Discover these amazing pacifist organizations and networks working to build a world beyond war. Find resources and get involved!

by Taylor O’Connor | 23 September 2024

Photo on Wikimedia Commons

“I’m not disturbing the peace. I’m disturbing the war.” – Ammon Ashford Hennacy (Activist, 1893 – 1970, USA)

It was the mass nonviolent movements against the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and beyond that first inspired me to work for peace. It was peace activism to prevent the war, then to stop it, then as the US-led ‘global war on terrorism’ spread, terrorizing people across the Middle East region, the movement encompassed broader aims against US foreign interventionism and US militarism.

I ended up going off to get my Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies some years later, and working in the field of peacebuilding. I found, however, that peacebuilding activities generally don’t address the militarism and US foreign interventionism that I was earlier motivated to address.

Throughout years working on peacebuilding initiatives I’ve always been fascinated with the efforts of peace activists. This is one of the reasons I was motivated to do the research for this blog post, to map pacifist and peace activist organizations. Their efforts are critical for war abolition and for building a more peaceful, just world order. And it is a major gap in broader field of peacebuilding.

I hope that you find some interesting pacifist organizations, networks and resources from the organizations listed in this blog post. I encourage you to get connected, attend events, and support their efforts. And perhaps we may find some harmonization of peace activist and peacebuilding efforts.

But first, some definitions…

To get us kicked off right, I have put some simple definitions of our key terms below. Pacifism is a commonly misunderstood term that was more commonly used 100 years ago. Today, the term ‘peace activism’ is more common. I tend to use them interchangeably, though they are a distinct. I’ll to a post later to map key definitions associated with pacifism and peace activism, but for now I hope the simple definitions below are helpful.

Pacifism: Pacifism is the belief that war, violence, and militarism are unjustifiable, and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means. It is the opposition to all forms of warfare and the promotion of nonviolent conflict resolution. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Peace activism: Peace activism refers to the advocacy and direct actions taken to promote peace and prevent war and violence. It involves individuals or groups working through protests, education, and diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence. (Cambridge Dictionary)

Lessons learned in reviewing pacifist and peace activist organizations

The research I did to produce this blog post was super interesting. Coming from a peacebuilding background, I can say that I definitely learned a lot. I learned so much that I had to split my key learnings into two categories. See below a preliminary overview of some key approaches of pacifism and peace activism, as well as other key learnings.

Key approaches of pacifist and peace activist groups:

Approaches used by organizations below include nonviolent direct action, advocacy, education, coalition building, and the coordination of larger nonviolent direct action or advocacy campaigns
Online actions include hosting virtual events, conferences, webinars, etc., and raising the visibility of peace activist actions
Websites of groups listed generally recognize interlinking social issues around the world, and the interconnections between militarism, inequality and injustice. Many often explicitly supporting Palestinian liberation, the defense of civil liberties under threat from war systems, and other specific actions
Lots of peace activist groups are engaged in supporting networks with affiliates. Global networks have affiliates and partners in specific countries while national networks have affiliates and partners in cities.
Some groups with a war abolition focus do work to address military spending and promote common security or human security as alternative to war
Groups have varying focuses, including against foreign interventionism, closing military bases, reducing military spending, etc. There is generally a focus on demilitarization, antimilitarism, stopping or preventing specific wars, or abolishing war more generally.

Other lessons learned from the research I conducted to produce this blog post:

There are a lot of national pacifist organizations in the US, UK and Europe, due to heavy militarization and foreign interventionism of those countries
A lot of peace and peacebuilding organizations say their work is about nonviolence, but what they mean is that they are against violence. They are not involved in nonviolent peace activism.
There are many historic pacifist/peace organizations that started before and after WWI; a lot of peace activist organizations started in the early 2000s as the US launched it’s ‘global war on terror’. Some groups got started in opposition to a specific war, then expanded their focus.
A lot of peace activist groups are women-led or explicitly feminist; they make direct links with patriarchy, war and militarism

Pacifist Organizations and Networks

Below are pacifist organizations and networks that are working to abolish war. I have organized them into three sub-sections:

Global pacifist organizations and networks
US, UK and European-based pacifist organizations and networks
Advocacy and policy engagement for war abolition

You can imagine that there are hundreds, if not thousands of pacifist and peace activist organizations worldwide. This is not an attempt to document all of them. The purpose here is to provide key organizations where those interested can find resources, events and opportunities to get involved in peace activism.

Below you will find only organizations that are explicitly focused on peace activism or activism to stop or abolish war. General activist or nonviolence groups that sometimes participate in peace activism, but aren’t explicitly dedicated to it are not included. Also not included are social justice activist groups, feminist activist groups, environmental activist groups, or others unless they are explicitly focused on peace and war abolition. Many peace activist groups are also no longer active, so these are not included.

There are lots of other specific types of nonviolence and peace activism that I have not included in this blog post, but I plan to write dedicated blog posts on. When they are ready I’ll link them below. Those are as follows:

Organizations promoting nonviolent resistance, strategy and tactics. This one is done and you can find it HERE
Local or national peace activist groups that focus on geographic regions outside of the US, UK or Europe (key countries leading in military spending, military interventionism, warmaking, etc.)
Organizations explicitly focused on conscientious objection
Organizations dedicated to opposing arms trade and manufacturing, or working to abolish specific deadly weaponry
Nuclear abolition organizations
War tax resisters and peace-tax promoters

Global pacifist organizations and networks

Organizations listed below coordinate global pacifist and peace activist networks. They tend to engage in a broad array of activities to support their members. Activities often include coordinating nonviolent campaigns, educational programming, resource production, and advocacy, among others.

The War Resisters International and War Resisters League

War Resisters International (WRI) is a global pacifist and antimilitarist network dedicated to building a world without war. At their founding in 1921, a declaration was made that guides their work, ‘War is a crime against humanity. I am therefore determined not to support any kind of war, and to strive for the removal of all causes of war’. In their network they have over 90 affiliated groups in 40 countries. Their main activities are supporting their members to launch nonviolent campaigns, publishing resources, hosting events, and educating people about pacifism and nonviolence. One of their main active affiliated is the War Resisters League (WRL), founded in the United States in 1923. WRL also has lots of great resources on their website.

The International Peace Bureau (IPB)

International Peace Bureau (IPB) is a historic pacifist organization that operates as a global network of over 300 organizations in 70 countries dedicated to building a world without war. Their efforts focus mainly on disarmament, specifically on the reallocation of military expenditure towards social projects that promote real human needs and protect the environment. They support a range of disarmament campaigns, facilitate collaboration amongst network members, and supply data on the economic dimensions of weapons and conflicts. They are involved in high-level negotiations for the abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of war, within and outside the UN. Fourteen of IPB’s current and past members have been recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, and they won the prize as an organization in 1910.

World Beyond War

Established in 2014, World Beyond War is a leading organization in the global movement to abolish war. They produce a huge amount of content about war abolition, demilitarization, the military industrial complex and other topics. They website hosts tons of educational articles, advocacy pieces, podcast episodes interviewing peace activists, webinar videos and other content. They lead in developing the rational for war abolition and mapping what is needed to build a world beyond war, hence their name. They have a global network of peace activists and they support them to take nonviolent actions to challenge the war system. They host webinars, conferences and events.

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR)

Established in 1914 in response to the atrocities of war in Europe, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) is a global network of people and groups of conscience that oppose war and militarism. With a background of faith-based peace activism, IFOR works through a global network that now spans 71 branches, groups, and affiliates in 48 countries across all continents, including prominent branches Fellowship of Reconciliation (UK) and Fellowship of Reconciliation USA.

IFOR’s 100 years of expertise in active nonviolence is now organized across seven key themes of peacework: Conscientious Objection, Climate Change, Disarmament & Nuclear Disarmament, Interfaith Cooperation, Nonviolence Education & Training, Ending Gender Based Violence and Youth Empowerment. IFOR’s international secretariat, based in the Netherlands, coordinates communication among IFOR members, links branches to capacity-building resources, and helps coordinate international campaigns, delegations, and urgent actions to promote peace and nonviolence worldwide.

Women in Black

Women in Black is a world-wide network of women committed to peace with justice and actively opposed to injustice, war, militarism, and other forms of violence. They take a feminist approach to action and have a strong focus on challenging the militarist policies of governments. As women’s experiences with militarism and injustice are diverse in different parts of the world, they focus on facilitating communication amongst groups of Women in Black across the global movement, and they support each other’s movements. They use nonviolent tactics, and host non-aggressive forms of action to bear witness. They block roads, host vigils, enter forbidden zones, and refuse compliance, all while dressed in black as a symbol of mourning and a powerful refusal of war’s logic.

US, UK and European-based pacifist organizations and networks

Given that the vast majority of military spending and violent foreign interventionism comes from the United States, and also is supported by the UK and European nation, there are a lot of pacifist and peace activist groups that focus on challenging US, UK and European militarism and foreign interventionism. Most of them engage in nonviolent direct action to war and militarism, while some are engaged in advocacy and policy engagement. Below, in no particular order, are some of them.

CODEPINK

CODEPINK is a grassroots feminist organization working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect tax dollars essential sectors like healthcare, education, green jobs, and other life-affirming programs. They were founded by a collective of feminist activists in 2002 as a grassroots effort to prevent the US war on Iraq, and have since expanded efforts towards stemming broader US interventionism around the world. They mobilize creative nonviolent actions through their network of local organizers and online supporters to challenge powerful decision-makers in government and corporations to end war and build a more peaceful world. They always wear pink!

Stop the War Coalition

Stop the War Coalition was formed on September 21st, 2001 at a public meeting of over 2,000 people in London. It was founded when George W. Bush announced the “war on terror” and has been dedicated to preventing successive US/UK-led wars on terror, specifically to prevent and end the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. Stop the War is based in the UK and opposes the British establishment’s addiction to war. They advocate for ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine, and an end to arms shipments to Israel. They work through local groups and affiliates in cities across the UK and support protests, demonstrations, and nonviolent campaigns against war and militarism.

The Peace Pledge Union

Peace Pledge Union (PPU) is the oldest secular pacifist organization in Britain. Founded in 1934, they promote nonviolent alternatives to war and militarism. They challenge systems, practices, and policies that fuel war and militarism, and also to transform the mindsets and values that promote the view that armed force is an effective agent of social change. A lot of their work centers around promoting human security. Their activities are organized around themes of campaigning and education, remembrance for all victims of war of all nationalities with a rejection of militarism, challenging ‘everyday militarism’ (i.e., militarism present throughout society), and speaking out against military spending and recruitment.

Service Civil International (SCI)

Founded in 1920, Service Civil International (SCI) is another historic peace activist organization dedicated to fostering understanding and a culture of peace among people from different countries. The core of SCI’s work is volunteerism. They organize international volunteering projects to work on specific initiatives challenge war and militarism, and to build peace. SCI now has branches in 40 countries, and are leading a wide array of creative volunteer-driven peace action projects to challenge militarism and build a world without war. They focus a lot on demilitarization and integrate social justice perspectives and approaches into their work.

The Movement for the Abolition of War

Movement for the Abolition of War is a UK based network that has been working to abolish war since 2001. Through grassroots activism, advocacy, and education, they empower individuals to challenge militarism and build a world where conflicts are resolved peacefully, promoting the values of justice, equality, and lasting peace for all. Their collective efforts aim to challenge the belief that war is inevitable. Their website hosts a wide array of resources

The United for Peace and Justice

United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is a network of local and national peace and justice organizations that rose up in 2003 to stop the U.S. war with Iraq. Since then, they’ve been on a mission to break the cycle of violence and militarism, organizing protests, pushing for policy changes, and spreading a culture of peace across the globe. Through their efforts of ending endless wars, slashing military spending, tackling injustice at home, and making nuclear disarmament a reality.

The Win Without War

Win Without War is an inclusive network of activists and organizations dedicated to shaking up U.S. foreign policy and paving the way for a more peaceful and progressive future. Most of their work focuses on advocacy and relationship building to elected officials, policymakers, media, advocacy organizations, and movement leaders to promote and advance a values-based progressive national security strategy that prioritizes human security and diplomacy over war.

The World Can’t Wait

World Can’t Wait is a US-based national movement committed to stopping the ongoing crimes perpetuated by the US government since the Bush/Cheney era. Founded in 2005, their mission was to drive out the Bush regime and reverse the destructive path of U.S. society. Today, World Can’t Wait mobilizes people living in the United States to stand up and stop war on the world, repression and torture carried out by the US government. They take action, regardless of which political party holds power, to expose the crimes of our government, from war crimes to systematic mass incarceration, and to put humanity and the planet first.

The Women Against Military Madness

Founded in 1982, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) works to oppose U.S. militarism and involvement in wars. WAMM challenges systems of harm, oppression and exploitation, and helps build movements of solidarity with others for peace and justice through education and action. They have an interesting structure of operation, where they work through topical committees to organize peace actions. Taking a non-hierarchal approach, members join specific committees of interest and dedicate their time, effort and energy in supporting the work of each committee. At time of writing there are ten committees, including a Middle East Committee, a End Military Madness Against the Earth (EMMAE) Committee, a Solidarity Committee on the Americas and an End Domestic Militarism Committee, among others.

The Act Now to Stop War and End Racism-A.N.S.W.E.R.

Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.) was founded days after the September 11 attacks, and soon became a leading member of the U.S. antiwar movement, leading the charge against the invasion of Iraq and fighting to ensure the Palestinian struggle for self-determination was not ignored. From mobilizing against assaults on Gaza to standing against racist profiling and advocating for immigrant and workers’ rights, ANSWER has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to economic and social justice while engaging in struggles against police brutality and global militarism.

The Roots Action

Roots Action unites people around economic fairness, equal rights, civil liberties, and environmental protection while opposing endless wars. They believe that the US government squanders billions of dollars on foreign wars, causing destruction and hatred overseas while failing to meet the needs of the vast majority of people in our country. Recognizing that issues of foreign wars and domestic challenges are interconnected, they mobilize to support policies that promote reducing military spending, increasing the minimum wage, aiming to tackle the diverse challenges our nation faces and drive positive change.

Advocacy and policy engagement for war abolition

Below are a few organizations that engage primarily in advocacy and policy engagement for war abolition.

The War Prevention Initiative (WPI)

War Prevention Initiative (WPI) works to transform the global security paradigm to promote alternatives to violence and militarism in an effort to create a world beyond war. They conduct research on militarism and peacebuilding practice, and they coordinate advocacy efforts with policymakers to challenge militarism. They also have produced some simple ‘peace briefs’ for download on a range of themes which are useful for regular people to learn practical approaches to build peace. I’ve been a fan of their Peace Science Digest for some years now, their online publication of articles that summarize peer-reviewed research on topics related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution in an accessible format. It features articles on diverse topics such as the effectiveness of nonviolent resistance, the impact of gender on peacebuilding, and the role of communication in conflict transformation.

Global Campaign on Military Spending

The Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) is dedicated to reducing global military expenditure and promoting alternatives like peace, justice, and sustainable development. Through campaigns like the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) which takes place every April, they advocate for reallocating resources from military budgets to social causes, such as poverty alleviation and environmental protection. Their mission is to challenge militarization by influencing public opinion and policy, emphasizing human security over military security.

The Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS)

Citizens for Global Solutions works for a democratic world federation based on peace, human rights, and the rule of law. A core element of their overall mission is to abolish war and global violence in the resolution of disputes. Key approaches they take to achieve their goals include primarily educational programming, advocacy campaigns, and providing thought leadership to raise public awareness on their vision for a peaceful, just world order without war.

Get involved in building a world without war

I hope this blog post helped you discover some great pacifist organizations, networks, and resources in pacifism and peace activism. I encourage you to engage with these groups, attend their events, and support their initiatives. By connecting and collaborating, we can strengthen and harmonize efforts between peace activists and peacebuilders, advancing the global movement for a world without war.

If you found this article helpful and want to find more blog posts like this mapping organizations that build peace across a wide array of themes be sure to check out our Resources page!

If there are any great organizations that are missing on this list and you think it should be added, please submit it at the link HERE. I periodically update my resource posts and use these inputs to help me. Thanks in advance!

And be sure to sign up for our newsletter (the best peacebuilding newsletter out there!) to get connected with all the best articles, videos, podcast episodes, events, downloads, learning opportunities, and other resources on building peace published each week, selected from a broad array of global efforts to build peace. Subscribe by clicking HERE.