Who we are
We create the space for peace to grow.
Peace Brigades International (PBI) provides life-saving protection and advocacy for human rights defenders. When activists are threatened for standing up for their communities, we stand with them. Our presence deters violence and ensures that the struggle for justice can continue.
Vision
Peace Brigades International (PBI) envisions a world in which people address conflicts nonviolently, where human rights are universally upheld and social justice and intercultural respect have become a reality. We believe that enduring peace and lasting solutions to conflicts cannot be achieved by violent means.
Mission
PBI works in countries where communities experience violent conflict, intimidation and repression. PBI works to open a space for peace in which conflicts can be dealt with non-violently. We use a strategy of international presence and concern that supports local initiatives and contributes to developing a culture of peace and justice. We work at the request of human rights defenders and in response to their needs. We believe that lasting transformation of conflicts cannot come from outside, but must be based on the capacities and desires of local people. We avoid imposing, interfering or getting directly involved with the work of the organisations we accompany. We don’t provide financial support or development aid to the organisations we work with.
Strategy
Our work is effective because we take an integrated approach, combining presence on the ground alongside human rights defenders with an extensive network of international support.
PBI's international presence aims to accompany both political and social processes through a joint strategy of deterring violence and promoting active non-violence. Our international teams of volunteers use methods such as protective accompaniment, peace education, independent observation and analysis of the conflict situation. In addition, PBI learns about, develops, and models forms of nonviolent intervention.
PBI DEFENDS THE DEFENDERS.
On the ground we provide direct protection and support, to keep defenders alive and help their activism thrive. Our international volunteers accompany at-risk activists and communities, standing shoulder to shoulder with them in a display of solidarity that deters violent attacks. In addition, unlike other organisations in this space, we also provide longer-term support - from security monitoring and psychological assistance to communications and capacity-building training.
PBI also protects through advocacy, which helps create the right security, policy and political environments in which defenders can carry out their work.
We provide defenders with a platform they otherwise would not have, to amplify their voices, ensuring that their calls for rights and freedoms are heard by those who can make a difference. Finally, we send a powerful message to defenders: you are not alone.
The role of PBI UK
PBI UK is one of 16 PBI country groups whose work provides crucial support for our field projects in Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico and Kenya (as well as our capacity building projects in Indonesia and Nepal).
We do this in several ways:
Recruiting and training field volunteers
Recruiting and training volunteers and keeping them safe in the field is essential to protective accompaniment, providing visible international support and credible fact-finding.
Using discussions, presentations and role-plays, our two day orientation weekends explore PBI’s role and how protective accompaniment works. The emphasis is on looking constructively at how volunteers might react in a range of situations and helping candidates reflect on their suitability and readiness to become field volunteers.
Read more about volunteering with PBI in the field.
Raising the profile of PBI and those we protect
Increasing the profile of human rights defenders and their work helps to protect them. Through traditional and online media, social networks and a programme of speaking tours by visiting defenders and returned field volunteers, we reach out to the general public, the legal community, universities, religious groups and others.
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Raising funds
A diverse funding base bolsters PBI’s protection work by showing the parties in a conflict that many contributors are interested in safeguarding the legitimate nonviolent work of accompanied human rights defenders.
Read more about our fundraising and ways to donate.
Donate now via Justgiving.
Building political networks
PBI field volunteers are walking symbols of international support for human rights defenders, communities and organisations at risk.
Establishing ongoing dialogue and relationships with political decision makers is a key element of PBI UK’s support for threatened defenders. Through our support network, PBI can call upon influential individuals and groups in times of emergency or heightened threat.