Linked with Deepening the Work, with Servicio Paz y Justicia, and with Hildegard Goss-Mayr – Austria.
Founded in 1919 in response to the horrors of war in Europe, IFOR has taken a consistent stance against war and its preparation throughout its history. Perceiving the need for healing and reconciliation in the world, the founders of IFOR formulated a vision of the human community based upon the belief that love in action has the power to transform unjust political, social, and economic structures.
Today IFOR has 69 branches, groups, and affiliates in 43 countries on all continents. Although organized on a national and regional basis, IFOR seeks to overcome the division of nation states which are often the source of conflict and violence. Its membership includes adherents of all the major spiritual traditions as well as those who have other spiritual sources for their commitment to nonviolence.
On Workspace: Over many decades FOR, IVB and IFOR members have hosted seminars in active nonviolence around the world. IFOR training in active nonviolence led by Jean Goss, Hildegard Goss-Mayr and Richard Deats contributed significantly to the nonviolent “People-Power” overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines.
IFOR, FOR and IVB’s past and present members include many well known nonviolent activists including Muriel Lester, A.J. Muste, Dorothy Day, Jean Goss, Hildegard Goss-Mayr, Thomas Merton, Richard Deats, Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Nobel Peace Prize 1977), SERPAJ’s Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Nobel Peace Prize 1980) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (Nobel Peace Prize 1964), who was the vice president of FOR USA throughout most of his adult career.
For governments to truly seek to settle disputes via dialogue and diplomacy. For corporations to emplore sustainable methodology practices in every aspect of their business dealings, truly incorporating social, economic and environmental sustainability practices into their methodology.
For the global media actors to allow varied opinions and alternative opinions to be presented and discussed openly and fairly as democracies and democratic principles will only work effectively and justly when opposing of different views are allowed to be openly presented and discussed. To promote the respect of all cultures and peoples in order to create an environment of mutual respect and understanding.
The best hope to implement the alternatives is for NGO’s and civil society actors to work together in promoting the proposed alternatives. This can be accomplished via establishing closer working relationships between NGO’s and civil society actors, by NGO’s and civil society actors pooling resources to purchase mainstream commercials media space (newspaper ads, commercials) in order to reach a larger public audience with the commonly held messages, aims and goals of NGO’s and civil society actors being put forward in an intelligent manner. That we must utilize universities and schools in order to educate the youth regarding these issues.