October 19, 2016. The mass slaughter and war crimes we witness today in Syria merit the highest level of citizen engagement: they demand a worldwide commitment to achieving a ceasefire and opening a process to reach a political solution. The matter could not be more urgent.
In the wake of discussions at its Berlin congress (early October), IPB proposes the following 6 elements of a peace plan. It is not an exhaustive strategy, but it does offer an orientation for international civil society action in the coming weeks and months, especially for those of us in Western countries … Continue reading “Civil Society Movements Call for Immediate Action to Stop the Syrian War”
October 21, 2016. The Board of the International Peace Bureau is pleased to announce that the Sean MacBride Peace Prize will be awarded this year to our own Secretary-General Colin Archer, who since 1990 has served the organization with outstanding commitment and competence. Colin Archer, who will retire next year and return home from Geneva to the UK, has spared no efforts over the last 26 years in the service of peace and of the IPB community in particular…
IPB Vice-President Joseph Gerson (USA) made a wide-ranging speech to introduce the conference-in-the-congress on nuclear disarmament at IPB’s Berlin gathering. He began:
UN Day
7th October 2016, Berlin. (Extracts) “Youth are a military target in schools, universities, religious spheres and other social environments… We, the participants of the IPB Youth Gathering, actively strive for peace and a just future… Today we create a Youth Network under the umbrella of the IPB, calling for a world conference on youth, demilitarisation, and transformation in 2018.”
11 October 2016 – Among the highlights of the Berlin Congress, held on Sept 30 – Oct 2, 2016, was the presentation of IPB’s Action Agenda. It should be noted that this document is not the final declaration of the Congress; nor is it a summary of the many events that took place during the weekend. Rather, it offers a broad framework to guide the IPB community in the years ahead.
10 October 2016 – This video (in German and English) tells a lot about the issues addressed at the congress, some of personalities participating, and the creative style of the press- and side-events. The 3D-art project showing chains holding back a missile was organised by our colleagues in the 
7 October 2016 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) threw out a case brought by the Marshall Islands about the United Kingdom’s nuclear disarmament obligations that stated that the UK, in failing to get rid of its nuclear weapons, was in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
There was a general consensus in the Berlin Congress organised by IPB (Disarm! for a Climate of Peace: Creating an Action Agenda) that the gathering was a tremendous success. Over 1000 participants from 75 countries participated in a wide range of sessions: plenaries, panels and workshops, as well as side events and cultural presentations. Speeches by experts, activists, politicians, scholars and others provided both inspiration and understanding at a high level.
Autumn is here and for IPB it is exciting times with a wide range of activities going on, such as our World Congress in Berlin, a peace speech in Athens and the publication of the 2015 Activity Report.