Thank you for protecting civilians around the globe

(Published Jan. 11, 2017) You showed up in a big way. And, we want to thank you. Together, we raised $1.2 million to protect people living in conflict in South Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Middle East and North Dakota. You helped reunite families, prevent violence against women, protect children from being recruited as child soldiers, and negotiate ceasefire agreements. You helped save lives. And, we are grateful.

2016 was a great year for Nonviolent Peaceforce.

We expanded to new areas and saw increased recognition of unarmed civilian protection. Here is a short recap:

• Nonviolent Peaceforce was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016! The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947, nominated NP saying, “Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Nonviolent Peaceforce would highlight and strengthen their work and the work of other similar organizations, at a time when worldwide tensions seem to be at a boiling point, and their work is vital and relevant,”. To read the letter that was submitted to the Nobel Peace Prize committee, click here: http://nonviolentpeaceforce.org/images/Blog/2016_Nobel_Nomination_-_Signed.pdf.

• NP’s work and executive director, Tiffany Easthom, was featured in the documentary film, In Pursuit of Peace. The film has been shown at film festivals and in theatres in Canada, the USA and Europe. NP hosted film screenings in Lebanon, Minnesota, Belgium and France. To plan a screening in your community, please contact our U.S. office - we'd love to help you with planning! You can watch the trailer here https://vimeo.com/150351138.

• We explored new missions in Greece, Burundi, Thailand and Uganda. In 2017, we will work to set up programming and to continue assessing other new opportunities.

• We also had the opportunity to send a team to the Standing Rock community in the state of North Dakota in the USA. This is the first time we are implementing UCP programming in the USA and it represents a very important opportunity to demonstrate that even the wealthiest countries need to develop nonviolent responses to conflict. If you want to learn more about what the team is doing in Standing Rock you can read about it here http://nonviolentpeaceforce.org/about-3/press-clips/642-nonviolent-peaceforce-sends-team-to-north-dakota-will-train-more-volunteers.

• For the first time in history the UN Security Council officially recognized unarmed civilian protection.

• Finally, we closed out the year with co-founder Mel Duncan receiving the Peace Maker of the Year from the Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation. As he received the award he recognized, "I accept this recognition not only on behalf of our unarmed civilian protectors who are on the front lines at this very moment but also on behalf of our other staff who keep NP running and our thousands of volunteers and supporters who have believed that another way is possible."