“I find it impossible to comprehend how so many of the human race seem more intent on waging wanton destruction, rather than creating sustainable solutions towards establishing lasting peace.” Annie Lennox OBE, singer and political activist.
The concept of lasting peace seems an impossible dream to many of us. Peace treaties come and go, while wars are waged with relentless frequency. The good news is that there is a huge amount of active peace building going on across the globe. We don’t necessarily always hear about it, as it’s rarely reported – and sadly, for the majority, peace builders are simply not deemed as important as soldiers. The Peace Building is all about focussing on, and learning about, peace. We firmly believe that peace building is more inspiring, important, and worthy of our energies and resources than waging war. In her book ‘The Business Plan for Peace’, Dr Scilla Elworthy (a Patron of The Peace Building) sets out a cost-effective case for building a world without war.
Some examples of what peace has achieved
In NW Pakistan, generally known to be one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, Gulalai Ismael trained teams of young men and women to prevent them from joining extremist groups and promote a culture of non-violence. Using the tools of listening and dialogue, they effectively dissuaded hundreds of teenagers at risk of extremism.
In DR Congo, Africa, former child soldiers are going deep into the bush to liberate children who have been kidnapped by the militia – exchanging each child for a goat, and bringing these deeply traumatised children home to be reintegrated into their communities.
In South Africa, Nelson Mandela pioneered an ‘Infrastructure for Peace’, developing Peace Councils at national, regional, city, town, and even village levels. The Peace Councils bring together all relevant stakeholders to systematically build peace and prevent violent conflict. The Infrastructure recruits respected community leaders to join the Councils, where they are trained in violence prevention and required to develop a Peace Plan for their area or region.
In Britain, perhaps the most fundamental move away from arms production (a pioneering disinvestment/diversification project) saw Lucas Aerospace Corporate Plan switch to manufacturing components for alternative energy.
Exploring what peace can achieve through film
How can we encourage young Muslims to choose life, not violent jihad? Until she was 16, Gulalai Ismail hoped to die a martyr. Now she leads a network of educators in Pakistan which has helped 10,000 young people at risk of radicalisation to build peaceful communities.
Samantha Nutt, doctor and founder of the international humanitarian organisation War Child, explores the global arms trade and suggests a bold, common sense solution for ending the cycle of violence. “War is ours,” she says. “We buy it, sell it, spread it and wage it. We are therefore not powerless
In Northern-Central Iraq, the German federal ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development strengthens the resilience of highly affected people and institutions with peacebuilding activities, to achieve a peaceful and prosperous future for people affected by conflict and forced displacement.
In the Central African Republic up to 10,000 children have been part of rebel groups on both sides of the conflict. In April, both sides signed a landmark agreement to release all the children in their ranks – so far just under half have been freed.