Community Based Security and Citizens Rights

Jan Gruiters to step down as General Director of PAX

05-03-2019Jan Gruiters will step down as General Director of PAX as of 1 October this year. "I have decided to step back and make way for a successor,” says Gruiters in announcing his resignation. “It is good for new people to stand at the helm and be able to make their mark on our peacebuilding work."
Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, The Netherlands
Fragmented Jerusalem

01-05-2018On 14 May, the United States will move its Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A highly controversial step, since it departs from the international consensus that any change in the status of the city will only be internationally recognized after Israeli’s and Palestinians have mutually agreed on its future status.
Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Middle East
PAX advice on non-government controlled areas in Ukraine

11-04-2018At the beginning of this year, the Ukrainian government adopted a legislative act, which in the public discourse came to be known as the Donbas reintegration bill. This new law addresses the non-government controlled areas (NGCAs) in Donbas region of Ukraine, which is a territory, where Russia-backed rebels are in military confrontation with the government of Ukraine.
Humanitarian Disarmament, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Europe
Reintegrating former combatants in Colombia

09-04-2018After years of war, former combatants in Colombia are returning to the communities they left when they went to fight. The weapons have been laid down and the wounds are slowly beginning to heal. But the reintegration of former combatants remains precarious. PAX supports the indigenous authorities in their call for community reintegration. “It is not just the individual that needs to be taken into account, but also the social context, the family and the community,” says Joris van de Sandt, programme leader at PAX.
Dealing with the Past, Gender, Peace & Security, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Colombia
Bishop Paride Taban wins Four Freedoms Award

06-02-2018South Sudanese Bishop Paride Taban will receive the Freedom of Worship Award, one of the Four Freedoms Awards presented every other year in Middelburg, the Netherlands.
Dealing with the Past, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Africa
Report on cross-border peacebuilding in South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya demonstrates the importance of investing in youth

01-11-2017The report ‘Sustaining Relative Peace’ is a reflection on over ten years of peace work with armed youth and their communities and leaders in South Sudan and the borderlands with Uganda and Kenya. These communities mostly consist of shepherds.
Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Africa
PAX and partners launch new programme in nothern Kosovo

14-12-2016PAX and its partners, Community Building Mitrovica (CBM) and UN-Habitat, have launched a major new programme to foster inclusive development and good governance in the divided region of northern Kosovo.
Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Europe
16 Days against gender-based violence

05-12-2016Every year, starting on 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) until 10 December (Human Rights Day), the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.
Gender, Peace & Security, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Middle East
Colombia starts peace talks with rebel group ELN

14-10-2016The Colombian government will start peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) at the end of this October. The talks are to be held in the Ecuadorian capital Quito and supported by several Latin-American governments, plus Norway and Cuba. PAX welcomes this step taken by the government and the rebel group.
Dealing with the Past, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Colombia
Burning Tires to Survive

04-08-2016Aleppo residents combat inaction on airstrikes by burning tires. In defiance of the world's silence, the people of Aleppo decided to help stop the offensive themselves. By burning tires, they are obstructing the war planes and creating a de facto no-bombing zone. Armed opposition groups have started an offensive to break the siege. The activists PAX spoke to inside Aleppo are hopeful that this grassroots strategy will succeed in reducing civilian harm. As the attacks continue, Aleppo is becoming a new symbol of the perseverance of the Syrian people.
Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Middle East