Peace and Non Violence
We are sleep walking into very dangerous times. People are awakening to the injustice and growing conflicts, which are leading to wars and impending violence. Living a life in peace means that we are free of the fear and consequences of violence as well as having basic human rights assured, such as access to shelter and food security.
Here is a list of some of the organisations working towards these goals.
North America
USA
As the preeminent international service organization of the United States, the Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, Volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans of all ages have served in 142 countries worldwide.
POWERED BY POSSIBLE
The world is more fragile than ever. Food shortages have left millions of people hungry, while violent conflict has sent millions on the run. From poverty and malnutrition to natural disasters and climate change, it’s easy to see a world of insurmountable challenges. Instead, we see an opportunity to create transformative change.
"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."
The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) was born in a California living room, bringing together actors, directors, writers, performers and artists with leading thinkers and social justice activists to challenge the prevailing political thought post 9/11. Those meetings turned to direct actions and our own efforts turned to alleviating the most extreme poverty in the Western Hemisphere. When the catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, APJ was well-equipped to respond, as we were on the ground and already had solid working relationships with the most effective community leaders there. Hand-in-hand with our Haitian partners we created two large and vital institutions for the very poor: our free high school, The Academy for Peace and Justice, and our free post-secondary school, Artists Institute. Together they provide a dignified education and employment for over 4,000 youth and adults who would otherwise have no viable alternative. Today, as a group of artists committed to using our voices to inspire activism and direct action, we are more determined than ever to unite our human family to stand firmly together to ensure greater peace and justice for all.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States. Founded in 1910, its work is nonpartisan and dedicated to achieving practical results.
As it celebrates its Centennial, the Carnegie Endowment is pioneering the first global think tank, with flourishing offices now in Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Beirut, Brussels, and New Delhi. These six locations include the centers of world governance and the places whose political evolution and international policies will most determine the near-term possibilities for international peace and economic advance.
The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God. GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies.
The Global Peace Foundation affirms the importance of universally recognized principles and shared values as essential to building social cohesion within nations and the global community.
Canada
War Child’s mission is to help children in war-affected communities reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunity and justice. War Child takes an active role in raising public awareness around the impact of war on communities and the shared responsibility to act.
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada is the national affiliate of IPPNW and a member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). We are committed to education and research about the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, militarism and climate change.
Europe
Switzerland
Nonviolent Peaceforce is a global civil society organization. We protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies. We build peace side by side with local communities. We advocate for the wider adoption of these approaches to safeguard human lives and dignity.
We envision a world in which large-scale unarmed civilian peacekeeping using proven nonviolent strategies is recognized as a viable alternative in preventing, addressing, and mitigating violent conflicts worldwide. Our primary strategy for achieving this vision is the creation of space to foster dialogue.
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) with National Sections covering every continent, an International Secretariat based in Geneva, and a New York office focused on the work of the United Nations.
Since our establishment in 1915, we have brought together women from around the world who are united in working for peace by non-violent means and promoting political, economic and social justice for all.
Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding that supports locally led initiatives around the world. Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that the work is locally owned and driven. Together with local partners and local teams, Interpeace jointly develops peacebuilding programmes and helps establish processes of change that connect local communities, civil society, government and the international community.
Interpeace works in more than 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Interpeace has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with offices in Brussels, New York, Stockholm, Abidjan, Guatemala City and Nairobi.
Swisspeace is a practice-oriented peace research institute. It analyses the causes of violent conflicts and develops strategies for their peaceful transformation. swisspeace aims to contribute to the improvement of conflict prevention and conflict transformation by producing innovative research, shaping discourses on international peace policy, developing and applying new peacebuilding tools and methodologies, supporting and advising other peace actors, as well as by providing and facilitating spaces for analysis, discussion, critical reflection and learning.
swisspeace is an associated Institute of the University of Basel and member of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences. Its most important partners and clients are the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, international organizations, think tanks and NGOs.
Sweden
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.
SIPRI was established on the basis of a decision by the Swedish Parliament and receives a substantial part of its funding in the form of an annual grant from the Swedish Government. The Institute also seeks financial support from other organizations in order to carry out its broad research programme.
France
In a world requiring more collective action, the Paris Peace Forum is a platform open to all seeking to develop coordination, rules, and capacities that answer global problems.
Year-round support activities and an annual event in November help better organize our planet by convening the world, boosting projects, and incubating initiatives.
Belgium
PBI works to protect Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), ordinary people and groups who face death threats, intimidation, detention and harassment because of their peaceful work in defense of Human Rights.
We provide protection, support and recognition to local human rights defenders who work in areas of repression and conflict and have requested our support. We believe that lasting transformation of conflicts cannot come from outside, but must be based on the capacity and desires of local people. We avoid imposing, interfering or getting directly involvehttps://youtu.be/QDHEMcJ18fgd in the work of the people we accompany. Our work is effective because we take an integrated approach, combining a presence alongside human rights defenders on the ground with an extensive network of international support.
United Kingdom
Peace Direct believe that local people have the power to find their own solutions to conflict. Our mission is to help them to make this happen.
Local people are the key to preventing, resolving and healing conflicts. They are the best way to break recurrent cycles of violence and make peace last. And increasingly they want to move away from depending on outside help, towards building their own futures.
The Forgiveness Project collects and shares stories from individuals and communities who have rebuilt their lives following hurt and trauma.
At the heart of The Forgiveness Project is an understanding that restorative narratives have the power to transform lives; not only supporting people to move on from harm or trauma, but also building a climate of tolerance, resilience, hope and empathy. This idea informs our work across multiple platforms - in publications and educational resources, through the international F Word exhibition, in public conversations, and our award-winning RESTORE prison programme.
War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war.
It always seems impossible until it is done
Founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, The Elders are independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights
We will use our experience and influence to work for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. We will engage with global leaders and civil society through private diplomacy and public advocacy, to address existential threats, promote global solutions, and encourage ethical leadership that supports the dignity of all human beings.
Netherlands
Justice and Peace Netherlands is a Hague-based human rights organisation that focuses on lasting impact and solutions-based approaches to promoting and protecting the respect for human rights, for everyone, everywhere. We believe in innovation and through our projects and initiatives, we create new ways to effectively address challenges, incite positive change, ensure long-term sustainability and create real impact for human rights.
Today, our projects focus on two main issues - the protection and integration of refugees and the protection of human rights defenders. With our initiatives Shelter City and Samen Hier, alongside security training for human rights defenders, lobbying and advocacy, and research-based projects, we bring people and organisations from all levels of society together for human rights.
Middle East
Afghanistan
The Afghan Youth Ambassadors for Peace Organization is a grassroots-level civil society organization aiming to create a peaceful and just Afghanistan. Afghan youth activists lead our organization from different ethnic and religious backgrounds to create platforms for young Afghan leaders to make a better future.
Our goal is to work closely with local, and national governments, and regional and international communities to build bridges and localize the peace process for creating sustainable peace.
HOAD is a voluntary non-political, non-profitable humanitarian organization primarily established in 2003 as a society to respond to the need of the Afghan people in order to sustain, strengthen and promote peace & tolerance culture, advocate human rights, tackle humanitarian issues, and facilitate good governance initiatives.
HOAD is managed by independent non-partisan indigenous as well expatriate professionals who have been experiencing practically & technically in various fields of capacity buildings of humanitarian sectors and community development in the region.
List
Here is a list of the top associations working to increase peace in the world.
