Who We Are

We are people of faith from countries of the global South—
Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Latin America, Africa—along with those from North America and Europe, coming together as Peace for Life—a global faith-based movement resisting militarised globalisation and creating life-enhancing alternatives.

We trace our roots
to the International Ecumenical Conference on Terrorism in a Globalised World held in Manila in September 2002 (sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference of Asia and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines) where we resolved to form a new ecumenical alliance that will gather faith-based resistance to the terror of war and economic globalisation. In 2004, we gathered in Davao City for the First People’s Forum on Peace for Life where we formally launched Peace for Life as the organisational expression of a common yearning among people of different faiths and beliefs to use the power of “spirituality” to build resistance to the life-threatening forces of global hegemony.

Initially conceived as a mainly-Christian ecumenical initiative in solidarity with other faith groups, Peace for Life was affirmed as a place for people whose varied spiritualities-regardless of creed-are nurtured as collective resource for resistance to all forms of injustice. We recognised the urgency of such coming together in the face of the flagrant misuse of religion for profit and as an excuse for war by the United States Empire and its allies. We join together to call on people of all faiths and convictions to speak out and rise up against the violence, fear, and greed that drive empire.

We challenge empire,
and by “empire” we mean the combined economic, military, political, and cultural domination by a powerful state, assisted by satellite states and aided by local elites of dominated countries, to advance its own interests on a global scale. U.S. dominance (US$400+ billion military spending per year and bases in over 150 countries) conjointly with transnational corporate power makes up the heart of today’s empire.

We reject empire’s misuse of faith;
this is a sin against God and against our sisters and brothers. Like past empires, today’s empire has religious voices who claim war is God’s will; who demonise Muslims and other groups that oppose empire; who criminalise peacemakers; and who celebrate Pax Americana as the highest form of civilisation. Like past empires, today’s empire will not last. We call on people of faith to repent from worshiping the false gods of empire and war.

We say no to war,

• and to the continued development and use of weapons of mass destruction;
• to pre-emptive strikes, policies of unilateralism and national security that impose military bases, military exercises, and increasingly repressive police and surveillance measures;
• to the violence of the armed against the unarmed, which devastates the lives of communities across the globe.

We condemn and resist all forms of injustice:

• the displacement of peoples from their lands and livelihoods by transnational corporations, large landowners and their use of military force;
• the plunder of earth’s resources and the exploitation of life forms by global corporations;
• threats against indigenous peoples and their traditional lands and life ways;
• the economic domination of capital that pushes wages and working conditions to lowest levels for the sake of profit;
• economic and political pressures through the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organisation over dependent and poor countries;
• all forms of commodification of people including sex trafficking of women and children.

We envision a new world of peace with justice
that embraces equality and the fullness of life for all. This new world embodies peoples and communities, working in solidarity, who oppose the destructive forces of empire. We strive for a new world nurtured by peoples upholding human dignity and human rights.

We stand for

• freedom from occupation by military forces in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, and anywhere;
• gender justice and women’s leadership in peacemaking at all levels;
• the protection of religious, racial, ethnic minorities and other marginalised communities from all forms of discrimination, persecution, and violence;
• respect and the celebration of God’s gift of diversity—each of our many cultures and religions contributing to the fullness of peace for life for all; economic systems and financial institutions that place people and the environment before profits and in which decisions are made by those most affected;
• food security for all;
• the rights and well-being of children who are most vulnerable to war and exploitation;
• respect and recognition of the aspirations and efforts of self-determining peoples.

We are a movement for change,
and as such derive our impetus from the global uprising for peace and the transformative force of faith. We are a space for sharing cultural heritage, mutual support and reflection, and a site of on-going contestation and change. The shared stories of women and their discourse sharpen our understanding of power and subjugation, challenging us to forge diverse local and transnational coalitions. They enrich our vision of peace based on radical egalitarianism, inclusivity and compassion.

We stand with a variety of networks, alliances, and movements where the poor, deprived and marginalised play a central leadership role. We draw strength in sharing one another’s grassroots stories and experiences to inspire, motivate, sustain and transform us in our struggle for just and lasting peace. We celebrate people’s victories, however small, as moments that foster an ethic and spirituality for overcoming empire.

And we dare to live our hope
that a new world is not only possible but is already being built through people’s movements, through solidarity among people of the South and the people of differing faiths and convictions, and through our common struggles to realise for all humanity and all creation peace for justice and life.

Text taken from the conference statement and proceedings of the First People’s Forum on Peace for Life (see links below).

• A Call to Solidarity and Action
  Final Conference Statement of the First People’s Forum on Peace for Life
  Davao City, Philippines, 2004
• A Covenant of Self-Understanding and Purpose
  Adopted in Davao City, Philippines, December 4, 2004
• Proceedings of the First People’s Forum on Peace for Life
  Davao City, Philippines, 2004