Nonviolent Peace force ANNUAL REPORT 2005 Global Vision, Local Impact May 15, 2006 Dear Friends of Nonviolent Peaceforce We have demonstrated the effectiveness of nonviolent peacekeeping in challenging situations. Now with violence on the upswing in Sri Lanka, the site of our first project, our teams are relying more than ever on their extensive training, experience, and relationships. Our field team members continue to provide accompaniment for at-risk civilians, help return and protect child soldiers, facilitate dialog among opposing groups, assist with the return of refugees, provide rumor control, and connect those in need to resources and aid. We have demonstrated that we can support and maintain peacekeeping teams in the field. With the arrival of the second wave of peacekeepers to Sri Lanka in September, we increased our project staff to 30, opened a new site in Trincomalee, and took a leadership role with partner organization PAFFREL in coordinating international observers for the November elections, which were the most peaceful in recent history. We have demonstrated that we can recruit, assess and train very talented peacekeepers from around the world. In 2005 we received 255 applications from 60 countries, nearly 20 for every available peacekeeping position. We are learning from our work. After an extensive onsite evaluation of our Sri Lanka project in the spring of 2005 we gained a deeper understanding of the many forms of accompaniment and ways to preserve nonpartisanship while maintaining good relationships, and as a result, made adjustments to our program, training, and staffing. We are witnessing a growing international acceptance of the need for nonviolent peacekeeping. In July, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) met at the U.N. Civilian unarmed peacekeeping was prominent and the work of NP specifically featured in the global agenda presented to the Secretary General. We are in discussions with several U.N. agencies that have resulted in a joint framework agreement with UN High Commission on Refugees and our first grant from UNICEF in Sri Lanka. We have demonstrated effectiveness. We are continually learning. There is a growing global recognition of the need for and utility of nonviolent peacekeeping and people from around the world want to serve as peacekeepers. Now we must build our capacity to respond to the growing demand. At our International Governing Council meeting last August we approved the initiation of a strategic planning process to become large scale and the creation of a Capacity Building Department to increase the worldwide pool of trained, assessed, and ready-to-deploy civilian peacekeepers. We will need this increased capacity to staff peacekeeping in places like Colombia and Uganda, where projects are currently being proposed. We are deeply grateful to the Member Organizations, foundations, governments, businesses, faith and community groups, and individuals who generously donate their time, expertise, and financial resources to further our vision of building a large-scale international civilian unarmed peacekeeping force and ask for your continued support. With Hope and Resolve, Claudia Samayoa Tim Wallis Mel Duncan Co-Chair Co-Chair Executive Director II Cover photos: Kati Hoeteger, Fabijan Periškic, Bob Fitch In 2005 We Worked Together To ENCOURAGE GROWTH OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN SRI BE RECOGNIZED AS AN AFFORDABLE PARTNER LANKA in three districts threatened by violence by IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT by several international facilitating dialog between local Tamil, Sinhalese, and organizations, such as UNICEF (with a partnership on Muslim communities, providing protective presence in prevention of child soldiers’ recruitment in Sri Lanka), volatile situations, helping control rumors in the aftermath UNHCR (a framework agreement is currently being of violent events, providing safety and passage to high- finalized), and the European Union (as member of a risk civilians, and monitoring public gatherings to prevent partnership to pool nonviolent training resources).* forced recruitment of child soldiers. INTRODUCE AN ADVOCATE TEAM who make COLLABORATE WITH THE PEOPLES ACTION FOR significant financial contributions and help raise additional FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS (PAFFREL) during the major gifts. November elections in Sri Lanka to coordinate 100+ international observers, with 15 field team members plus 34 : NP volunteers from around the world. Although election- Plansfor2006include related violence was lower than in DEPLOYING A THIRD WAVE OF PEACEKEEPERS in Sri the past, extensive intimidation in the Lanka by June. Twelve men north and east prevented many from Nonviolent Peaceforce is and women completed the four- week core training and assessment voting. In January 2006 in Palestine in a nonpartisan unarmed in south India during April 06. conjunction with Member Organization peacekeeping force composed Grassroots International Protection of well trained civilians from for the Palestinian People (GIPP), 35 INCREASING MEMBER around the world. In partnership NP supporters from nine countries ORGANIZATION volunteered as election monitors. with local groups, professional INVOLVEMENT via input into Nonviolent Peaceforce members the strategic planning process and AGREE UPON AN EARLY WARNING apply proven nonviolent strategies regional meetings. The European PROJECT FOR MINDANAO, in the to protect human rights, deter Meeting was held in late March, Southern Philippines, an area that has violence, and help create space North America will meet in mid June, and other regions are in been plagued for decades by violent for local peacemakers to carry out the planning stages. The 2007-09 conflict. A two-person advance team their work. will be sent to Mindanao in June 06. strategic plan will be discussed Building upon the work of at the Annual International HIRE AN INTERIM AFRICA Mahatma Gandhi and other Governing Council Meeting REGIONAL COORDINATOR who is unarmed peaceworkers, our in Sri Lanka in September. Implementation will begin at building the foundation for a potential vision is to create a large-scale the 2nd International Assembly project in Uganda. We also set the nonviolent peacekeeping force. stage for the advanced Colombia scheduled for March 2007 in exploration that took place in February Kenya. 2006. LAYING THE FOUNDATION TO BUILD AN CONDUCT NONVIOLENCE TRAINING IN INDIA INTERNATIONAL POOL of 500 assessed and trained resulting in Hindus and Muslims joining together to take a nonviolent peacekeepers by the end of 2008. A trainer pledge of nonviolence on September 11 in Delhi. workshop will be held in Thailand in July 2006 that will enable core training in all NP world regions. PARTICIPATE IN THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR THE PREVENTION OF ARMED CONFLICT (GPPAC) IMPLEMENTING TWO GLOBAL FUNDRAISING AND Conference “From Reaction to Prevention” at the United AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS – redesigned Peace Bonds Nations where NP organized a workshop on “Civilian and “Work a Day for Peace” to commemorate the 100 year Deployment, Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping, and anniversary of Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement on Sept 11 Nonviolent Peaceforce.” including an insight trip for Advocate Team Members and selected youth to Delhi in September. *UNICEF – United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees “NP gives us courage to act, for those who have not acted to start acting…NP is not intrusive or overpowering, but takes (the) lead from community rather than imposing on community.” Deployments Yami (name changed), civil society advocate, Sri Lanka Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) Working Groups around UNICEF, NP is able to help provide safe places for the world recommend unarmed peacekeeping projects women and children and link them with community- which are refined by the NP Program Committee and based organizations and international NGOs capable then recommended to the NP Executive Committee of offering relief. and full International Governing Council (IGC) based In Trincomalee, where tensions among Tamil, on: 1) potential for impact, 2) strong local partnerships, Sinhala, and Muslim Communities are high, the and 3) broad funding potential. team has been focusing on supporting the local peace committees/makers to manage crises where violence SriLanka is likely to escalate and serving as a reference to At the end of 2005 NP had 30 project staff in Sri other international organizations for early warning Lanka working at the grassroots level in three vola- information. tile districts, building upon two years of work with In Batticaloa, much of the team’s work has been local peacebuilders and human rights workers. Our concentrated on the need to protect civilian non- peacekeepers are from 17 different countries all over combatants from being caught up in the LTTE in- the world, and can collectively speak 40 different fighting, as well as to provide protection and support languages. to families and activists working on issues of child recruitment. The team has also been working with Muslim and Tamil community groups in ethnically segregated areas to provide protection and general peacebuilding support. In Trincomalee, an NP vehicle was stopped forcefully by more than 20 highly charged youth. They banged the NP vehicle and accused NP photo: © Bob Fitch, bobfitchphoto.com of facilitating a meeting between a Jaleel, Peters, and Midori visit disputed land with par- ties to the disagreement Buddhist monk and LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)