Nonviolent Peaceforce

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is an international nongovernmental organization focused on protecting civilians in areas affected by armed conflict without using weapons or military force. Its principal method, known as Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP), uses trained civilian personnel to deter violence through presence, accompany people facing threats, engage armed and unarmed actors, support local protection mechanisms, monitor ceasefires, and help communities develop their own nonviolent responses to insecurity. The organization emerged from a 1999 citizens’ conference in The Hague that explored the possibility of deploying an international civilian force to prevent and reduce violence. It was formally established in New Delhi in 2002 by American Quaker and civil-rights activist David Hartsough and peace activist Mel Duncan. NP’s early operational experience came from Sri Lanka, where it began a pilot project in 2003. Although the organization could not prevent the resumption or outcome of the Sri Lankan civil war, it continued protection and child-focused work after the war and closed the country programme in 2011. NP’s work has subsequently expanded across conflict and displacement settings. Its activities have included civilian accompaniment, protection of human-rights defenders, ceasefire monitoring, support for women’s protection teams, child protection, training in nonviolent protection methods, assistance to displaced people, and support for local civil-society organizations. In the Philippines, NP has participated in the Civilian Protection Component of the International Monitoring Team connected with the Mindanao peace process. In South Sudan, its programmes have emphasized protection of women and children and the development of locally led protection teams. In Myanmar, the organization has supported ceasefire monitoring and women’s participation in peace processes. In Iraq, its work has addressed the protection needs of internally displaced people, returnees, and communities in contested or high-risk areas. The organization has also undertaken shorter or exploratory engagements in Guatemala, the South Caucasus, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Syria, and other locations. Its post-2022 Ukraine programme has worked in frontline and de-occupied areas, combining protection through presence with support for civilian volunteers and local organizations. In the United States, NP has explored nonviolent approaches to community safety, protest protection, de-escalation, and civic engagement. NP describes its guiding principles as nonviolence, non-partisanship, primacy of local actors, and civilian-to-civilian action. It holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The organization has been endorsed by several Nobel Peace Prize laureates and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. It received the International Pfeffer Peace Award in 2007 with Mel Duncan and the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2018. NP operates through nonprofit legal entities and country programmes rather than as a commercial consumer brand.

Nonviolent Peaceforce was prompted by a 1999 citizens’ conference in The Hague that considered whether trained international civilians could help protect people in war zones. David Hartsough, an American Quaker and civil-rights activist, and Mel Duncan, a peace activist with experience connected to Central American solidarity work, helped establish the organization in New Delhi in 2002. Sri Lanka became NP’s first field setting in 2003. The programme deployed unarmed peacekeepers and later continued with child protection, support for former child soldiers, and community self-protection work. The civil war resumed in 2008 and ended in 2009, after which NP maintained a reduced programme before closing its mission in 2011. The experience helped shape the organization’s emphasis on accompaniment, local partnerships, and protection rather than coercive intervention. NP expanded into Guatemala in 2007, where a small team accompanied threatened human-rights defenders during a period of heightened election-related violence. In the Philippines, also beginning in 2007, NP was invited by local peace organizations to contribute to the Mindanao peace process. It became part of the Civilian Protection Component of the International Monitoring Team observing the ceasefire between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. An impact evaluation reported that many residents felt safer because of NP’s presence and role. The organization began work in Sudan and South Sudan around 2010, initially in connection with elections, the independence referendum, and local conflict-prevention efforts. Its South Sudan programme later developed substantial work on child protection, women’s protection, and community-based protection teams. NP’s Women’s Protection Teams have trained local women to reduce gender-based violence and participate more actively in peace and security efforts. NP’s Middle Eastern work began in 2012 with training for civil-society activists in Lebanon and Syria in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. The same year, NP deployed to the South Caucasus, working near the administrative boundary line associated with Georgia and South Ossetia before leaving the region in 2014. Myanmar also invited NP in 2012; the programme has focused on ceasefire monitoring, civilian monitoring mechanisms, training, and support for women’s organizations. The organization’s administrative structure changed during this period. Mel Duncan served as executive director until 2009. The central office moved to Brussels in 2010 under Tim Wallis while United States operations remained in Minnesota. Doris Mariani led the organization until May 2016, when Tiffany Easthom became executive director. NP has maintained legal entities in the United States, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, with central offices identified in Saint Paul and Geneva. In Ukraine, NP conducted training and civil-society engagement in 2015. It later returned in response to the full-scale war beginning in 2022, working in frontline and de-occupied areas. The programme has provided protection through presence, advocated for neglected communities, and supported local volunteer groups with equipment, fuel, and stipends. Other programmes included work in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar refugee settlement from 2018 to 2019, activities in Thailand from 2015 onward, and an Iraq programme launched in 2017 to protect displaced people, returnees, and other vulnerable communities. NP also began exploring civilian protection and nonviolent community safety work in the United States around 2020. Its activities have included supporting civic engagement, de-escalation, community safety discussions, and protection at public events. The organization’s overall model remains based on nonviolence, non-partisanship, local leadership, and direct civilian-to-civilian engagement. It holds United Nations Economic and Social Council Special Consultative Status and has received international recognition, including the 2007 International Pfeffer Peace Award and the 2018 Luxembourg Peace Prize.

• 2022

  Expanded Ukraine response

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  NP deployed protection teams in frontline and de-occupied areas of Ukraine.

• 2017

  Iraq programme established

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  NP opened an office in Erbil and began protection work for displaced and conflict-affected civilians.

• 2012

  Expansion to Myanmar, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  The organization developed ceasefire, training, and civil-society initiatives in several conflict-affected regions.

• 2007

  Mindanao and Guatemala engagements

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  NP supported human-rights defenders in Guatemala and began its long-running civilian protection work in the Philippines.

• 2003

  Sri Lanka pilot begins

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  NP launched its first field programme using unarmed civilian protection methods.

• 2002

  Organization founded in New Delhi

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  Nonviolent Peaceforce was formally established by David Hartsough, Mel Duncan, and other peace activists.

• 1999

  International citizens’ conference proposes civilian peacekeeping

  [1]Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org

  A conference in The Hague helped generate the initiative that became Nonviolent Peaceforce.

A specialist international peacebuilding organization that provides civilian-led, unarmed protection and strengthens local capacity to prevent violence in conflict-affected communities.

• Peacebuilding service · 2003

  Unarmed Civilian Protection

  NP’s core service places trained civilian personnel in conflict-affected communities to deter attacks, accompany people at risk, engage relevant stakeholders, and strengthen locally led protection strategies. The approach relies on nonviolence, non-partisanship, and direct civilian relationships rather than weapons or armed force.

• Monitoring service · 2007

  Ceasefire Monitoring and Civilian Protection

  Through programmes such as the Civilian Protection Component in Mindanao and ceasefire work in Myanmar, NP helps monitor security conditions, document protection concerns, and connect local communities with peace-process actors.

• Community protection programme

  Women’s Protection Teams

  In South Sudan and other settings, NP supports locally trained women’s groups that identify risks, reduce gender-based violence, improve community safety, and increase women’s participation in peace and security decision-making.

• Training service

  Training and Advisory Programmes

  NP trains civil-society organizations, community groups, women’s organizations, students, and other local actors in unarmed civilian protection, conflict prevention, intercultural competence, and nonviolent responses to insecurity.

• 2022Ukraine Protection Response

  Ukraine

  NP provided unarmed protection through presence in frontline and de-occupied areas and supported civilian volunteer groups.

  Outcome. The programme continued to support civilians and local organizations in underserved high-risk areas.

  Source
• 2018Cox’s Bazar Refugee Protection

  Bangladesh

  NP worked with Rohingya-led, local, and international organizations to improve safety in Cox’s Bazar refugee settlements and prepare for seasonal hazards.

  Outcome. The engagement ran from 2018 to 2019.

  Source
• 2007Mindanao Civilian Protection Component

  Philippines

  NP joined a civilian protection mechanism connected to the Mindanao ceasefire and peace process.

  Outcome. An impact evaluation reported that local residents felt safer because of NP’s presence.

  Source
• 2003Sri Lanka Civilian Protection Programme

  Sri Lanka

  NP’s first field programme used unarmed presence and accompaniment during Sri Lanka’s civil war, later focusing on child protection and community self-protection.

  Outcome. The mission continued after the war ended and closed in 2011.

  Source

• 2017

  Establish Iraq country programmeStrategy

  Background

  The military campaign against Islamic State created severe protection needs among displaced and conflict-affected civilians.

  Action taken

  NP opened an Erbil office and deployed staff to provide frontline protection and later support displaced people, returnees, and communities in contested areas.

  Aftermath

  The programme shifted from displacement corridors toward camps, return areas, border tensions, and arbitrary-detention concerns.

  Source

• 2016

  Tiffany Easthom becomes executive directorOther

  Background

  Doris Mariani’s leadership ended on 31 May 2016.

  Action taken

  Tiffany Easthom took over as executive director.

  Aftermath

  NP continued expanding its unarmed protection and local peacebuilding programmes.

  Source

• 2010

  Move central administrative functions to BrusselsStrategy

  Background

  As the organization expanded its international operations, it reorganized its central office structure.

  Action taken

  NP moved its central office to Brussels while retaining United States operations in Minnesota.

  Aftermath

  The organization subsequently identified central offices in Saint Paul and Geneva and maintained legal entities in several countries.

  Source

1. 1Nonviolent Peaceforceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Nonviolent Peaceforce official websitenonviolentpeaceforce.org