News – IPB – International Peace Bureau

Post Event – If Not Now, When? An International Forum to Prevent Nuclear War and Secure Our Future

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us for our side event If Not Now, When? An International Forum to Prevent Nuclear War and Secure Our Future on March 4, 2025, at Scandinavia House in New York City.

2025 Peace Camp: The Lakenheath Alliance for Peace

The New Peace Camp will take place from Monday, 14 April to Friday, 25 April 2025, at RAF Lakenheath in the UK. This event is organized by the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace to raise awareness and oppose the potential return of US nuclear weapons to the base, while advocating for global peace and disarmament.

Statement by the International Peace Bureau on the Recent Violence in Syria’s Coastal Regions

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) expresses deep concern over the recent escalation of violence in Syria’s coastal regions, particularly affecting the Alawite community. This surge in conflict threatens the region’s fragile stability and underscores the urgent need for concerted international efforts to protect vulnerable populations and promote lasting peace.

On March 6, 2025, coordinated attacks were initiated by loyalists of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad against government security forces in the coastal town of Jableh. This ambush resulted in the deaths of several security personnel and marked a significant escalation in the region. In the aftermath, insurgent groups disseminated misinformation, alleging that the new government was targeting coastal communities, thereby inflaming sectarian tensions.

The government deployed reinforcements to the affected areas in response to the initial attacks. Clashes ensued, leading to severe casualties among the Alawite community, including children, the elderly, and civilians unaffiliated with the Assad regime. Between March 6 and March 8, Syria’s coastal regions, particularly the Latakia and Tartus provinces, experienced severe violence resulting in significant casualties among the Alawite community: initial estimations indicate the death of more than 1000 people, including hundreds of civilians, by extremists, foreign fighters, and Islamist groups.

Particular areas like Banyas, rural Latakia, and rural Japleh, have faced incidents of ethnical cleansing and revenge attacks on unarmed people.

Entire families—doctors, pharmacists, teachers, and innocent infants who had yet to experience life—have been mercilessly slaughtered. These tragic events have led to mass displacement, with thousands of Alawite civilians fleeing their homes. Many sought refuge at the Russian Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia province, seeking protection from the escalating violence.

International Response

The international community has expressed deep concern over these incidents, emphasizing the need for restraint and the protection of civilians to prevent further escalation and ensure regional stability.

United Nations: Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, has voiced alarm over the intense clashes and the resulting civilian casualties, emphasizing the imperative to protect non-combatants.
Neighboring and global Nations: Germany has urged Syrian authorities to avoid a “spiral of violence” following recent clashes. Similarly, Jordan’s foreign ministry supported Syria’s security measures and condemned any foreign interference that could destabilize the region. Additionally, the United Arab Emirates condemned the attacks and reiterated its support for Syria’s stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Human Rights Organizations: Various NGOs have called for immediate investigations into reports of targeted killings based on religious affiliation, highlighting the potential for these acts to constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.

The International Peace Bureau urgently calls upon the international community to:

Protect Civilians: Implement immediate measures to safeguard all civilians, particularly vulnerable communities such as the Alawites, from ongoing and future attacks.
Request the Syrian Government to take responsibility and protect innocent people: The new Syrian government should take decisive actions to halt current hostilities and prevent recurrence, ensuring that security operations are conducted within the bounds of international law and with utmost respect for human rights.
Ensure Accountability: Advocate for impartial investigations into alleged human rights violations, hold perpetrators accountable for crimes against humanity, deter future atrocities, and uphold justice.
Promote Dialogue: Facilitate inclusive dialogue among all Syrian factions to address underlying grievances, promote reconciliation, and build a sustainable peace framework.

The international community must not stand idle in the face of such barbarity. Immediate action is imperative to protect the remaining Alawite population and to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable. The sanctity of human life and the principles of justice demand nothing less.

The IPB remains committed to supporting peace initiatives in Syria and stands in solidarity with all communities affected by this tragic conflict.

Statement of Support for Turkish Conscientious Objectors

Issued by the Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft – Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen (DFG-VK) German Peace Society – United War Resisters

We have just heard accounts from those directly affected by the criminalization of conscientious objection in Turkey. Their experiences are a stark reminder that the fight against militarism is not abstract—it is about real people facing real persecution. Their voices demand that we turn what we have heard today into meaningful action.

GDAMS 2025: April 10 to May 9

From April 10 to May 9, 2025, the International Peace Bureau (IPB) will join forces with partners worldwide for the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS). This year’s campaign comes at a crucial moment, as the world faces escalating violence, including the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, and over 30 other armed conflicts in the Global South, many of which are in Africa. These conflicts, alongside increasing militarization and supremacist rhetoric, have created a climate of fear and instability.

Demand to Close Military Bases Heard Around the World

On February 23 and surrounding days, individuals and organizations around the world took coordinated action in their communities to call for the closure of all military bases as part of the Global Day of Action to Close Bases. Details about plans for the day, participants, motivations, and goals are at DayToCloseBases.org.

2024 Seán MacBride Peace Prize: Honoring Indigenous Women Peacebuilders in Manipur, India and Peacebuilders in Israel-Palestine

21 February 2025, Berlin, Germany

The 2024 Seán MacBride Peace Prize honors the selfless efforts and dedication of organizations and individuals who promote healing, restoration, and human rights while embodying the principles of peace amidst diversity. This year, the prize is awarded to two joint organizations and three outstanding Indigenous women whose work reflects bravery, resilience, nonviolence, and genuine peacebuilding.

Alarm at Irish Government Plans to Dismantle Ireland’s Triple Lock

Open Letter to the Taoiseach by International Organisations

Ireland is a neutral country. A central component of that neutrality is the Triple Lock. It stipulates that Irish troops can only be deployed on overseas missions if there is approval from:

the cabinet,
Dáil Éireann – Ireland’s lower house of parliament,
and there is a UN mandate.

A three-tiered approval mechanism to authorise the deployment of troops to highly complex and volatile environments, including conflict zones, makes good sense. Yet in recent days the Irish government announced plans to bring legislation before the cabinet to undo it. This is a fundamental policy shift that will seriously weaken Irish neutrality. It could see Irish troops being deployed, not to keep the peace within a UN mandated mission, but to wage war as part of a military alliance.

We firmly believe in neutrality as a means to actively prevent the outbreak of war and recognise that the Triple Lock is vital for preserving Ireland’s neutrality, particularly amid escalating global instability and conflict. We wrote to the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) to convey our alarm at the erosion of a core component of Irish neutrality.

You can read the full letter below.

IPB Statement on Democratic Republic of Congo

The International Peace Bureau expresses deep concern regarding the advance of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo including in the regional capital of Goma. To this day and despite international humanitarian law, humanitarian assistance remains blocked outside Goma, while the population is still deprived of access to drinking water, electricity, Internet, sufficient food and adequate health care – the capacity of hospitals is saturated. The ongoing violence not only endangers the stability and well-being of the people of the DRC but also threatens peace and security across the whole region.

Statement on the 65th Anniversary of the First French Nuclear

Joint Statement on the 65th Anniversary of the First French Nuclear Test in the Algerian Sahara – February 13, 1960

We, the undersigned organizations, representing affected communities, indigenous peoples, advocates for nuclear disarmament, environmental protection, human rights, and peace, gather today to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the first French nuclear test conducted in the Algerian Sahara on February 13, 1960.