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Nonviolence International Southeast Asia |
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Sunday, 19 February 2006 |
Nonviolence International was founded in 1989 with the intent to provide assistance to individuals, organizations and governments seeking nonviolent means to bring about social and political change which reflects truth and justice. Nonviolence International is directed by an International Council which is comprised of representatives of both our offices and programs. Each office contributes to the overall coordination of Nonviolence International network as a whole, but with differing responsibilities.
Nonviolence International Southeast Asia (NISEA) came into existence in 1992 and has worked with regional partners to build a constituency of peace activists. It is guided by the underlying assumption that conflicts are inevitable and will continue to exist; yet, violence is not the solution to resolving conflicts.
NISEA envisions a empowered society for whom nonviolence is the norm in dealing with conflicts. NISEA’s mission includes: (1) to increase understanding and appreciation of nonviolence; (2) to empower people by enhancing capacities to protect rights and to ensure ownership of and participation in various processes affecting people's lives; and (3) to build and support a peace constituency aiming to change unjust structures, institutions, policies and laws.
NISEA aims to fulfill its mission through three core programs integrating efforts towards education, empowerment and structural change. These programs are Ending Armed Violence, Reclaiming Rights and Nonviolence in Action with each program encompassing advocacy, research and training components.
Ending Armed Violence Program is about making communities safer which requires an understanding of why armed violence occurs as well as strengthening a peace constituency that advocates an end to armed violence. NISEA has actively been taking part in various peace advocacies aiming to ban landmines, expose the misuse and proliferation of arms and its impact on communities, change people's views and behavior toward violence, engage non-state armed groups in the areas of human rights and international humanitarian law, seek assistance for victims and survivors of armed violence, and propagate a culture of peace.
An empowered community fully aware of people's rights ensures that these are respected and protected. Denial of rights demands assertion to reclaim what is inherent to every human being. Reclaiming Rights Program seeks to empower the marginalized through campaign, networking, and solidarity. Currently, NISEA is concerned with the conflict in Southern Thailand and involved in creating spaces for civil society actors to have greater participation in promoting peaceful means to end the violence.
Raising the level of understanding and appreciation of nonviolence entails a consistent process of re-education and re-evaluation of our knowledge and skills to suit the needs of emerging contexts and situations. We believe that every individual and community has an inherent capacity to handle and prevent armed conflicts nonviolently. Nonviolence In Action Program seeks to draw lessons and best practice to enhance capacities through education, training, and multi-media resource material development.
In 2005, Nonviolence International was granted NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
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