oday, on the eve of the twenty first century, more than ever before in history, civil society is organized into non-governmental organizations (NGOs) where individuals can engage in non violent action for peace and justice. And thanks to the emerging world network of communication, they are increasingly able to link up their struggles on a global scale. These are perhaps the most important developments making possible a culture of peace, because the transition to such a culture must take place primarily in the minds of individual men and women through a process of action and growth.
Therefore in describing the initiatives of NGOs, we begin here by describing several that are associated with the name of individuals, Rigoberta Menchu, winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize and Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank. Of course, the power and effectiveness of these organizations comes from the cooperative activity of many people working together, but it must be remembered that like every organization these began from the inspiration and activity of only a few people.
The thousands of non-governmental organizations whose actions promote a culture of peace range in size from large international NGOs to small, local organizations and represent every possible constituency in all parts of the world. Here, because of the important role their constituencies play, the actions of international organizations of women, youth, professionals, peace researchers, and religious figures are described in some detail. A special place is given to international non governmental organizations which address in particular the tasks of preventive diplomacy and post-conflict peace-building.
Perhaps the most important work is that of national and local NGOs, who are often most in touch with people at a community level but whose work is often invisible to the rest of the world. Many are building

peace at the base where it can be most effective and, in the long-term, produce the most durable results. A few examples are given here of such NGOs who have specifically adopted a culture of peace as a priority goal.
Global linkages of NGOs have been instituted in association with the summit conferences of the United Nations in recent years. At these summits NGOs have issued statements and declarations, some of which are reprinted here, which reflect their collective goals and demands.
No doubt, there are many other NGOs contributing to a culture of peace that are not represented in the following pages. It is hoped that this monograph will stimulate them to contact and share their information with the Culture of Peace Programme in the future.

Rigoberta Menchu and the Committee of Peasant Unity

The 1992 Nobel Prize for Peace recognized Rigoberta Menchu Tum for her efforts, expressed largely through the Committee of Peasant Unity, on behalf of human rights of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala and neighbouring countries. Two years previously she had been awarded the UNESCO Prize in Education for Peace.
The Committee of Peasant Unity was founded in 1977 by activists for the rights of Quich� Indians whose lands were being confiscated by the government and wealthy landowners. One of the founders was Rigoberta's father Vicente Menchu. As Rigoberta Menchu describes in her autobiography, 'We started thinking about the roots of the problem and came to the conclusion that everything stemmed from the ownership of the land. The best land was not in our hands. It belonged to the big landowners. Every time they see that we have new land, they try to throw us off it or steal in from us in other ways.'