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Nonviolent Peaceforce

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Nonviolent Peaceforce is an international non-governmental organization formed to create a trained, international civilian unarmed peace force. This force enters conflict areas at the invitation of local groups to protect human rights, to facilitate local nonviolent efforts and dialogue, and to seek resolution to ongoing conflicts.

1 History
2 Fundraising
3 Sri Lanka
4 Hand grenade controversy
5 References
6 External links

History

Nonviolent Peaceforce was formed by a federation of member organisations around the world at the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace. The International Convening Event officially launched the organization at Surajkund, just south of Delhi, India, 29 November to 3 December 2002.^[1] The goals and projects of the organization have received endorsements from Nobel Laureates, peace activists, and communities of faith. Following on Nonviolent Peaceforce's work in Sri Lanka, a second full deployment has been launched on Mindanao island in the Philippines, and NP's presence has been requested by local groups and preparatory work begun towards deployment in northern Uganda and Colombia. In September 2007, NP and its executive director Mel Duncan will receive the 2007 International Pfeffer Prize for Peace [1].

Fundraising

Nonviolent Peaceforce solicits donations to support its work. It is qualified as a charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. [2] Contributors can make donations through an alternative giving program called "Peace Bonds", which provide no monetary return. [3]

Sri Lanka

At the International Convening Event, delegates chose Sri Lanka as the site of the Nonviolent Peaceforce Pilot Project. The organization subsequently recruited, trained, and sent international civilian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka since 2003. From the capital city of Colombo, the international team operates five field sites:

Mutur - a town in the East which has seen the highest number of civilian causalities from inter-ethnic rioting since the cease-fire called in 2001.
Valaichchenai - another town in the East with high causalities from ethnic violence.
Jaffna - the principal city in the North of Sri Lanka over which the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have fought since the conflict began in 1983.
Trincomalee - is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. It's demographic makeup is unique in Sri Lanka, having roughly equal members of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese.
Batticaloa - is on the east coast, 314 km from Colombo.

Hand grenade controversy

In April 2007, Nonviolent Peaceforce became embroiled in a controversy when a hand grenade was found by the police in one of its vehicles. Two of its members were briefly detained pending an investigation. Nonviolent Peaceforce issued a statement claiming they were "perplexed" and "deeply concerned" with the discovery and said they assumed the grenade had been placed in the vehicle without the knowledge of their staff. They also thanked the Sri Lankan military for finding the grenade and preventing injury or death to its staff.^[2]