO labour standards.
Continue reading “IPB Calls for Solidarity with the People of Myanmar”
Bruce Kent’s Open Letter to President Biden
Following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, former IPB Co-President Bruce Kent decided to write a letter to the new president reflecting his hopes and expectations for the administration. Read the full letter below:
Continue reading “Bruce Kent’s Open Letter to President Biden”
Speeches from US-China Round Table
On 18 February 2021, in preparation for the Second IPB World Peace Congress in Barcelona this fall, IPB held a roundtable discussion on US-China Relations, featuring Dr. Joseph Gerson of the US and Prof. Wang Danning of China, with commentators from across Asia. Below are the texts of the two speeches as well as the biographies of the speakers.
IPB Statement on the Military Coup in Myanmar
The International Peace Bureau (IPB), 1910 Nobel Peace Laureate, joins the world in strongly condemning the Myanmar military’s seizure of total state power through a military coup on 1 February 2021 and its’ subsequent dismissal of the parliament elected in November 2020 and the declaration of a martial law today, 9 February 2021.
Continue reading “IPB Statement on the Military Coup in Myanmar”
Road to Barcelona 2021: Interview with Philip Jennings
IPB World Peace Congress 2021: An Interview with IPB Co-President Philip Jennings
IPB will hold its Second World Peace Congress in the Mediterranean city of Barcelona from October 15-17 2021. We’re counting on a large international gathering – both in person and virtual – and including a variety of peace and social movements and activists. We sat down with IPB Co-President Philip Jennings to discuss the overarching ideas behind the congress.
Continue reading “Road to Barcelona 2021: Interview with Philip Jennings”
Celebrating the Entry Into Force of the TPNW
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 Friday, January 22nd, 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) officially entered into force, roughly three years after its adoption by the UN Conference tasked with negotiating a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons. For the IPB, this day is a landmark win in the struggle to rid the world of the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons. Thanks to the efforts of numerous civil society organizations, experts, and peace advocates around the globe, and the tremendous coordination efforts of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the world has just gotten one step closer to a nuke-free future.
Continue reading “Celebrating the Entry Into Force of the TPNW”
Eskil M. Grav – Council Member
Eskil Grav has been re-elected as IPB council member in October 2022.
He is a member of the IPB family, and active in the fields of peacebuilding and disarmament. He has past experience working in community and peacebuilding activities in both Tanzania and Lebanon, and a has a background in Human Security Theory. Eskil is currently the Parliamentary Ombud for Scrutiny of the Public Administration in Oslo, Norway.