Founder of Nonviolent Peaceforce visits Hiroshima, speaks about group’s global efforts
Jul. 25, 2016
by Tomomitsu Miyazaki, Staff Writer
Mel Duncan, 66, a resident of the U.S. state of New York, is one of the founding directors of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, an international NGO that pursues nonviolent actions to address global hot spots. During his first visit to Hiroshima, arranged at his request, he spoke about the significance of the group’s work and its current activities. “The atomic bombing of Hiroshima was a crime against humanity,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”
Staff members of the Nonviolent Peaceforce visit places that are impacted by violence to provide protection for unarmed citizens, especially women. Such unarmed civilian protection activities are based on nonviolence, political neutrality, and the principle that local people play an important role in these protection efforts.
In particular, unarmed civilian protection activities are characterized by the following points: specially-trained professionals engage in these activities; a multinational staff, which includes Japanese nationals, work together; and half of the staff are women, which differs greatly from U.N. Peacekeeping Operations where the ratio of female to male staff is only about 4 percent.
A recent survey shows that, in addition to the Nonviolent Peaceforce, 56 other organizations from 37 countries have been involved in unarmed civilian protection activities over the past 25 years. Although not all situations can be addressed in this way, last year’s U.N. General Assembly recognized the great importance of unarmed civilian protection activities, Mr. Duncan said, emphasizing their need.
With regard to the A-bombed city, Mr. Duncan shared his memories of being 10 years old and his mother fearing the outbreak of nuclear war. He stressed, “The world must never forget what happened here in Hiroshima.” Expressing remorse, he said, “My nation produced and dropped the atomic bombs. There can never be a valid justification for killing hundreds of thousands of civilians.”
He went on, “I’m sorry that my country is now willing to spend a trillion dollars to upgrade our nuclear arsenal. Using our money in this way robs food from the hungry and proper education from children around the world.”
In an interview conducted prior to his speech, Mr. Duncan said that while U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima holds great significance, in that it was the first-ever visit to Hiroshima by a sitting American president, he was disappointed that Mr. Obama avoided an apology. He feels that many American citizens had hoped Mr. Obama would apologize for the atomic bombings of Japan.
Mr. Duncan is visiting Japan at the invitation of the Nonviolent Peaceforce Japan. He also spoke in Tokyo and Kyoto.
Keywords
Nonviolent Peaceforce
The Nonviolent Peaceforce is an international NGO that dispatches teams of multinational and multiethnic staff to hot spots throughout the world, working with local nonviolent peace groups and human rights activists to reduce threats to and violence against local activists and local people. It also provides support to ensure that regional conflicts can be resolved by local people in nonviolent ways. The organization was formed in India in 2002.
(Originally published on July 25, 2016)
Mel Duncan, 66, a resident of the U.S. state of New York, is one of the founding directors of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, an international NGO that pursues nonviolent actions to address global hot spots. During his first visit to Hiroshima, arranged at his request, he spoke about the significance of the group’s work and its current activities. “The atomic bombing of Hiroshima was a crime against humanity,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”
Staff members of the Nonviolent Peaceforce visit places that are impacted by violence to provide protection for unarmed citizens, especially women. Such unarmed civilian protection activities are based on nonviolence, political neutrality, and the principle that local people play an important role in these protection efforts.
In particular, unarmed civilian protection activities are characterized by the following points: specially-trained professionals engage in these activities; a multinational staff, which includes Japanese nationals, work together; and half of the staff are women, which differs greatly from U.N. Peacekeeping Operations where the ratio of female to male staff is only about 4 percent.
A recent survey shows that, in addition to the Nonviolent Peaceforce, 56 other organizations from 37 countries have been involved in unarmed civilian protection activities over the past 25 years. Although not all situations can be addressed in this way, last year’s U.N. General Assembly recognized the great importance of unarmed civilian protection activities, Mr. Duncan said, emphasizing their need.
With regard to the A-bombed city, Mr. Duncan shared his memories of being 10 years old and his mother fearing the outbreak of nuclear war. He stressed, “The world must never forget what happened here in Hiroshima.” Expressing remorse, he said, “My nation produced and dropped the atomic bombs. There can never be a valid justification for killing hundreds of thousands of civilians.”
He went on, “I’m sorry that my country is now willing to spend a trillion dollars to upgrade our nuclear arsenal. Using our money in this way robs food from the hungry and proper education from children around the world.”
In an interview conducted prior to his speech, Mr. Duncan said that while U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima holds great significance, in that it was the first-ever visit to Hiroshima by a sitting American president, he was disappointed that Mr. Obama avoided an apology. He feels that many American citizens had hoped Mr. Obama would apologize for the atomic bombings of Japan.
Mr. Duncan is visiting Japan at the invitation of the Nonviolent Peaceforce Japan. He also spoke in Tokyo and Kyoto.
Keywords
Nonviolent Peaceforce
The Nonviolent Peaceforce is an international NGO that dispatches teams of multinational and multiethnic staff to hot spots throughout the world, working with local nonviolent peace groups and human rights activists to reduce threats to and violence against local activists and local people. It also provides support to ensure that regional conflicts can be resolved by local people in nonviolent ways. The organization was formed in India in 2002.
(Originally published on July 25, 2016)
