PMA: Nonviolent Peaceforce Speaker

10 February 2004

The first public meeting with David Hartsough, co-founder of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, will be held tonight in Christchurch - details of this, David's other meetings, and interview on National Radio, are below.

"The purpose of Nonviolent Peaceforce is to facilitate the creation of a trained, international civilian nonviolent peaceforce. The Peaceforce will be sent to conflict areas to prevent death and destruction and protect human rights, thus creating the space for local groups to struggle nonviolently, enter into dialogue, and seek peaceful resolution.

Nonviolent Peaceforce has four goals: to create, maintain, and enlarge standing Nonviolent Peaceforce; to deploy the Peaceforce in conflict situations; to increase the pool of people training in nonviolent intervention; and to develop the practice and theory of nonviolent intervention." [from the Nonviolent Peaceforce web site].

"Too often people are presented only with violent options to respond to aggression, human rights violations and war," said Mr Hartsough. "These rarely solve the underlying problems and so lead to continuing cycles of violence. What we are creating is a nonviolent option which can work at the grass roots level to transform conflict situations and build lasting peace."

Already the Peaceforce has a contingent of 14 people from nine nations working in its first project in Sri Lanka, supporting efforts to end that nation's decades-long civil war. By the year 2010, the Nonviolent Peaceforce plans to employ 2,000 active peacemakers, to be deployed in conflict areas around the world and others ready to be dispatched on an emergency basis. Possible deployment regions include Burma, Korea, the Philippines, Israel/Palestine, Tibet, Uganda, and Colombia.

"The Nonviolent Peaceforce will use a range of tactics to quell violence and assist peacemaking in conflicts, including accompanying human rights activists and nonviolent civil society leaders, providing an international monitoring presence, supporting domestic peace initiatives, interpositioning themselves between opposing forces, and bringing international pressure for peace to bear on key players in the conflict."

These techniques have been used effectively in small scale peacemaking efforts around the world," said Mr Hartsough. 'However, this is the first time they are being brought together in a global peaceforce and on a significant scale." [Extracts from San Francisco Weekly article].

More information about the Nonviolent Peaceforce is at

http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/welcome.asp

*** CHRISTCHURCH

~ Tuesday, 10 February - David Hartsough speaks at 7-30pm, at the WEA, 59 Gloucester St. Organised by Christchurch Quakers, for more information contact email heatherthrasher@paradise.net.nz

~ Sunday, 15 February - David Hartsough speaks at 11-30am, at the Friends Meeting House, 72 Cresswell Avenue. Organised by Christchurch Quakers, for more information contact email heatherthrasher@paradise.net.nz

*** WELLINGTON

~ Monday, 16 February - David Hartsough speaks at a CID lunchtime forum, 12-30pm to 1-30pm at the Council for International Development, 5th floor, PSA House, 11 Aurora Terrace. For more information contact CID, tel (04) 472 6375.

~ Monday, 16 February - David Hartsough speaks at 7pm, at Athena College, 203 Willis Street. Hosted by Peace Action Wellington and the Peace Foundation, for more information contact Valerie Morse tel (04) 383 9315 or Alyn Ware tel 04 385 8192.

*** NATIONAL

~ Monday, 16 February - David Hartsough will be interviewed by Linda Clark after the 11am news on National Radio.

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Peace Movement Aotearoa (PMA)
the national networking peace organisation
PO Box 9314, Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Tel +64 4 382 8129, fax 382 8173 email pma@xtra.co.nz
PMA website - http://www.converge.org.nz/pma
Not in Our Name - http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nionnz.htm
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