Peace Brigades International Collected Records

Peace Brigades International; Peace Brigades International (PBI) is a grassroots organization promoting nonviolent approaches to international peace-keeping; headquarters (International Office) is in London; PBI provides training in peace-keeping methods and sends volunteers into areas of violence to provide protection, support and recognition to local human rights defenders who work in areas of repression and conflict and have requested PBI's support. History: after a number of ad-hoc international peace initiatives, on 12 January 1981 a letter signed by Narayan Desai (Shanti Sena Mandal), Raymond Magee (Peaceworkers), Piet Dijkstra (Foundation for the Extension of Nonviolent Action), Radhakrishana (Gandhi Peace Foundation) and George Willoughby was sent out to a number of organizations. It invited them to attend a conference to revive the idea of an international organization committed to unarmed third party intervention in conflict situations. This led to a meeting that took place on Grindstone Island, Canada from 13 August to 4 September 1981, attended by Raymond Magee, Lee Stern, Henry Wiseman, Murray Thomson, Narayan Desai, Gene Keyes, Charles Walker, Dan Clark, Mark Shepard and Jaime Diaz.