Check out these amazing peace networks, find one that is interesting for you, get connected and take action for a more peaceful, just world.

by Taylor O’Connor and Mustapha Ali | 18 October 2024

“In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin

I wrote a blog post a few years back mapping ten key global peacebuilding networks. It was interesting to do the research for that and share that info for persons interested to get connected.

But since then I’ve continued my ongoing research into peacebuilding networks and organizations around the world. I ended up documenting over 5000 organizations working for peace around the world, and during the past six months I’ve been working hard to publish thematic blog posts mapping all kinds of organizations, from interfaith dialogue initiatives, to pacifist organizations, to peace parks, to peace museums, and much more…

And in the process, I’ve been identifying a tons more peace networks that are super great. All have a different focus and purpose, and conduct different activities, but all are doing amazing work. So here I’m sharing with you an updated, and much more comprehensive blog post covering all types of peace networks.

I hope you can use this to get inspired and to get involved. Find a network that aligns with your interest for peace and justice, get connected, join their newsletters, follow them on your favorite social channel, join their events, download their resources, and get involved in their activities.

Lessons learned in researching and mapping peace networks

This has been the culmination of probably almost ten years of me, a huge peace nerd, spending my free time researching and documenting all the organizations I can find that build peace in different ways. There are tons of key learnings that I tend to share piece by piece as I produce these blog posts mapping peacebuilding organizations and networks across peacebuilding themes.

For this mapping of peace networks of all kinds, I’ve noticed a few things about common approaches that peace networks take, regardless of the kind of peace network they are. Common activities of peace networks to support their members are as follows:

Capacity building and training programs
Knowledge sharing and sharing of free downloads and resources
Organizing conferences, seminars, and workshops
Advocacy, campaigns and policy influence

Also, I find it interesting that the operating models are all quite different. Some have a membership model, some work through affiliates, and others bring together diverse organizations to create spaces for collaboration. Some are high-level while others are grassroots. Perhaps in a later blog posts I’ll do a more in-depth analysis of the forms that peace networks take, but for now you can read the details in the descriptions below.

Lastly, I noticed this years ago. Peace networks tend to be organization focused. Most work with non-government organizations and nonprofits. But there aren’t networks for individuals as peacebuilders, unless it is for academics or professionals. There are not networks for just regular people who want to build peace. And it is what led me to setup my website of Everyday Peacebuilding and ultimately launch our community space (on Facebook) called People Building Peace.

If you are an individual passionate about peace, whether a professional or not, I invite you to join our always growing community of peacebuilders from all walks of life, and from all over the world.

You can join our community space at the People Building Peace Facebook Group.

And you can join our Everyday Peacebuilding newsletter to find out about our community events (along with other events and resources).

Global Peace Networks

Global peace networks are organized into 4 categories:

Key peacebuilding networks for organizations
Professional peacebuilding networks
Thematic peace networks
Pacifist and peace activist networks

In this blog post, I have not included the following:

National peace networks or regional networks. I may do this in a future blog post.
Small networks that say they are global networks or networks that are no longer active
Networks of alumni from peace and conflict studies programs, peacebuilding trainings or peacebuilding fellowships
Some peace groups that portray themselves as networks, but don’t actually operate as such
Networks that are kind of related to peace, but their focus is on humanitarian aid, development, or just too general (like helping people in need, etc.)

Key peacebuilding networks for organizations

In this section I’ve listed key peacebuilding networks. Most of them are for established peacebuilding organizations. Their key activities include capacity building, knowledge sharing, advocacy, and the creation of networks to amplify local and global peacebuilding efforts. Many of them also emphasize inclusive participation, such as youth and women’s involvement, and use creative methods like art, dialogue, and education to bridge divides and address complex global challenges.

Alliance for Peacebuilding

Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) is a major global network of 130+ peacebuilding organizations that operates in 181 countries. The network aims to end violent conflict and build peace. Network members include predominantly large development organizations, academic institutions, and humanitarian and faith-based groups involved in peacebuilding work. They build coalitions amongst peacebuilding organizations, advocate for policies and funding to advance the peacebuilding field, and work to shape new narratives to amplify effective peacebuilding messaging. They see themselves as a thought leader in the field of peacebuilding.

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) is a global network of by civil society organizations (CSOs) actively working to prevent violent conflict and build more peaceful societies. The network consists of 15 regional networks, with priorities and agendas specific to each region. Their activities focus on knowledge and resource sharing to support members. Their website hosts Peace Portal, an open platform that maps network members, over 300 at the time of writing. The purpose of Peace Portal is to provide visibility and promote partnerships and collaborations amongst network members. GPPAC also develops online campaigns and highlights the efforts of network members.

Interparliamentary Union

Founded in 1889, the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) is a historic peace network established as the first permanent forum for multilateral political negotiations. Over the years, the IPU has played a leading role in the development of international law and institutions, including the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the League of Nations, and the United Nations. It is a member-based organization that organizes political dialogues, facilitates cooperation amongst parliamentarians, and coordinates parliamentary action to promote peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, and sustainable development. IPU also sponsors and takes part in international conferences and forums, and has consultative status with the United Nations.

Peace Direct

Peace Direct is a global network of grassroots peacebuilding organizations supporting local efforts to stop war and build lasting peace in conflict-affected contexts around the world. Their website hosts profiles of over 1,500 local peacebuilding organizations in 22 countries working on the frontlines of war. They also have a network of Local Peacebuilding Experts who share firsthand insight into 44 conflicts raging around the world.

United Network of Young Peacebuilders

United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) is the global network of over 130 youth-led peacebuilding organizations operating in 70+ countries. They operate as a collective of specialized teams committed to amplifying youth voices in global peace efforts, strengthening the UNOY network, and advancing the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. The website also hosts several resources published by UNOY. UNOY empowers young people in their network to be catalysts of change, giving them the tools to transform conflict, ensuring meaningful youth participation, and fostering partnerships for peace without fear or threat.

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation

Another historic peace network, International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) formed in response to the horrors of WWI with a focus on healing and reconciliation after the war. Since its founding in 1914, IFOR has taken a consistent stance against war and the act of preparation for war. Built to address the need for healing and reconciliation in the world, Today, IFOR operates as a network, currently with 71 member organizations in 48 countries in all continents, representing all the major spiritual traditions. Members are active in promoting nonviolence, human rights, and reconciliation. Thematic areas members work on include conscientious objection, nonviolence education and training, interfaith cooperation, disarmament, and youth empowerment, among others. IFOR itself supports the capacity building of members and helps coordinate international campaigns and actions.

European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO)

The European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) is a network of European NGOs and think tanks committed to the prevention and resolution of violent conflict. The organization focuses on promoting a global peace agenda and supports conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives in countries and regions affected by violence and conflict. The EPLO works to develop and advocate for common positions among European peacebuilding organizations, and provides expert analysis, policy recommendations, and advocacy support to European decision-makers on peace and security issues. The EPLO itself doesn’t conduct research and publishes few reports beyond their own policy papers, however on their website they have a list of publications by their network members, many of which they provided support in the research and publication process. This is a useful resource since the EPLO works with many smaller NGOs and think tanks which publish few reports and wouldn’t make it into this blog post individually, but combined this list of publications is impressive.

Global Network of Women Peacebuilders

Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) is a coalition of over 100 women’s rights organizations from over 40 countries around the world experiencing humanitarian crises or conflict, all seeking to build equal, resilient, and peaceful communities in various ways. GNWP works closely with the United Nations, governments, and local women and youth-led organizations from all over the world. Their website includes several resources, including an array of downloadable publications.

MasterPeace

MasterPeace is a global grassroots network that operates in over 45 countries working through its members to host music, art and dialogue initiatives to build bridges between divided communities in conflict areas around the world. Their operation model is quite unique, supporting interested individuals and groups to establish MasterPeace Clubs which can be initiated by small groups of individuals or established organizations. They support participating Clubs to design creative projects and grassroots peace actions. They engage local leaders, youth, and artists to promote peacebuilding, cultural exchange, and social activism, with the ultimate goal of reducing global conflict through creativity and collaboration.

Professional peacebuilding networks

Organizations listed in this section focus on are networks of academics and/or professional peacebuilders. They are for individuals, not organizations. Often they focus on professional development and/or collaboration amongst members. Their key activities include organizing conferences, seminars, and workshops to foster interaction among peacebuilding professionals and advancing interdisciplinary research and education. They also provide resources, support career development, and facilitate global networks to empower both academics and practitioners working in peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and social change.

Peace and Justice Studies Association

The Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA) is dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary research, education, and action on issues of peace, justice, conflict resolution, and nonviolence. Members include academics, activists, educators, researchers and others who share a commitment to building peaceful and just societies. They organize conferences, publish resources, and offer support for academic programs in peace studies and related fields. They have a bunch of great resources posted on their website and also publish an online magazine called the Peace Chronicle.

Conflict transformation, peacebuilding and security (CoPeSe)

Conflict transformation, peacebuilding and security (CoPeSe) is a network of ‘conflict transformation, peacebuilding and security’ professionals. CoPeSe started as a community-of-practice on LinkedIn back in 2006 and are still most active on LinkedIn with currently over 45,000 members. CoPeSe does their best to share the work of their members, share about training and study programs, share members’ books and publications. They see their purpose summed up as one to ‘connect, exchange, promote’ their members and their work.

Geneva Peacebuilding Platform

Geneva Peacebuilding Platform is a knowledge hub that connects peacebuilding actors, resources, and expertise in Geneva and worldwide. The Platform’s network comprises more than 4000 peacebuilding professionals working on building peace directly or indirectly. They facilitate interaction on peacebuilding between different institutions and sectors, and advance new knowledge and understanding of issues and contexts related to building peace. The Platform ensures the continuous exchange of information through seminars, consultations, and conferences, and facilitates outcome-oriented dialogues on peacebuilding practice. They have a strong focus on bottom-up peacebuilding.

Peace and Collaborative Development Network

Peace and Collaborative Development Network (PCDN) is a network for social change career professionals and those who aspire to be social change career professionals. They work to enhance collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation among practitioners to address global challenges and promote sustainable peace. Their website and email newsletter serve to share information about social change career jobs, scholarship opportunities, internships and volunteer opportunities. They also host a podcast were they interview a range of social change career professionals about their career trajectories.

Thematic peace networks

In this section I have included networks that take specific approaches to building peace, like peace education or peace journalism as examples. They emphasize collaboration, advocacy, education, and resource-sharing amongst their memebers. Some are for organizations, some for individuals, and some for both. They carry out training programs, host events, conduct research, and coordinate campaigns.

Global Campaign for Peace Education (GCPE)

Global Campaign for Peace Education (GCPE) is the leading global network dedicated to promoting peace education around the world. The network is made up of individual peace educators and education NGOs committed to fostering cultures of peace through peace education. Network members work in their respective contexts around the world and they participate in the movement by promoting peace education where they live and sharing stories, news and resources about PeaceEd with the wider network. The network is also a hub of resources and information about PeaceEd. You can join the network as an individual or organization.

The Network of Christian Peace Organizations

Network of Christian Peace Organizations (NCPO) is a network that brings together a diverse array of Christian peace organizations and networks around the world. NCPO has just 20 Christian peace groups in their network, most of them are global networks themselves, so this network has a massive global reach. NCPO coordinates joint projects, supports individual initiatives , hosts events and shares resources amongst members, promoting and strengthening Christian peacebuilding worldwide.

Earth Charter International

Earth Charter International is a global movement that promotes sustainable development and ethical principles for building a just, peaceful, and sustainable world. They movement is based on supporting the advancement of the Earth Charter, a document with sixteen principles outlining an ethical foundation for actions to build a more just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. They have over 100 partners and affiliates who promote the Earth Charter’s principles, fostering a shared responsibility for the future of the planet. They have educational programs, community engagement initiatives, and advocacy efforts that promote the Charter’s values, encouraging collaborative actions for environmental sustainability, social justice, and peace.

Abolition 2000

Abolition 2000 is a global network of over 2000 organizations from more than 90 countries around the world dedicated to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. They mobilize network members from civil society, governments, and international organizations to advocate for nuclear disarmament and the prevention of nuclear proliferation. They organize campaigns, host collaborative events, and provide resources and support for grassroots movements aimed at raising awareness and driving policy change towards a nuclear-free future.

Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes

Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC) is a global network of states, civil society and academic institutions committed to preventing and addressing mass atrocities through advocacy, mobilization, and education. Recognizing that governments have the primary responsibility to prevent atrocities, GAAMAC supports States in establishing national mechanisms and policies for atrocity prevention while promoting regional initiatives and working groups that make a real impact at the national level.

Religions for Peace

Religions for Peace (RfP) is a global movement that unites various faith traditions to promote peace, harmony, and prosperity for all people. They work to support the efforts of nearly 100 national Interreligious Councils (IRCs) across six regions around the world. RfP shares resources, hosts events and fund multi-faith peace projects around the world.

The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers

The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers is a platform of exchange and collaboration among faith-based mediators. They strengthen peacemaking by supporting religious and traditional actors in peace and peacebuilding processes, and they build bridges between grassroots peacemakers and global players in order to strengthen global peacebuilding. They support a network of over 50 organizations around the world that promote the efforts of religious and traditional peacemakers in the contexts where they work. They share publish and share resources, conduct research, and host working groups on important topics associated with religion and peacemaking.

Solutions Journalism Network

The Solutions Journalism Network spreads the practice of solutions journalism. They seek to rebalance the news, so that every day people are exposed to stories that help them understand problems and challenges, and stories that show potential ways to respond. They coordinate solutions journalism trainings for journalist, produce toolkits and guides on solutions journalism, support for solutions reporting projects, and host collaborative events for journalists. Their website is a wealth of resources for anyone interested in peace and solutions journalism.

Pacifist and peace activist networks

In this section, I’ve included key pacifist and peace activist networks, also those with a demilitarization focus. Often there is overlap amongst these groups. They work to challenge militarism, imperialism, and war by facilitating collaboration, supporting campaigns, and providing educational resources. Many emphasize the redistribution of military spending toward social justice, the abolition of war, and the promotion of feminist and creative approaches to resistance, fostering a broad movement for peace and social change across diverse contexts and regions.

International Peace Bureau

Founded in 1891, the International Peace Bureau (IPB) is a global network of over 300 member organizations in 70 countries, who together with individual members, share the ultimate vision of 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. As a network, they host global events, engage with governments and international agencies, support education and training activities, and as a network, they link experts and advocates working on similar issues to build strong civil society movements. They have many resources on their website.

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

Founded during WWI, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is the world’s longest-standing women’s peace organization, long at the forefront of leveraging feminist thought to advance the global peace movement. WILPF uses feminist analysis and advocacy promoted by a mobilized feminist community to tackle patriarchy, militarism, and neoliberalism. WILPF is a membership-based movement with members and groups across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa. The network supports projects of grassroots organizations, facilitates collaboration with activists and experts, and fosters feminist movements. Their resources and analysis of modern issues of war and peace are always insightful.

International Civil Society Action Network

The International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) works with network partners in over 30 countries to elevate and amplify the voice and impact of women peacebuilders and their organizations. They create opportunities for grassroots women peacebuilders to access policymakers, and they provide them with technical support. They do this via several specific programs aimed at supporting grassroots women peacebuilders to influence policymakers and providing them with technical assistance, contributing to the growth of a broader movement of women peacebuilders around the world.

War Resisters International

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.

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.

World Peace Council

Founded in 1949, the World Peace Council (WPC) is a global network committed to promoting peace and opposing imperialist wars and occuptions. It focuses on advocating for nuclear disarmament, reducing military spending, and the elimination of foreign military bases. WPC works with peace movements and international organizations to challenge war and militarization, actively promoting peaceful conflict resolution and the right to self-determination for oppressed peoples globally. They operate a network of member organizations and affiliates all over the world. They regularly publish articles by members and affiliates, and coordinate peace action and advocacy efforts all over the world.

Cultures of Resistance Network

The Cultures of Resistance Network is a grassroots network that supports individuals and groups to resist war and conflict through artistic expression and advocating for social change. They fund grassroots projects, and collaborate with artist-activists worldwide to amplify the voices of those fighting for a more just and peaceful world. Their work spans across five project areas, including promoting creativity as a form of resistance, working towards environmental sustainability and healthier food, advocating for human rights and legal justice, creating educational opportunities for under-served students, and connecting concerned citizens to pressing social justice campaigns.

Connect to the networks that are right for you and take action for peace

Now it’s your turn to take action. Explore the peace networks listed here, and find one that resonates with your passion for peace and justice. Whether you’re signing up for a newsletter, participating in an event, or sharing their work, every step contributes to building a more peaceful world. Let’s work together, stay connected, and amplify these efforts—because peacebuilding is a collective journey, and there’s always a way for you to get involved.

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!

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