Dear John,
One of the most frequent questions we get is, "Ending war sounds great, BUT isn't a militarized response necessary when tanks are rolling in and troops are invading?" When the rule of law and diplomacy are failing and violence is underway, both seasoned activists and newcomers alike often question whether unarmed resistance can actually be effective against military invasion, occupation, and war. So we've decided to tackle this difficult question for our annual global conference, #NoWar2023: Nonviolent Resistance to Militarism, which will be hosted virtually this year on Zoom Events from September 22-24 (the weekend following the International Day of Peace).
Throughout three days of online panels, training, and discussion sessions, we will highlight case studies from around the world exemplifying the use of nonviolent resistance as a tool for conflict resolution, how unarmed civilian based defense has been successfully used against invasions, occupations, and dictatorships.
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These are not easy questions to answer. We will hear from front-line organizers with experience using nonviolent resistance tactics to learn what works, what doesn't, and how we can better utilize unarmed civilian based defense in the face of war and militarized violence. As we continue to witness the proliferation of ongoing wars and humanitarian crises around the world, #NoWar2023 creates a much-needed space for this discussion in addition to global community building, reflection, learning, and skills sharing.
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(All times are in Eastern Daylight Time – GMT-04:00)
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Friday, September 22, 2023
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- 4:00pm-4:30pm ET: Meet & Greet and Test Out Your Technology, Explore the Zoom Platform, Networking, & Booths: Meet other conference participants using the networking feature, plus browse the expo booths from our sponsoring organizations.
- 4:30pm-5:30pm ET: Welcome Address featuring WBW Executive Director David Swanson & WBW Chapters Around the World: Welcome on behalf of World BEYOND War’s Executive Director David Swanson and introduction to the conference theme. Short messages from WBW chapters around the world, followed by a brief period of reflection & silence led by WBW Board President Kathy Kelly to ground us in the moment as we begin the weekend of activities.
- 5:30pm-6:15pm ET: Keynote Speech: The Power of Nonviolence Resistance to Militarism
- 6:15pm-6:45pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 6:45pm-8:00pm ET: Panel: Unarmed Civilian Protection and Accompaniment: Featuring Jhony Arango of Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) from Colombia, and other speakers TBA. This panel will include Spanish-English interpretation.
- 8:00pm-8:30pm ET: Virtual Peace Concert featuring Dame Pa’ Matala. Dame Pa’ Matala is a group that presents a social message and an idea of conscience with the firm intention of strengthening grassroots work, against war and for Peace, carrying the proposal of popular organization as an elemental basis for life in society, mixing avant-garde trends and rhythms with Latin American folkloric principles.
- 8:30pm-9:00pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
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Saturday, September 23, 2023
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- 12:00pm-12:30pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 12:30pm-1:45pm ET: Panel: Nonviolent Resistance to Overthrow Dictatorships & Occupations
- 1:45pm-2:00pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 2:00pm-3:15pm ET: Nonviolence Training
- 3:15pm-3:30pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 3:30pm-4:30pm ET: Panel: Nonviolent Resistance to War in Ukraine: Including John Reuwer, WBW board member, to discuss the Zaporizhzhya Protection Proposal. More speakers to be announced soon.
- 4:30pm-5:00pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
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Sunday, September 24, 2023
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- 2:00pm-2:30pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 2:30pm-3:45pm ET: Panel: Community & Land-Based Nonviolent Resistance Against Colonial Occupation & State-Sanctioned Violence: Moderated by WBW Canada Organizer Rachel Small. Featuring Juan Gómez Ruiz, a member of the Civil Society Organization of the Las Abejas de Acteal in México. More speakers to be announced soon! This session will have Spanish-English interpretation.
- 3:45pm-4:00pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 4:00pm-5:30pm ET: Debate: In this 1.5 hour friendly debate moderated by WBW board member Koohan Paik-Mander, we’ll hear 3 perspectives debated: 1) Russia had no choice but to invade Ukraine, argued by former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, 2) Ukraine had no choice but to fight Russia, argued by journalist James Brooke, and 3) Russia and Ukraine both had options better than war, argued by WBW Executive Director David Swanson.
- 5:30pm-5:45pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
- 5:45pm-6:45pm ET: Breakout Rooms: Reflect, Strategize, Organize: Facilitated by WBW chapter coordinators, staff, and board members, these breakout rooms will allow time for small group discussion among conference participants to reflect on the conference sessions, and strategize about ways to take action for peace and ending war.
- 6:45pm-7:00pm ET: Closing Words by World BEYOND War Board President Kathy Kelly: World BEYOND War Board President Kathy Kelly recaps the highlights from the weekend and shares upcoming action opportunities, including the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal.
- 7:00pm-7:30pm ET: Virtual Expo Booths & Networking
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There are also opportunities for endorsement and sponsorship of the event. #NoWar2023 already has 6 sponsors and 35 endorsers -- can you help us grow these numbers?
Endorsement means that the endorsing organization will be listed on the conference materials and will help promote the event through its organizational email list, website, and/or social media channels.
Sponsorship comes at different levels, starting at $125 USD, and includes various perks, including event tickets, social media posts to WBW’s channels promoting the sponsor, and a virtual expo booth at the conference to interact with attendees in real time.
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