Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is committed to responding with nonviolent peacekeepers in a timely way when an urgent request for our services is made, and where we believe we can make a valuable contribution. Our goal is to help create, or keep open, a safe space for local peacemakers to do their work, and protect civilians in areas of violent conflict.

Shanthi Sena: Rapid Deployment Peace Brigade

Toward this end, NP is recruiting 500 experienced people over the next three years to be trained as nonviolent peacekeepers. These 500 peacekeepers would become NP’s reserve corps and would be available and committed for at least six months of service within a two-year period following the training.

People interested in being trained to serve as a reservist can sign up on this website. Please also encourage others you feel would be interested and good candidates. Fundraising for trainings and deployments is always a great challenge. If you know of people or organisations who might be interested in helping to fund the trainings, please let us know.

We are also raising money for a $100,000 reserve fund which would be used as seed money to help jumpstart our rapid response when an urgent request is made. This fund would enable us to hire an advance team, and pay their travel and accommodation costs. As much as possible we do not want the initial critical actions to urgent rapid responses to be delayed due to a shortage of funds.

Some UN agencies have expressed interest in using nonviolent peacekeepers to work alongside UN personnel in areas of conflict to strengthen the safety of UN personnel, doing their work and to protect civilians. Recruiting and training 500 people over the next three years is a central first step to being able to respond to such opportunities to work with UN agencies, as well as other urgent requests.

By the end of August 2007, we will have more than fifty trained peacekeepers in our reserves. Our reserves have already helped Nonviolent Peaceforce respond to an urgent request for nonviolent peacekeepers in Guatemala.

The NP Capacity Building Department is working with the rest of the organization to streamline our decision-making process so that when an urgent request is made, we are able to respond quickly, and to have NP peacekeepers on the ground within two months.

Contact David Hartsough to learn more about NP’s Rapid Response work.