Mother’s Day Calls for an End to All Wars and the Protection of Peace, People and the Planet

IMA: The International Mothers Association launched on Mother’s Day Calls for an End to All Wars and Protection of Peace, People and Planet in Manipur, Ukraine, Sudan and Around the World 

“I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars.” – E.M Forster

14 May 2023: Afghan, Assamese, Karbi, Kurdish, Naga, Kuki, Meitei, Greek, Bolivian, Norwegian, American, Filipino, Chakma, African American, Indigenous women, mothers, people from Afghanistan, Bolivia, Turkey, Philippines, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, Greece, Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Karbi Anglong, Guwahati, Assam, New York, Washington DC, Sakha Republic of Siberia, met on 14 May 2023 and successfully launched IMA: The International Mothers Association on Mother’s Day. 

The aim of the global organization is for mothers, women, people from all walks of life, across countries, cultures, ethnicities, and faiths to come and work together to find peaceful solutions to the world’s global conflicts and unite for protecting peace, people and planet. The International Mothers Association at the launch recognizes that currently there are 21 known conflicts in the world and 378 forgotten conflicts which have resulted in hundreds of thousands killed and 110+ million people displaced.  An average of one person in the world is displaced every two seconds. 

The launch highlighted the current ongoing conflicts in the world such as in Manipur, paid condolences for the 71 lives that were lost and mourned with families who’s over 1700 homes were burnt and 43,000 people displaced. The launch also highlighted the plight in Sudan which is experiencing violent conflicts resulting in over 600 killed and over 700,000 people displaced. IMA also highlighted the ongoing civil war in Myanmar where 2,890 people have died, 1.2 million people have been internally displaced and 34,000 civilian structures, including homes, clinics, schools and places of worship, have been burnt over the past two years. 

The launch highlighted the ongoing conflict in Ukraine where over 354,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed. 61.1 percent of confirmed civilian casualties were men, and 39.9 percent were women. 14 million people have been displaced from their homes. At least 487 children were killed and 954 injured in the war to date. The IMA launch also highlighted the violence in Peru where over 17 people were gunned down during the protests in the beginning of 2023. 

The IMA launch highlighted the historic origins of one of the oldest women’s movements- namely Manipur’s Nupi Lan or Women’s War of 1904 and 1939 Against British Colonial Rule and Policies. It also noted the establishment of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in 1915 when more than 1,100 women from 12 countries travelled across Europe to the Netherlands to protest against the war that was raging across their borders. 

One of the first mother’s organizations in Northeast India was the Manipuri Meira Paibis, meaning women with flaming bamboo torches that had its inception in the 1970s as the Nishabandi movement to tackle alcohol abuse and in 1980s when the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was imposed in Manipur valley area and many young people were killed and many disappeared. Mothers in Manipur built bamboo huts and took turns to patrol the streets at night with bamboo torches. Naga Mothers Association (NMA) is also another prominent civil society organization that was established by women in 1984 in Kohima, Nagaland. The Kuki Mothers Association (KMA) was formed after the Kuki-Naga Clash of 1992-1993 when hundreds of villages were burnt down, and thousands of people were rendered homeless on account of ethnic clashes in the hills of Manipur. 

The International Mothers Association shared information about the work of The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, Argentina that was formed in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 30, 1977. The organization was first formed to petition against the disappearance of their children. The Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia founded in 1989 as well as the “Saturday Mothers” founded on 27 May 1995 to remember over 1,000 Kurdish men and women who disappeared were also highlighted at the event. The Saturday Mothers gather in Istiklal Street in Istanbul at 12 PM every Saturday carrying red flowers and photos of the disappeared people, presenting them with letters and poetry and sit-in in silence. The launch also highlighted the work of the Million Moms March in the U.S.A., the mothers of the Disappeared in Kashmir and Sri Lanka and of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada and many other movements led by black, brown and indigenous women, mothers and people from around the world. 

Speaking at the launch of International Mothers Association, Professor Elsa Stamatopoulou, Director of the Indigenous Rights Program at Columbia University in New York City stated, “We are from different parts of the world and global hot spots. The beauty of this initiative is that we as women and mothers are joined together in solidarity.” 

Rose Mangshi Haokip, a noted Kuki Women Leader said, “Mothers are not turning back. All mothers are coming together for peace. They have done that during the past communal clashes, and they will come together now.” 

Bridget Moix, Secretary General of the Friends Committee on National Legislation said, “As a mother of two boys, I greatly worry about the gun violence and mass shootings that are taking place in my country. The U.S. can play an important role in reducing violence. We must continue to work to protect peace, people and the planet.” 

Nidia Bustillos from Bolivia said, “Groups are divided, and we create war. In our bodies, we are divided, that’s why we are at war. Not only people but animals and the planet are also dying. We don’t have to be divided between ourselves. We must be complete to stop the wars.” 

Cora Fabros, Co-President of the International Peace Bureau (IPB) from Philippines, Dr Pantibonliu Gonmei, President of Rongmei Lu Phum, Assam-Manipur-Nagaland, Hoinu Hauzel from Northeast Odyssey Fred Lubang and Mitzi Austero of Non-Violence International Southeast Asia, Farida Mohibi from Afghanistan,Megan Weise, human rights advocate, Sheryl Mendes of Freedom House, USA, Vera Solovveya from the Sakha Republic, Shaheen Hussain, President, CARDS & Poetess and motivational speaker, Tinat Atifa Masood from Assam, Pratima Enghiphee, Karbi Woman leader, Filmmaker Dr Meena Longjam, Amita Sangma from Civil Society Women’s Organisation, Meghalaya, Gilbert Smith from the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace, Dr Nazan Bedirhanoglu from Turkey and Kelly Moltzen, Convener, Inter-faith Public Health Network, U.S.A. and Kristin Traavik from Norway also attended the launch meeting. 

The launch ended with a recognition that the world is seeing a rise in rampant violence that has ripped apart communities as seen in Manipur, Karbi Anglong, Myanmar and other parts of the world. Efforts are to be initiated to open strong peace research areas to enable the understanding of why wars are happening and who is benefitting from these conflicts. The formation of “Mother’s Peace Circles” in all villages, regions, nations of the world to share information and evolve Indigenous peace building techniques to pre-empt conflicts and prevent violence flare ups were discussed and efforts to strongly engage governments and multilateral bodies at local, national and international platforms to advocate the ending of all wars and resolve any conflict through dialogue and negotiation. 

Binalakshmi Nepram, Founder of the International Mothers Association at her closing statement of the launch event shared, “If wars and violence are engineered as we are seeing now, we, the women, the mothers will engineer peace. Imagine 100 mothers going to a conflict zone to urge warring parties to stop the violence before it flares up. Imagine 100 mothers for peace amidst us. This is the new Indigenous peace-making that the world and planet earth needs direly, and we call upon all mothers, all women, all people who care from around the world to join us in this effort to stop the wars. This violence must end – now and for all.”

The historic gathering reiterated on Mother’s Day a quote by Rumi, “We are born of love; love is our mother.”

For more details, contact: International Mother’s Association , Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace through Gaipgap@gmail.com 

EBCO Annual Report on Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2022/23

Press Release posted on 12th May, 2023

➡️ Original post here: EBCO ANNUAL REPORT ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection published its Annual Report on Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2022/23, covering the region of Council of Europe (CoE) as well as Russia (former CoE member state) and Belarus (candidate CoE member state).

Overall, the human right to conscientious objection to military service was higher in the European agenda in 2022, as a result of the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the courageous conscientious objectors and pacifists.

The continuation of the war itself constitutes a tragic failure of diplomacy and politicians, as well as a bloody victory of militarism and war profiteers. The military mobilisation and the prosecution of those who object the war constitutes a blatant violation of their fundamental human rights, as well as the indiscriminate European sanctions against all Russians, instead of granting Visas (type C and D) at least to those who object the war.
(EBCO’s President Alexia Tsouni)

Hopefully, remarkable efforts have been made, and more and more inspiring voices are calling for peace (voices for peace from civil society worldwide), including in the framework of the international #ObjectWarCampaign (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine: Protection and asylum for deserters and conscientious objectors to military service), jointly launched by the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), War Resisters’ International (WRI), and Connection e.V..

#ObjectWarCampaign
#StandWithObjectors

Contact and interview requests:

Alexia Tsouni, EBCO President +30 6974461210, tsounialexia@gmail.com (English)
Sam Biesemans EBCO, +32477268893ebco.brussels@skynet.bewww.ebco-beoc.org (French, Dutch, Italian, English)

The INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUREAU wants to share this report, as those who refuse to kill and refuse to take part in violent means of conflict resolution are also contributing to peace.

PETITION To Cancel Australian Talisman Sabre & AUKUS

“CANCEL TALISMAN SABRE AND AUKUS” campaign calls for the termination of the massive land exercises involving 30,000 US & Australian personnel in Australia from July 22 through August 4, 2023; and the cancellation of the recently signed Australia, United Kingdom and United States security partnership (AUKUS).
These are provocative war preparations against China and destroy the planetary environment which is already threatened by climate change.

IPB is helping to advertise this important initiative.

➡️ You can find the you can find the full text of the petition here.

📌 SIGN IT too to protect the planet!

Our 2021 Activity Report is out!

Did you know that IPB is the world’s oldest peace organizations?

Are you curious about what IPB does to support peace in a nonviolent way? Then you can’t miss our 2021 Activity Report!

You’ll read about our second World Peace Congress in Barcelona, where we presented our Action plan 2021-2023, our Networks around the world, the amazing individuals and organizations who have won our “Seán MacBride Peace Prize”, and much more.

We are curious about your opinion, and if you have any questions, thoughts or remarks, please feel free to share them them with us!

 Military Spending in 2022 Shows the Precarity of the Shifting Geopolitical Landscape and the Flawed Logic of Militarism 

Press Release – April 24th, 2023

 The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) newest military expenditure data for 2022 shows yet another year of increase in global military spending, up 3.7 percent from 2021 to another all-time high of US$ 2240 billion. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, increases in military spending in Europe and the Western world were certainly expected; however, with the release of this data an important question must be addressed: does the outbreak of war drive increases in military spending, or rather do the incessant, yearly increases in military spending drive conflict and work? 

While there is certainly no direct or decisive answer to that question, we have to take this year’s SIPRI data in the context of the geopolitical landscape of the past decades. What is crystal clear from this perspective is that constant increases in military spending have not fostered peace or peace processes in ongoing wars and have not prevented the outbreak of new, larger, and increasingly concerning conflicts such as the war in Ukraine. Likewise, increases in military spending are completely unable to address the various security concerns at the forefront of our societies – from the effects of climate change and environmental degradation to protection from future pandemics and growing inequality and food insecurity in many parts of the world. And of course, the threat posed by countries upgrading their nuclear arsenals combined with increased rhetoric around the threat of the use of nuclear weapons and further expansion of illegal nuclear sharing to Belarus (already present in Western Europe under the US nuclear umbrella) puts our entire planet at risk. 

In many other cases, from Saudi Arabia and Iran to Sudan and Burundi, and Japan and China, military expenditure increases have not helped to reduce growing tensions and violence. The United States and the NATO alliance, who together continue to account for the majority of global spending, have in particular been a source of growing global tensions. In the face of recent geopolitical developments, there needs to be an alternative to constant growths in military budgets; there needs to be a resurgence of funding for diplomatic efforts, for the reduction of global tensions, complemented by funding for peace advocacy, peacebuilding, just resolution, and just reconstruction of conflict zones. The current global military expenditure is more than enough to fund not only peace work, but also to address the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), including climate change, poverty, and hunger. 

The world cannot continue on the path we are on. The International Peace Bureau, Global Campaign for Military Spending, and our global network of partners reject the logic of global leaders that preparing for war creates peace, we reject the role of the military-industrial complex in fuelling this continued growth, and we reject the view that there is no alternative. We urge the UN General Assembly to organize a special session on disarmament. We will use the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) from 13 April until 9 May to make our message heard and promote peaceful alternatives to militarism and war. 


You can download a PDF version of this text here:

Your organization can endorse it through this form on Action Network.

Don’t forget to engage with the campaign on Social Media – follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Read the Appeal GDAMS 2023 – War costs us the Earth

The world’s militaries are responsible for roughly five percent of global Greenhouse Gas emissions, however, their carbon footprint, as well as the various other ways that they contribute to climate breakdown, are rarely scrutinized. Our governments currently spend more than US$2 trillion on militarization, but military expansion is inconsistent with efforts to reach essential emissions targets and will exacerbate, not stem, the climate emergency. War and armed conflict lead, not only to death and destruction but also to environmental devastation and climate breakdown. Although our governments may argue that such “defense” spending is necessary, it will ultimately render us defenseless in the face of the existential threat posed by the climate crisis. 

Global heating poses a major and sustained risk to our planet’s climatic cycles and the resultant weather-related disasters often exacerbate existing injustices – and this can lead to conflict for access to land and basic resources, as well as forced displacement. Tackling Climate change must involve dealing with other structural problems such as poverty, economic shocks, and weakened institutions. This is particularly true in regions that have contributed the least to the climate crisis, yet are impacted the most by its devastating consequences. 

As well as their carbon footprint, the world’s military structures also contribute to the climate crisis in other key ways:  

  • Crucially, military spending diverts resources away from essential environmental and social spending, including initiatives to slow the speed of climate change, deal with loss and damage, and respond to weather emergencies.
  • Military structures in the form of national armies, militarized police forces, or private security companies are often deployed to protect the fossil fuel industry. This sector is one of the largest producers of GHG and military protection of it makes it complicit in these emissions.
  • Although we urgently need to protect our ecosystems from environmental destruction, all too often when environmental activists take steps to safeguard their lands, rivers and seas, they are violently repressed by militarized security structures including the police, private security companies, and, at times, the army. 
  • The nexus between fossil fuel and extractivism, and armed conflict and war is well documented, from the colonial period to the wars of today. 
  • More and more people are being forced from their homes due to extreme weather events brought about by climate change. In the same way that the border security apparatus currently contains people and stops them from reaching safety or seeking asylum, the military will likely be further deployed to keep out those fleeing climate-related disasters.
  • Moreover, the arms industry, which in many ways is the backbone of militarism, invests significant time and finance in corporate lobbying to advance its own profit-driven agenda. In recent years it has used the climate crisis as an opportunity to position itself as a key player in designing ‘greener’ weapons and has lobbied for more funding to be earmarked for that purpose. This approach prolongs and deepens the logic that drives militarism and war.   

Political leadership has focused on hawkish politics and saber-rattling, stoking tension and fear, instead of cultivating international relations based on mutual trust, diplomacy, and cooperation – three components that are essential to tackle the global nature of the climate threat. Funds that could be used to mitigate or reverse climate breakdown, and to promote peaceful conflict transformation, disarmament, and global justice initiatives, are instead being spent on militarizing an already over-militarised world.

We urgently call on governments to:

  • Change course and focus on rapid, deep cuts to military spending, driving an arms race and fuelling war; 
  • Demilitarize public policy, including policies designed to tackle the climate crisis; 
  • Implement human and common-security-centered policies that protect people and the planet and not the profit-driven agenda of the arms and fossil fuel industries; 
  • Create governance structures and alliances based on mutual trust and understanding, cooperation, and true diplomacy, where conflict is resolved through dialogue, not war. 

The opportunity cost of doing otherwise just can’t get any higher.

War costs us the Earth.


You can read the full statement as a PDF attachment by clicking here

Your organization can endorse it through this form on Action Network.

Don’t forget to engage with the campaign on Social Media – follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

How to get involved in GDAMS 2023 – War costs us the Earth

Original text at: https://demilitarize.org/

This year of war in Ukraine has meant a huge boost for militarism and military budgets across the world, especially in countries of the Global North. But at GCOMS we believe the response should be quite the opposite: we should drastically reduce military spending and invest in common & human security instead… 

The 12th edition of the Global Days of Action on Military Spending will take place from April 13 to May 9, 2023. Join us in protesting military budgets & warmongering, and take action for peace & justice!

These dates include:

  • April 18: Tax Day in the USA
  • April 22: Earth Day
  • April 24: GDAMS press conferences and social media storm on the occasion of SIPRI’s release of new data on military spending
  • May 9: Europe’s Day of Peace · Actions against the militarization of the EU

How can you get involved?

If you’re part of an organization:

  • Prepare your own GDAMS action or join activities prepared by other organizations near you. Once you know the details of your action please send us an email so we can add them to our map & agenda and help you spread the word. You can see examples from last year here.
  • April 24 will be the main day of action once again. Using new military spending data released that day by SIPRI (figures for 2022), we’ll hold press conferences and launch a Social Media Storm. We’ll send instructions for social media actions soon, and if you’re preparing media work in your city/country, we can help you plan it.
  • Stay active during GDAMS by sharing ideas, articles, actions and debates through your own network and social media, with other GCOMS partners, and with us (FacebookTwitter and Instagram).

As an individual:

  • Join a local group working on the issue, or set one up!
    Here’s our list of partners.
  • Do Online Campaigning: join our social media storm on April 24; use your social media to protest military budgets by sharing pictures, news, materials, and actions;
  • Write an op-ed; Send a letter to representatives in your country responsible for defense budgets.

OBJECT WAR CAMPAIGN: Petition to support Conscientious Objectors and Deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

Press Release posted on 21st September, 2022

➡️ Original post here: INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, 21st September, Connection e.V., the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the European Office for Conscientious Objection, and War Resisters’ International are calling for a signature campaign for deserters and conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The #ObjectWarCampaign calls on all citizens from everywhere to join the global effort to ensure protection and asylum for conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine involved in the current war in the region. They are our hope to refuse war and let peace prevail!

On April 6, 2022, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, had called on Russian soldiers to desert and promised them protection under refugee law. So far, this promise has not been fulfilled. 

Within the scope of #ObjectWarCampaign, a petition has been prepared for everyone to sign in. The petition is addressed to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. The petition emphasizes the need to uphold the right to asylum for conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine by hosting states. The petition launched on the WeMove.eu website can now be signed in German, English, French, Italian and Greek.

There are an estimated 100,000 Russian military draftees and deserters refusing the war of aggression. An estimated 22,000 Belarusian military draftees have left their country because they don’t want to participate in the war in Ukraine. Everyone who has refused service risks several years of prosecution because of their stand against the war. They are hoping for protection in various countries.

Ukraine suspended the right to conscientious objection and closed the border for men between 18 and 60. Over 100,000 men have evaded war involvement in Ukraine and fled abroad. Currently, Ukrainian citizens have temporary residence in the European Union. The #ObjectWarCampaign petition demands that the right to conscientious objection to military service is fully guaranteed in Ukraine.

The petition signatures are a crucial sign of support for conscientious objectors and deserters. This campaign highlights the importance of opening borders to those who oppose the war at great personal risk in their countries and calls on everyone around the world to support those who refuse to fight and kill.

Every recruit can be a conscientious objector, every soldier a deserter. Let’s support those who refuse to kill and end war together! 

#ObjectWarCampaign
#StandWithObjectors

The launch of the petition has been anticipated by an appeal sent in June 2022, to the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe -supported by 60 organizations from 20 countries – detailing why protection and support for deserters and conscientious objectors on all sides of the Ukrainian war is necessary and moreover that it is a human right. There have already been discussions about this in the European Parliament. 

More information: 
The appeal to the European institutions can be found here.
Background information can be found here.

Contact and interview requests:
Zaira Zafarana, International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), zaira.zafarana@ifor.org, www.ifor.org (English, Italian)
Rudi Friedrich, Connection e.V., +496982375534, office@Connection-eV.org, www.Connection-eV.org (German, English)
Semih Sapmaz, War Resisters’ International (WRI), semih@wri-irg.org, www.wri-irg.org (English,Turkish)
Sam Biesemans, European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), +32477268893, ebco.brussels@skynet.be, www.ebco-beoc.org (French, Dutch, Italian, English)

📌 Share more on social media at https://www.facebook.com/InternationalFellowshipofReconciliation/photos/a.1751009778444220/3294203917458124/

📌 SIGN IT! https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/russia-belarus-ukraine-protection-and-asylum-for-deserters-and-conscientious-objectors-to-military-service


The INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUREAU supports this campaign, as those who refuse to kill and refuse to take part in violent means of conflict resolution are also contributing to peace.

CND condemns UK decision to send depleted uranium shells to Ukraine

Statement from MARCH 21st, 2023

The UK government is sending depleted uranium shells for use in the Challenger 2 tanks gifted to Ukraine, a move CND has condemned as an additional environmental and health disaster for those living through the conflict. 

First reported by Declassified UK, Defence Minister Baroness Goldie admitted in the answer to a written question that armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium (DU) were included in its tank package for Kyiv. She added that the rounds “are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles.”

A byproduct of the nuclear enriching process used to make nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons, DU emits three-quarters of the radioactivity of natural uranium and shares many of its risks and dangers. It is used in armour-piercing rounds as it is heavy and can easily penetrate steel. However on impact, toxic or radioactive dust can be released and subsequently inhaled. 

READ MORE: CND’s briefing paper on depleted uranium

DU shells were used extensively by the US and British in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, as well as in the Balkans during the 1990s.

It is thought that the extensive use of these shells is responsible for the sharp rise in the incidence rate of some cancers like breast cancer or lymphoma in the areas they were used. Other illnesses linked to DU include kidney failure, nervous system disorders, lung disease and reproductive problems. However, a lack of reliable data on exposure to DU means no large-scale study on its true impact exists. 

CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said: 

“Like in Iraq, the addition of depleted uranium ammunition into this conflict will only increase the long-term suffering of the civilians caught up in this conflict. DU shells have already been implicated in thousands of unnecessary deaths from cancer and other serious illnesses. CND has repeatedly called for the UK government to place an immediate moratorium on the use of depleted uranium weapons and to fund long-term studies into their health and environmental impacts. Sending them into yet another war zone will not help the people of Ukraine.”

Original Source: https://cnduk.org/cnd-condemns-uk-decision-to-send-depleted-uranium-shells-to-ukraine/

Summary of the demonstrations and actions on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (24/02/2023)

February 24th, 2023 marks the 1-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. After almost one year, weapons are still not silent. News are still dominated by new attacks and their humanitarian consequences. This cannot continue. Around the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, organizations and groups from the peace and disarmament movement organized actions all over the world to show solidarity with Ukraine and call for a ceasefire and negotiations.

We compiled many actions and demonstrations in a list made public to all:

01 year Ukraine – Peace Actions and Activities 22/02 to 27/02

Many of these events were also present on the page of Peace Initiatives of sbilanciamoci.info. It is worth following their page to be updated on their latest news.


Preliminary report on national activities in the ambit of Europe-For-Peace

 Here you can find a preliminary report about activities on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Ukraine war. So far we have reports from Italy, UK/London, Belgium/Brussels, and Croatia/Zagreb. More reports from Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and also Denmark might be added soon. We thank Martin Koehler for providing us with this preliminary report.


South Korea Action regarding 1 year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – PSPD

On February 23, on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 56 South Korean civil society organizations took action to condemn the Russian invasion and call for a ceasefire.

You can find the statement here (In Korean)

Our partners of PSPD in Korea are currently translating the statement into English. We thank Sooyoung Hwang for helping us with this translation.


PEACE IS OUR VICTORY

On February 23-24, 2023, the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) happened in Vienna. The meeting coincides with the launch of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

During the OSCE session, representatives of the Austrian peace movement gather at the Vienna Hofburg and project their demand for peace in Russian, Ukrainian, English, and German on the façade of the building complex where the delegates meet: “Peace is our victory”.

Here you can find the photos: 

https://www.transform-network.net/blog/article/peace-is-our-victory/

https://www.european-left.org/campaigns/peace-is-our-victory/

https://twitter.com/ChrisNineham/status/1629147946242514945/photo/1

We thank Katerina Anastasiou from transform! Europe with this information on the activities in Vienna.


1,000 march in Helsinki to demand peace in Ukraine

Provided by our partners at Peace Union of Finland, here we have the register made by Yle News webpage.

“Events marking the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued in Helsinki on Saturday. Following a candlelight vigil on the steps of Helsinki Cathedral on Friday, there was a procession through the capital on Saturday afternoon calling for an end to the war and supporting those suffering due to it. […] ‘There are Ukrainians, Russians, and Finns here, and it seems that some foreign tourists have also joined,’ an organizer told Yle.”

We thank Laura Lodenius from the Peace Union of Finland for this information on the activities in Helsinki.


IPB Webinar – 365 Days of War in Ukraine: Prospects Towards Peace in 2023

One year after the beginning of the Ukraine war – the International Peace Bureau in cooperation with the Peace in Ukraine Coalition (USA), Movement de la Paix (France), CND (UK) and Transform! Europe held an international webinar to bring together different voices from different countries to discuss a lasting peace in Ukraine and the way towards it.

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  • Introductory words by Michael von der Schulenburg, a former UN/OSCE diplomat who also participated in the development of the Vatican peace plan;
  • Afterward, both Ukrainian and Russian activists will share their perspectives on the ongoing situation, including Oleg Bodrov (Public Council of the Gulf of Finland), Karyna Radchenko (100 Words for Peace), and Yurii Sheliazhenko (Ukrainian Pacifist Movement).
  • A roundtable discussion by different peace activists – including Corazon Valdez Fabros (IPB Co-President), Reiner Braun (former IPB Director, Germany), Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition, UK), Alain Rouy (Movement de la Paix), Francesco Vignarca (Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo, Italy), Medea Benjamin (CODEPINK) and Kate Hudson (CND) as moderator.