International Peace Bureau
The International Peace Bureau , founded in 1891, is one of the world's oldest international peace federations. Its membership consists of 300 organizations in 70 countries. IPB's headquarters is located in Berlin, Germany with offices in Barcelona, Spain, and Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to 2017, the headquarters was based in Geneva.
Its main programmes are the Global Campaign on Military Spending and disarmament for development, which focuses both on nuclear and conventional weapons, as well as biological weapons, landmines, and small arms.
IPB holds Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and associate status with the United Nations Department of Global Communications.
IPB was founded under the name Permanent International Peace Bureau. From 1912 onward it used the name International Peace Bureau. Between 1946 and 1961, it was known under the name International Liaison Committee of Organizations for Peace – ILCOP.
The organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910 for acting "as a link between the peace societies of the various countries". In 1913 Henri La Fontaine was also awarded the Prize " head of the International Peace Bureau"., eleven other Nobel Peace Prize laureates have been members of the IPB.
Global Campaign on Military Spending
The Global Campaign on Military Spending is a permanent, global, year-round campaign that was created in December 2014 by the IPB to tackle the worldwide issue of excessive military spending.The aim of the campaign is to pressure the world's governments to invest money in the sectors of health, education, employment and climate change rather than military. It also calls for an annual, minimum reallocation of 10% from the military budgets of all states. Finally, it advocates the reduction of arms production and international weapons trade.
The campaign organises the Global Day of Action on Military Spending to bring public, media and political attention to the costs of military spending and the need to invest in new priorities.
GCOMS is managed from the decentralized Barcelona, Spain office of IPB in coordination with Centre Delàs of Peace Studies. More than 100 organizations from 35 countries have joined the campaign.
Nuclear Disarmament Activism
IPB has been in the forefront of nuclear disarmament activities since 1945, including:- Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
- World Court Project
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Seán MacBride Peace Prize
Established in 1992, the Seán MacBride Peace Prize is awarded by the International Peace Bureau to a person or organisation that "has done outstanding work for peace, disarmament and/or human rights." It is named after Seán MacBride, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was chairman of the IPB from 1968–74 and president from 1974-1985.Recipients
The following are the recipients of the Seán MacBride Peace Prize since its inception in 1992:| Year | Recipient | Notes | Reference | |
| 1992 | Michael D. Higgins | |||
| 1993 | Motarilavoa Hilda Lini | Played a key role in the WHO’s decision to approve a request to the World Court on the legal status of nuclear weapons. | ||
| 1994 | Mordechai Vanunu | Sentenced to 18 years solitary confinement for revealing details of Israel’s nuclear arsenal. | ||
| 1995 | The Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia | Foremost among Russian citizens’ groups opposing the war in Chechnya. | ||
| 1996 | Selim Bešlagić | For "his fight against nationalism, ethnic cleansing and intolerance during his country's war." | ||
| 1997 | Seeds of Hope Group | For disarming a Hawk aircraft bound for Indonesia. | ||
| 1998 | John Hume | For "his contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process." | ||
| 1999 | Barbara Gladysch | For her "extraordinary and year-long commitment to disarmament and practical solidarity with victims of wars and disasters." | ||
| 2000 | 1) Praful Bidwai 2) Achin Vanaik | For being at the "forefront of the international campaign against the nuclearisation of South Asia." | ||
| 2001 | Rosalie Bertell | For "her lifelong engagement to the cause of peace and for her deep concern for the well-being of peoples all over the planet. | ||
| 2002 | Barbara Lee | For "her sole vote against the bombing of Afghanistan." | ||
| 2003 | Nihon Hidankyō | Survivors of the A bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. They have devoted the rest of their lives to the elimination of nuclear weapons. | ||
| 2004 | Geneva Initiative on the Middle East | |||
| 2005 | No award made | |||
| 2006 | Mayors for Peace: 1) Tadatoshi Akiba 2) Iccho Itoh | For "its achievements in arousing international public demand for the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace." | ||
| 2007 | Jayantha Dhanapala | For "his dedication to the cause of disarmament and his initiatives towards creating the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapons Free Zone." | ||
| 2008 | Jacqueline Cabasso | For "her years of outstanding work with NGOs and initiatives toward peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons." | ||
| 2009 | Betty Reardon | For "her contribution to peace education and to the wider peace movement." | ||
| 2010 | Binalakshmi Nepram | For "her extraordinary efforts to promote disarmament and an end to gun violence in India." | ||
| 2011 | 1) Hanaa Edwar 2) Dr. Peter Becker | 1) For "her contribution to the advancement of democracy and human rights, as well as her firm stand against violence and war;" 2) For his work with the German section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms Lina Ben Mhenni 2) Nawal El Saadawi | For showing "great courage and... substantial contributions to what is known as the Arab Spring." | |
| 2013 | Chelsea Manning | For her "courageous actions in revealing information about US war crimes." | ||
| 2014 | The People and Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands | For "courageously taking the nine nuclear weapons-possessing countries to the International Court of Justice to enforce compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty and international customary law." | ||
| 2015 | The People and the Island Communities of Lampedusa, Italy and Jeju Island, South Korea | For showing "a profound commitment to peace and social justice." | ||
| 2016 | IPB Secretary-General Colin Archer | For 26 years "in the service of peace and of the IPB community." | ||
| 2017 | 1) All Okinawa Council Against Henoko New Base 2) Noam Chomsky 3) Jeremy Corbyn | 1) For "its unflagging commitment to close the Futemna Marine Air Base, and for its nonviolent opposition to the construction of a massive new air, land and sea base in Henoko;" 2) For his "tireless commitment to peace, his strong critiques to U.S. foreign policy, and his anti-imperialism;" 3) For his "sustained and powerful political work for disarmament and peace." | ||
| 2018 | 1) Association For Historical Dialogue and Research and Home for Cooperation 2) Helena Maleno 3) Douglas Roche | 1) For its "efforts and promotion of Culture of Peace and as well as the peace building activities;" 2) For her "efforts to save hundreds of lives in the Mediterranean Sea, and her strong commitment to defending human rights;" 3) For his "tireless efforts to promote international peace and disarmament." | ||
| 2019 | 1) Bruce Kent 2) Elayne Whyte Gómez | 1) An "internationally known peace activist and a 'real peace hero' who, even in his 90th year, remains an active campaigner and organizer for peace and human rights." 2) For "her invaluable contribution to the completion of the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons." |
Leadership
At the Triennial Assembly held in London on October 19 2019, a new group of IPB officials was elected.President
The current Co-Presidents are:| Country | Name |
| Philip Jennings | |
| Lisa Clark |
Treasurer
The current Treasurer is:Vice-Presidents
The Vice-Presidents deputise for the President when necessary. The current Vice-Presidents are:| Country | Name |
| Jordi Calvo | |
| Corazon Valdez Fabros | |
| Joseph Gerson | |
| Dave Webb |
Board Members
The board members are the following persons:| Country | Name |
| Alain Rouy | |
| Arielle Denis | |
| Binalakshmi Nepram | |
| Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan | |
| Jun Kyu Lee | |
| Patricia Perez | |
| Rieko Asato-Kodama | |
| Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan | |
| Steve Staples | |
| Etienne De Jonghe |
Council Members
The Council members are the following persons:| Country | Name |
| Surender Singh Rajpurohit | |
| Kwaku Addai | |
| Lisa Silvestre | |
| A-Young Moon | |
| Sara Medi Jones | |
| Chloé Meulewaeter | |
| Angelo Cardona | |
| Emily Rubino | |
| Ann Wright | |
| Jurvey Balkrishna | |
| Ejimole Fidel Onwuekwe | |
| Oleg Viktorovich Bodrov | |
| Tamara Lorincz | |
| Jenny Clegg | |
| Stephan Möhrle |
Staff Members
The staff members are the following persons:Nobel Peace Prizes
IPB's work was rewarded by the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910, which has also been awarded to some of its members:- 1901 : Frédéric Passy, IPB Council Member
- 1902 : Élie Ducommun and Albert Gobat, first honorary secretaries of IPB.
- 1905 : Bertha von Suttner, writer and honorary vice-president of IPB.
- 1907 : Ernesto Moneta, IPB Council Member.
- 1908 : Fredrik Bajer, honorary president of IPB.
- 1910 : The International Peace Bureau.
- 1911 : Alfred Fried, IPB Council Member.
- 1913 : Henri La Fontaine, president of IPB.
- 1927 : Ludwig Quidde, IPB Council Member.
- 1959 : Philip Noel-Baker, IPB Vice-President.
- 1962 : Linus Pauling, IPB Vice-President.
- 1974 : Seán MacBride, IPB Chairman and President.
- 1982 : Alva Myrdal, IPB Vice-President.
Presidents
- Henri La Fontaine – 1907–1943
- Ernst Wolf – 1963–1974
- Seán MacBride – 1974–1985
- Bruce Kent – 1985–1992
- Maj Britt Theorin – 1992–2000
- Cora Weiss – 2000–2006
- Tomas Magnusson – 2006–2013
- Ingeborg Breines – 2009–2016
- Reiner Braun – 2013–2019
- Lisa Clark – 2016–Present
- Philip Jennings – 2019–Present