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Established in 2000, the Peace Appeal Foundation was co-founded and mandated by five Nobel Peace Laureates, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, F.W. de Klerk, Mairead Maguire and Adolfo Esquivel. The founders' vision is to build a culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world. The foundation supports local, national and international stakeholders in their efforts to create and sustain peace and dialogue processes to transform or prevent violent conflict and build the foundations for a just and durable peace.

"Coordinating Transitional Justice"

Insights into the practice of peacebuilding from the community of the Peace Appeal.

Jeffrey Seul, the Peace Appeal's co-chair, recently published an article in the January 2019 edition of the Negotiation Journal (published by the Harvard Law School) on the challenges to coordinating transitional justice in countries in conflict. The article addresses the real and perceived tensions between human rights and conflict resolution professionals as they seek to "avoid or end the wars that breed human rights violations and the human rights violations that breed wars. The full article is available online from Wiley and Sons here.

Our Year End/Year Beginning Message....

In Memoriam: Padma Ratna Tuladhar
A Remarkable Peacemaker

Nepal and the world lost a remarkable peacemaker this past November. Padma Ratna Tuladhar passed in Kathmandu, Nepal at the age of 78. A long time human rights activist and a former independent parliamentarian who never affiliated with a single party, Patma Ratna played a key role in Nepal's peace process, along with his colleague, Daman Nath Dhunghana. He served as a facilitator and mediator in talks with the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists. A long-time collaborator and member of the Peace Appeal's Advisory Board, he is remembered by the Peace Appeal's co-founder, Hannes Siebert:

"A dear friend, mentor and one of the world’s most extraordinary peacemaker departed today. He taught us what it is to LIVE peace and respect both ally, friend and enemy. We traveled many journeys together. The most significant was serving the Nepal Peace Process together. His moral and political compass was a guide I can never forget. Today Nepal lost one of its most respected statesmen and peacemakers. Padma Ratna helped guide most of its leaders, never stopped in his work to negotiate peace, and listened to all — from the downtrodden, the poor, and the country's top leadership. Padma Ratna’s compassion, empathy and selfless service inspired us. Thank you for the privilege to hold your hand and to be your friend. Will miss you dearly!"

30 Days of Facts and Reflections on Displacement Launched

Are refugee numbers the highest ever? What were the origins of US Non-governmental support for refugees? What are the latest statistics from the Rohingya refugee crisis? How do Mexicans view the "migrant caravan" travelling to the United States border? These questions and more are featured in a new blog (W)HERE TO STAY?! featuring 30 Days of Posts in November to Educate and Inspire Action on refugees and the internally displaced. To learn more visit the blog here, or on Facebook.

Zimbabwe's Contested Election, and a Call for Dialogue

Dr. Mulanda Juma of the Mennonite Central Committee & Peace Appeal Co-Chair, Shirley Moulder at Ruwa township polling station.

August 10, 2018. Earlier today Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (“MDC”), formally contested the election results of the July 30th presidential and parliamentary elections. Official election results were announced this past Thursday, August 2, giving sitting president Emmerson Mnangagwa, the head of the ruling ZANU-PF party, a slender victory with just 50.8% of the vote.

Last month’s elections were the first since former President Robert Mugabe was ousted in November of 2017. While hotly contested, the legitimacy of the poll has been seriously questioned for months with concerns raised about the independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, a system that favored incumbents, a biased media landscape and potential fraud in the conduct of the election, both in the lead-up to the actual poll and the counting and recording of ballots.

For the last 18 months, the Peace Appeal has been supporting our partner, the Zimbabwe Council for Churches (“ZCC”), as it worked across political, religious, tribal, gender and class lines to foster renewed civic engagement in Zimbabwe, and more recently to mount a robust election monitoring campaign. In the lead-up to the election, ZCC mobilized over 1,000 volunteers from across the country to participate in election monitoring. It also recruited dozens of international observers from Europe, Africa and Australia, including the Peace Appeal’s co-chair, Shirley Moulder, to join their national counterparts.

One of the many local polling stations set up in Army tents.

As reported by local and international observers, election day itself was relatively peaceful. However the post-election period was marred by violence as Zimbabwe’s Army sent tanks into the streets of its capital Harare and killed a number of opposition protestors who had taken to the streets in advance of the final election results being announced. When those results were announced, the electoral commission reported that Mnangagwa had received just above the threshold that would have result in a second ballot. The opposition believes the results are fraudulent, and the courts have two weeks to make a ruling on the petition submitted today.

In this tense environment, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches has called for non-violence and dialogue. In a pastoral statement issued last Friday, the ZCC called upon the ruling party to engage with the MDC Alliance through dialogue, offering the churches services as needed. The statement further asked the ruling party, ZANU-PF recognize the complaints of the opposition, and reform the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. It calls upon the MDC itself to address their concerns through the courts, and pursue nonviolent action.

In the coming months, the Peace Appeal will continue its support of the efforts of the ZCC and its local partners, as they work for national renewal.

Invest in Peacebuilding 2019

News and Perspectives

Peace Education:
**World Press Photo Award Winning "Where the Children Sleep" Anchors New Initiative on Displacement & Belonging**

Charlottesville, Virginia. A multi-month educational initiative featuring Swedish photographer Magnus Wennman's World Press Photo Award Winning photo essay of Syrian refugee children "Where the Children Sleep" held its opening celebration on December 12th. The initiative, titled (W)HERE TO STAY?! explores the stories of displacement and belonging through exhibits, film screenings, & educational programming in the Charlottesville, Virginia, the U.S. community where white supremacists rallied in 2017, resulting in mass injury and fatalities. The initiative involves a broad consortium of local and international partners, including the Peace Appeal, UNHCR, The University of Virginia's Humanitarian Collaborative and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. For more information, see the website.

2018 Annual Report Available

The Peace Appeal's Annual Report - a snapshot of our work and financial statements is available. Contact us here to request a copy.

Peace Con 2018 - Alliance for Peacebuilding Annual Conference features Peace Appeal Members

Dr. Donna Hicks at PeaceCon 2018.

Washington, D.C. The Alliance for Peacebuilding's Annual Conference was held October 3-5th in Washington D.C.. Organized on the theme of "The Power of Collective Action" the conference featured keynotes and panels with Peace Appeal staff, board and adviers. Dr. Donna Hicks of Harvard's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and author of "Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict" gave a keynote talk as part of the The Future of Peace Lecture Series. PAF Board member Jayne Docherty and Co-Director, Derek Brown presented on a panel titled "Americans Cannot Dialogue Their Way Out of this Conflict, How Do We Address Structural Grievances?" While Co-Chair Jeff Seul spoke on a panel on religious peacemaking. The three day conference was held in conjunction with the United States Institute of Peace and attracts eminent members of the peacebuilding community, diplomats, scholars, business leaders, military strategists and other specialists gathered from hundreds of organizations across dozens of countries.

Partner Report:
Common Space Initiative Issues "Conditions of Return of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon"

Beirut, Lebanon. The Common Space Initiative for Shared Knowledge and Consensus Building hosted a conference on August 14th on Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Challenges for Return and Realities Back Home. The conference issued a summary booklet in September "Conditions of Return for the Syrian Refugees in Lebanon," highlighting the results of a study assessing seven major criteria impacting the possibility of the return of Syrian refugees to their country of origin. Among its many findings, the report concludes that although their are pockets of stability within Syria, most of the refugees within Lebanon to not come from those areas. The report presents a detailed map of Syria, the number of refugees from each region, and the status of those areas. The booklet may be found here.

Reflections on the Possibilities and Limitations of Dialogue

On the one year anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally and protests in Charlottesville, Virginia held in 2017, we revisit the reflections of our board colleagues, Derek Brown and Jeff Seul. Derek offered his reflections on the events in the community that he calls home. Jeff offered his thoughts on the challenging question of whether dialogue was a sufficient mechanism for social change, following the rallies held in Boston the weekend following Charlottesville's events.

Reflections from our Hometown
by Derek Brown

Is Dialogue Enough?
by Jeff Seul

On a Friday evening last August, my wife and I attended a standing room only ecumenical service at St. Paul’s Memorial Church here in Charlottesville, which was organized in response to the “Unite the Right” rally scheduled for the following day. The rally, as most in this country now know, involved dozens of self-identified white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis, including the National Socialist Movement, Vanguard America, Identity Europa,
continued

We received many appreciative reactions to Derek Brown’s August 28th reflections on recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, his family’s home. A few people also questioned whether dialogue is sufficient for promoting change in polarized societies. What about the role of organized protest, advocacy before legislatures and executive agencies, and even litigation? Can dialogue really contribute to positive change?
continued

Zimbabweans Work to Seize an Historic Opportunity

December, 2017. A coalition of civil society groups, representing Zimbabwe’s leading religious bodies, labor and human rights organizations, women, youth and disabilities movements, Media associations, students and more have come together to advance democratic reforms at this historic moment in Zimbabwe’s history. Calling themselves the National People’s Convention, their new effort is to launch a National Envisioning Process, which seeks to rally together citizens of Zimbabwe to make the most of the opening of the democratic space in Zimbabwe.

The Peace Appeal and our partners have been working with one of the lead organizers in this effort, the Zimbabwean Council of Churches (“ZCC”) whose General Secretary attended the Third Conference on National Dialogues in Helsinki in April. Plans for advancing inclusive dialogue in anticipation of elections in 2018 were accelerated with the dramatic developments leading to the resignation of Mugabe last month.

In the last few weeks, four gatherings have been convened in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, as well as the cities Bulawayo and Mutare. As the year comes to a close, organizers are developing a long term structured initiative to galvanize public participation in developing a cohesive vision for the nation both in advance of next year’s elections and to continue over the next several years.

Burma's Union Peace Conference - the 21rst Century Panglong Reconvenes

May 30, 2017. This past week, Burma’s Union Peace Conference reconvened for the third time in 18 months. Known as the “21rst Century Panglong” (a reference to the 1947 meeting between Burma's interim head of government, Aung San - father of today's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi - and ethnic leaders from the Shan, Kachin and Chin), the conference brought together an estimated 740 delegates, plus many non-seated observers, from throughout the country to engage in a comprehensive dialogue seeking to end the country’s ongoing violent political conflicts and establish a new federal structure for a unified, peaceful Burma.

After extending discussions by an additional day in an attempt to find solutions to contentious issues, the conference concluded Monday with a first phase agreement. The “Pyidaungsu Accord" incorporated 37 high level principles that emerged from state and regional dialogues, including basic commitments to democracy and federalism, and fundamental principles covering economic, social sector, regional development and land and the natural environment. Key sticking points among parties remain (including commitments to “non-secession”). Not all parties to the nation's conflict were present, 7 ethnic parties had left early. In the next phase all parties will need to be engaged, and key issues and the modalities of power sharing and the country’s future federal structure will need to be addressed.

USIP Publishes "Nonformal Dialogues in National Peacemaking: Complementary Approaches"

The United State Institute of Peace published a report by Derek Brown, our co-director, entitled "Nonformal Dialogues in National Peacemaking: Complementary Approaches." The report draws extensively on the experiences of national stakeholders in both nonformal and formal national dialogue processes who participated in two international conferences on national dialogues in April 2014 and November 2015 that were hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Crisis in Myanmar: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu Writes Open Appeal to Fellow Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi

September 7, 2017. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu wrote an open letter to his fellow Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi in response to the crisis in Myanmar affecting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, many of whom have fled catastrophic violence in Burma's Rakhine state to take refuge neighboring Bangladesh. In his closing paragraph, Archbishop Tutu calls on his friend to speak out. "We pray for your to speak out for justice, human rights and the unity of your people. We pray for you to intervene in the escalating crisis and guide your people back towards the path of righteousness."

Humanitarian and Peacebuilding Efforts Impacted by Counter-terrorism & Money Laundering Regulations

May 25, 2017. Our partners at the Charity and Security Network continue to monitor and work to reverse the closing regulatory space for humanitarian relief and peacebuilding organizations. They've just highlighted three new reports studying the impact on civil society of new counter-terrorism and money-laundering regulations, and the efforts of civil society coalitions to the improve the regulatory environment that impedes charitable organizations' humanitarian work. The reports include a study released by Chatham House, the other by Bread for the World, and a third by UN Special Rapporteur Miana Kiai.

New Challenges to Peace Support

Washington, February 7, 2017. Two-thirds of U.S.-based nonprofit organizations working abroad are facing problems accessing financial services, according to a comprehensive report released today by the Charity and Security Network. The study illustrates a growing challenge to peacebuilding and humanitarian relief organizations working in conflict zones globally.
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Children and War - Guide

This recently created guide on children and war sa part of the Peace and Dialogue Platform compiles essential knowledge resources and information on the subject. It is aimed to be an ongoing knowledge sharing space and accumulation of information around this issue.

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