Nonviolence International describes itself as a decentralized network of resource centers that promote the use of nonviolence

Nonviolence

Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...

 and nonviolent resistance

Nonviolent resistance

Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...

.

History

Founded by Palestinian

Palestinian people

The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...

 activist Mubarak Awad

Mubarak Awad

Mubarak Awad is a Palestinian-American psychologist and an advocate of nonviolent resistance.-Early life and move to the United States:Awad, a Palestinian Christian , was born in 1943 in Jerusalem when it was under the British Mandate...

 in 1989, NI is a 501(c)(3) organization registered in Washington, DC, USA. They are active in educating and training the public and activists in the use of nonviolent resistance. They were particularly active in Aceh

Aceh

Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...

. Their mission statement is:

"Nonviolence International promotes nonviolent action and seeks to reduce the use of violence worldwide. We believe that every culture and religion can employ appropriate nonviolent methods for positive social change and international peace."

Organization and Affiliations

Nonviolence International operates as a collective of independent offices around the world. Each office manages its own programs and activities.

In addition to its own programs, Nonviolence International holds membership in a number of other organizations and campaigns, such as the International Campaign Against Foreign Military Bases, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines

International Campaign to Ban Landmines

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a coalition of non-governmental organizations working for a world free of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives.The coalition was formed in...

, the US campaign to end the Israeli occupation

US campaign to end the Israeli occupation

The US campaign to end the Israeli occupation is a pro-Palestinian advocacy organization based in the U.S. It is a coalition of more than 250 member organizations working to influence United States policy as it relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...

, War Resisters' International (WRI)

War Resisters' International

War Resisters' International is an international anti-war organization with members and affiliates in over thirty countries. Its headquarters are in London, UK.-History:...

, and the International Peace Bureau(IPB)

International Peace Bureau

International Peace Bureau is the world's oldest international peace federation. It was founded in 1891, and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910....

. Nonviolence International is further affiliated with the Holy Land Trust, and the al Watan Center. It is also the co-sponsor/administrator of the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize

El-Hibri Peace Education Prize

Mr. Fuad El-Hibri established the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize in 2007 with the purpose of honoring one peace educator annually in order to bring awareness of and to promote the expansion of the field of Peace Education.Mission:Goals:...

.

Activities

The main focus of the organization is promoting nonviolent solutions through the training and education of individuals, NGOs, and governments. It provides education materials, and sponsors and organizes training and strategy sessions. Specifically the organization:

1. Sponsors local, national, regional and international seminars on nonviolence;
2. Offers training programs and develops educational materials;
3. Provides resources and specialists to groups or governments seeking alternative possibilities for peace;
4. Prints and disseminates articles, newsletters, reports and undertakes public interest research on nonviolence;
5. Provides public education through speakers and the media;
6. Cooperates with other nonviolence, peace and conflict resolution organizations internationally in order to work together toward a common goal.