World Veterans Federation (WVF)
Encyclopedia
The World Veterans Federation (WVF) is the world's largest international veteran organisation. The federation
currently consists of 170 veterans organizations from 93 countries representing some 25 to 30 million veterans worldwide.
It is a humanitarian organisation, a charity and a peace activist movement. The WVF maintains its consultative status with the United Nations
since 1951 and was conferred the title of “Peace Messenger” in 1987.
, Belgium
to discuss the possibility of setting up a world association of war veterans. Present at the gathering were two Belgians, Mr. Joseph Neves and Mr. Jules William from the Democratic Union of Veterans, Disabled and War Victims, and four Frenchmen, Mr. Albert Morel from the French Union of Veterans and War Victims Association (UFAC), Mr. G. Imbaud, Mr. G. Jerram and Mr. B. Meunier from the French Workers and Peasants Federation of Veterans.
Following the discussions in Brussels, veterans' organisations in other countries were contacted. On 23 October 1948, a congress attended by representatives from seven countries, namely Belgium
, Brazil
, France
, Italy
, the Netherlands
, the Union of South Africa
and Yugoslavia
, adopted a resolution entitled “Setting up of a Provisional Body”.
The resolution opened the way for the founding member associations to convene a Constitutive Assembly which was held at the UNESCO
Headquarters in Paris, France from 23 to 27 November 1950. 43 delegates and observers were present. The delegates were from Belgium (6), France (14), Italy (4), Turkey (2), USA (9) and Yugoslavia (4) and the observers were from Denmark (1) and Finland (3). The founding member associations of the Netherlands and Luxembourg
were unable to send their representatives but declared their agreement with the creation of the Federation. There was no participation from countries from Africa, Asia and South America, although the Union of South Africa attended the Congress in 1948 prior to the Constitutive Assembly in 1950.
On the final day of the Assembly on 27 November 1950, the Constitution of “The International Federation of War Veterans Organisations” was adopted.
The first elected Executive Committee members of the WVF were Mr. Albert Morel of France as President, Mr. Elliot Newcomb of USA as Secretary General, Mr. Roger Parmelan of France as Treasurer General and Mr. Celebonovic.of Yugoslavia, Mr. Mahmut Nedim Zapcı of Turkey, Mr. Joseph Neves of Belgium and Mr. Pietro Ricci of Italy as Delegates.
The name of the Federation was changed to “The World Veterans Federation” at the 2nd General Assembly, which was held in Belgrade
, Yugoslavia from 27 to 30 November 1951. It was the fist amendment to the WVF Constitution.
(Turkish Association of War Disabled, Widows and Orphans), USA (American Veterans Committee
(AVC), American Veterans of World War II (AMVETS), Blinded Veterans Association
(BVA) and Disabled American Veterans
(DAV) and Yugoslavia (Federation of Veterans Associations of the People’s Liberation War of Yugoslavia (SUBNOR).
and the United States of America in the early days, currently covers all the continents of the world including a growing number of associations from developing countries.
The composition and the character of the WVF member associations have also changed. They are no longer confined to organisations made up of veterans and victims of the two world war
s. Instead, the WVF membership is currently made up of a mixture of various organisations representing veterans, ex-servicemen, victims of war, resistance fighters, former prisoners of war, former peace keepers
and former peace builders whose individual interests, needs and priorities differ quite considerably from one another.
, France.
The Regional Standing Committees are composed of representatives from member organizations in the relevant geographical region. Each Regional Standing Committee elects a Chairperson from among its membership who is appointed ex-officio Vice President of the WVF.
in their effort to promote international peace and security. One of the ways it does this is by organising an annual global “Veterans Walk for Peace” event on 21 September, the International Day of Peace
. On this day the veteran community worldwide leads all the peace-loving people of the world and their governments to observe the International Day of Peace – the day of global ceasefire and non-violence.
who have fought in war.
The voices of war veterans are a reflection of the longing for peace
of people the world over, who within a generation have twice
suffered the unspeakable catastrophe of world war.
Humanity has earned the right to peace.
Without it, there can be no hope for the future.
And without hope, man is lost.
The voice of the people must be heeded.
They aspire to a richer life in freedom, equality and dignity,
as in things material; they pray for peace.
Their will for peace and a better life can be, must be, crystallized
into an irresistible force against war, aggression and degradation.
The people have had to work and sacrifice for wars.
They will work more willingly for peace.
Let there be a dedicated effort, a greater crusade
than history has ever known, for a world of
peace, freedom and equality.”
Ralph Bunche
Nobel Peace Prize
, 1950
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
currently consists of 170 veterans organizations from 93 countries representing some 25 to 30 million veterans worldwide.
It is a humanitarian organisation, a charity and a peace activist movement. The WVF maintains its consultative status with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
since 1951 and was conferred the title of “Peace Messenger” in 1987.
Aims
The principal aims of the WVF are to defend the spiritual and material interests of veterans and victims of war and their families by all available legal means and to maintain international peace and security by the application to the letter and in spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and by respecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms set forth in the International Bill of Human Rights.History
The WVF began on Sunday, 9 June 1946 when six Belgian and French veterans of the First World War gathered around a table at the “Maison du Peuple” in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to discuss the possibility of setting up a world association of war veterans. Present at the gathering were two Belgians, Mr. Joseph Neves and Mr. Jules William from the Democratic Union of Veterans, Disabled and War Victims, and four Frenchmen, Mr. Albert Morel from the French Union of Veterans and War Victims Association (UFAC), Mr. G. Imbaud, Mr. G. Jerram and Mr. B. Meunier from the French Workers and Peasants Federation of Veterans.
Following the discussions in Brussels, veterans' organisations in other countries were contacted. On 23 October 1948, a congress attended by representatives from seven countries, namely Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, adopted a resolution entitled “Setting up of a Provisional Body”.
The resolution opened the way for the founding member associations to convene a Constitutive Assembly which was held at the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Headquarters in Paris, France from 23 to 27 November 1950. 43 delegates and observers were present. The delegates were from Belgium (6), France (14), Italy (4), Turkey (2), USA (9) and Yugoslavia (4) and the observers were from Denmark (1) and Finland (3). The founding member associations of the Netherlands and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
were unable to send their representatives but declared their agreement with the creation of the Federation. There was no participation from countries from Africa, Asia and South America, although the Union of South Africa attended the Congress in 1948 prior to the Constitutive Assembly in 1950.
On the final day of the Assembly on 27 November 1950, the Constitution of “The International Federation of War Veterans Organisations” was adopted.
The first elected Executive Committee members of the WVF were Mr. Albert Morel of France as President, Mr. Elliot Newcomb of USA as Secretary General, Mr. Roger Parmelan of France as Treasurer General and Mr. Celebonovic.of Yugoslavia, Mr. Mahmut Nedim Zapcı of Turkey, Mr. Joseph Neves of Belgium and Mr. Pietro Ricci of Italy as Delegates.
The name of the Federation was changed to “The World Veterans Federation” at the 2nd General Assembly, which was held in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Yugoslavia from 27 to 30 November 1951. It was the fist amendment to the WVF Constitution.
Founding members
The founding member associations were from Belgium (Democratic Union of War Veterans, Disabled and War Victims (UDCIM), France (French Union of War Veterans and War Victims Associations (UFAC), Italy (National Association of War Veterans and Repatriated Soldiers (ANCR) and National Association of War Disabled (ANMIG). Luxembourg (Luxembourg Association of Veterans of World War II and of the United Nations Forces (AACL), Netherlands (Netherlands Association of Military War Victims (BNMO), TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(Turkish Association of War Disabled, Widows and Orphans), USA (American Veterans Committee
American Veterans Committee
The American Veterans Committee was founded in 1943 as a liberal veterans organization and an alternative to groups such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which supported a conservative political and social agenda. The organization's roots were planted in 1942 when Sgt...
(AVC), American Veterans of World War II (AMVETS), Blinded Veterans Association
Blinded Veterans Association
The Blinded Veterans Association is a U.S non-profit organization that was established to "help veterans and their families meet and overcome the challenges of blindness"....
(BVA) and Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
(DAV) and Yugoslavia (Federation of Veterans Associations of the People’s Liberation War of Yugoslavia (SUBNOR).
Changes in the WVF
There have been considerable changes in the WVF in the last 59 years. Its membership has grown from just a few associations from 8 countries to more than 170 associations from 90 countries. Its membership, which was confined to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States of America in the early days, currently covers all the continents of the world including a growing number of associations from developing countries.
The composition and the character of the WVF member associations have also changed. They are no longer confined to organisations made up of veterans and victims of the two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s. Instead, the WVF membership is currently made up of a mixture of various organisations representing veterans, ex-servicemen, victims of war, resistance fighters, former prisoners of war, former peace keepers
Peace Keepers
The Peace Keepers, released in Japan as . It is the third game in the Rushing Beat series, following Rival Turf! and Brawl Brothers, although the three games were localized as unrelated titles in North America...
and former peace builders whose individual interests, needs and priorities differ quite considerably from one another.
Organisation and management
The WVF consists of the following permanent elements: a General Assembly, an Executive Board, a Regional Standing Committees, a Standing Committee on Women and a Financial Committee. It is managed by its Executive Board composed of the President, the Deputy President, 4 Vice Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer General. The headquarters of the WVF is in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France.
Regional Standing Committees
The WVF currently comprises three Regional Standing Committees:- Standing Committee on African Affairs (SCAA)
- Standing Committee for Asia and the Pacific (SCAP)
- Standing Committee on European Affairs (SCEA)
The Regional Standing Committees are composed of representatives from member organizations in the relevant geographical region. Each Regional Standing Committee elects a Chairperson from among its membership who is appointed ex-officio Vice President of the WVF.
Standing Committee on Women
The Standing Committee on Women is composed of designated representatives for women's affairs from WVF member organizations and the chairpersons of the Working Groups on Women established within each of the Regional Standing Committees. The Committee elects a Chairperson from among its membership who is appointed ex-officio Vice President of the WVF.Advocacy and humanitarian activities
The most important function of the WVF is to promote and protect the well-being of veterans and victims of war worldwide. Most of the issues it deals with are essentially social or humanitarian in nature. It is very much involved in the promotion of social justice, the enhancement of the quality of life and the development of the full potential of each individual within the veteran and the victims of war community. Most of these activities are carried out in the form of advocacy through the United Nations, governments, veteran organisations and the general public. At the same time, the WVF functions as a charity by providing direct and indirect aid and assistance to its members and non-members.Global peace movement
As a responsible member of the international community, the WVF supports and assists the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in their effort to promote international peace and security. One of the ways it does this is by organising an annual global “Veterans Walk for Peace” event on 21 September, the International Day of Peace
International Day of Peace
The International Day of Peace, also known as the World Peace Day, occurs annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to peace, and specifically the absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone. It is observed by many nations, political groups, military...
. On this day the veteran community worldwide leads all the peace-loving people of the world and their governments to observe the International Day of Peace – the day of global ceasefire and non-violence.
WVF Credo
“None can speak more eloquently for peace than thosewho have fought in war.
The voices of war veterans are a reflection of the longing for peace
of people the world over, who within a generation have twice
suffered the unspeakable catastrophe of world war.
Humanity has earned the right to peace.
Without it, there can be no hope for the future.
And without hope, man is lost.
The voice of the people must be heeded.
They aspire to a richer life in freedom, equality and dignity,
as in things material; they pray for peace.
Their will for peace and a better life can be, must be, crystallized
into an irresistible force against war, aggression and degradation.
The people have had to work and sacrifice for wars.
They will work more willingly for peace.
Let there be a dedicated effort, a greater crusade
than history has ever known, for a world of
peace, freedom and equality.”
Ralph Bunche
Ralph Bunche
Ralph Johnson Bunche or 1904December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine. He was the first person of color to be so honored in the history of the Prize...
Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
, 1950