Network News

The “Group for a Switzerland without an Army” (GSoA, Gruppe für eine Schweiz ohne Armee) is one of the main Swiss pacifist groups. Not only for its number of members – around 25,000 – but also because of the successes the organization has acheived: in 1989 the Swiss Armed Forces were surprised when a popular initiative launched by GSoA resulted in more than 35% of the population wanting to abolish the army. The shock following this lack of support for the military has not yet been overcome.

A number of German peace organisations and peace activists have published a widely shared demand for the German government to finally join the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty process.

Each month, we are featuring a different WRI affiliate. This month it's WRI's new affiliate Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere (P.E.A.C.E.) from the USA. Established in 1979, P.E.A.C.E is an activist group of early childhood educators- preschool and kindergarten teachers, family child care providers, early childhood students and college professors, and family members.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) have been granted permission to continue to pursue it's legal case against the British government regarding arms sales to Saudi Arabia. On 4th May two Court of Appeal judges granted CAAT permission to appeal, and the case will be heard by the Court of Appeal in the months ahead.

The promotion of peace and human rights is a priority of Swiss foreign policy. But consistency doesn’t seem to be a highly held value in the small Alpine country; not only do Swiss financial institutions - like private and public banks, insurance companies and pension funds - invest billions in arms producing companies all over the world, Swiss-made weapons and military technology are used in many conflicts.

Each month, we will feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it's New Profile, our affiliate in Israel.

Each month, we will feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it's the Peace Pledge Union from the UK.

The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) is the British section of War Resisters’ International. As a pacifist network, we challenge militarism, campaign for dis- armament, promote active nonviolence and produce resources to provide education for peace.

Each month, we will feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it's World Without War in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). 

Here's an introduction they wrote to their work:

Each month, we feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it is the Chilean antimilitarist group Ni Casco Ni Uniforme (Neither Helmet nor Uniform - NCNU), who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.

Each month, we feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it is the Independent Social Ecological Movement - NESEHNUTÍ in the the Czech Republic. They say:

We were accepted as a War Resisters International affiliate in 2016, so we are pretty new in the network. We are a social and environmental non-governmental organization from the Czech Republic, settled in the city of Brno. This month we are celebrating our 20th anniversary!

Each month, we will feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it is Bund für Soziale Verteidigung (Federation for Social Defence).

Each month, we will feature a different WRI affiliate. This month it's ONAD, the Organisation for Nonviolence and Development, from South Sudan!

ONAD works for a nonviolent, peaceful and democratic society through training and advocacy in; nonviolence and peacebuilding, governance & civic education, community empowerment & gender and internal organizational development.