NEWS@IFOR.org

Alerts & Actions!

Pax Christi International is deeply concerned about the devastating situation in Gaza
Pax Christi International has received several alarming pleas and calls from different partners concerning the dramatic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza. On the 7 th of January 2009 Pax Christi International issued a letter addressed to Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Pax Christi International urges that the violence on both sides is strongly condemned in the most unambiguous terms, without the use of double standards or manipulation of the truth. It should be made very clear to all parties involved that the use of violence will not bring justice, peace or any lasting security to the people in the region, but will only increase fear, hatred and suffering. Pax Christi International supports the most decisive action to uphold international humanitarian law, which should be the basic framework for a solution to the conflict in Israel-Palestine. A similar letter has been sent to the European Union. [Solana letter]

REIS MEE MET PEACE TRAIN EUROPE
Met het oog op de Europese verkiezingen in juni organiseert NEAG Alternatieven voor Geweld een project onder de titel ‘Peace Train Europe’. Het project wil bijdragen aan een grotere betrokkenheid van de Nederlandse kiezers bij de rol van Europa als civiele vredesmacht.

Als u wilt deelnemen, kunt u zich aanmelden bij het secretariaat van NEAG Alternatieven voor Geweld, info@neag.nl of (020) 670 52 95.

Letter to President Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan) by Johannes R. Schot, IFOR Executive Director
27 January 2009

Dear Minister,
I am deeply concerned following information received of unfounded accusations of libel and judicial claims reportedly made by the Azerbaijani Minister of Interior, Ramil Usubov, against Ms Leyla Yunus, a prominent human rights defender and director of the Azerbaijani Institute of Peace and Democracy...

Making senior UN leadership accountable for sexual abuse/exploitation
UN personnel in peace operations (Res 1820):
open letter to the Secretary General.

This letter was drawn up during 61st annual annual DPI/NGO conference "Reaffirming Human Rights: the Universal Declaration at 60."

Please contact us to sign this document!

WPP Offical Launch of the Africa Desk
by José de Vries

The AfricaRegional Desk became operational in June 2007. It has developed a a three year Strategic plan. On the 21st of August 2008, the first anniversary of the Africa Regional Desk was celebrated during its official launch at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, Ghana. [Read more]

Emails from friends and Colleagues in Myanmar
We also saw the broken house of our staff today. His family stays another nearby house at the moment. He has to rebuild the house very soon but it is impossible for them to rebuild a proper one, because the price increases nearly double.

The Passing of Mr. Wilbert Antony Silva
12 November 2008

Sadly, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation received an email stating that Mr. Wilbert Antony Silva passed away on 21 October. IFOR wants to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Wilbert Antony Silva. Mr. Silva was the founder of Darshanodaya, the Sri Lanka branch of IFOR. His contribution over the years is deeply appreciated and IFOR wishes the organization Darshanodaya our best during this difficult time.

We hope you will join us in sending our best to Darshanodaya and Mr. Silva’s family.

Yours in peace,
Johannes R. Schot
Executive Director/Secrétaire Général

Mumbai bloodbath
Submitted by Daniel Mazgaonkar, Bombay

We are deeply shocked and horrified at the bloody mayhem in Mumbai, which has claimed more than a hundred and ninty lives and caused grievous injuries to several hundred people, besides sending a wave of panic and terror across South Asia and beyond.

SarvodayaFriendship Centre: This Joint Statement is being released to the press simultaneously in Pakistan and India today, 30th November 2008.

 

 

News & Reports!

ALAY-DANGAL NEWSLETTER
AKKAPKA Foundation Inc.

IS IT THE BATTLE OR THE WAR?
A peacemaker’s perspective in Zimbabwe
by Makios Phiri

The language does not sound right. As peacemakers words like battle and war are not the best of words, but like it or not, our televisions, radios and newspapers are full of them. It makes me wonder if our existence as peacemakers is visible and let alone relevant.

Revenge is not a solution
by Amos Gwirtz

The hour of revenge has struck. After years of Qassam rocket attacks and retaliatory measures against Gazans, both combatants and civilians, the Israeli army has launched a full-blown war against the Hamas and other resistance organizations in Gaza.

Actions that Endanger our Security
by Amos Gwirtz

We Israelis are wont to believe that our army acts to guarantee our security. However, an examination of the army's actions in the territories occupied in 1967 reveals that not only do these actions not promote our security but they, in fact, endanger us.

DEALING WITH THE PAST IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
by Iva Vukusic

The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina lasted from 1992 to 1995, and according to independent research preformed by the Research and Documentation Centre in Sarajevo, some 100 000 people were killed or went missing and this includes all ethnic groups; soldiers and civilians, men and women.

Dealing with the Past in Post-Conflict Societies
Center for Peacebuilding (KOFF) / swisspeace and IFOR representative at the UN in Geneva
by Jonathan Sisson

Dealing with a legacy of past human rights violations is one of the most difficult challenges facing societies in transition from authoritarian regimes to more democratic forms of government. Initiatives to confront impunity and to promote the rule of law by investigating past abuses are important factors in accomplishing this transition.

WPP Regional Gender Training for Africa IFOR BGA leadership
by Cristina Reyna

18-20 August 2008: Regional Gender Training for African IFOR BGA leadership

The 2006 IFOR Council in Japan resulted in the adoption of a gender policy for the IFOR movement. During September 2007, the IFOR Gender Working Group gathered for the first time to draw up a Gender Action Plan to support the implementation of the policy. Regional Gender Training was considered one key area to increase gender awareness in the IFOR movement.

Violence Prevention in the Educational Institution "Kindergarten"
Pre-Study – Present Approaches and Development Possibilities

2008, FEL Verlag Freiburg i.B., Germany Gabriele Kraus-Gruner, Maike Rönnau, Klaus Fröhlich-Gildhoff, Eva Füssinger (Eds).

To order this study click here.

WPP "24 MAY 2008" Preliminary report
by José de Vries, IFOR Information Officer

Approximately 150 people came together in Theater Concordia in The Hague to discuss these topics; it was an
interactive day with a plenary discussion in the morning and several workshops in the afternoon. Throughout
the day, participants could meet with Gitta van Buuren and visit her exhibition on female photo journalists in
Afghanistan www.gittavanbuuren.com. [Photos]

European FOR Conference Opens in Alkmaar, NL
by Stan Morris, IFOR

On the sunny Friday morning of 4 April, 2008 forty members of the European Branches of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (E-FOR) and invited guests arrived at the International Fellowship of Reconciliation’s International Secretariat (IFOR) in Alkmaar, The Netherlands for the opening session of a three day decision making conference.

Find photos here!

Stan Morris is Communications Officer for the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). Learn more about Stan and international volunteerism here.

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