Antiwar Campaign Croatia

Antiwar Campaign Croatia (ARK) is happy to host the 22nd Triennial Conference of War Resisters' International (WRI) at a crucial time for reconstruction of society and possible rebuilding of multicultural and multinational community in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The frightening question remains: Will there be a way to establish communication and guarantee the return of people to war destroyed areas? Will the destroyed villages and towns whose inhabitants have been killed or had to take refuge in other countries remain ethnically cleansed?. While in some post-Yugoslavia countries arms are presently at peace, in Kosova fights are getting more and more severe. Searching for answers on raised questions about possibilities for prevention of future wars and encouraging healing processes have been ARK's main topics since its beginnings in 1991.

From a small group of activists committed to nonviolence, Antiwar Campaign Croatia (ARK) has grown into a network of 20 independent organisations throughout Croatia. ARK stands for the protection of human rights and human liberties. One of ARK's main objectives is to encourage new civic initiatives. ARK's office in Zagreb serves as a kind of incubator for new groups and projects.

ARK rejects violence and offers information on the procedures to declare conscientious objection or about civil service.

ARK is currently working in establishing communication in post-war areas, such as Lika, Kordun and Slavonija, while simultaneously is encouraging the normalization process through their work in media. By supporting citizens initiatives in urban and rural areas, the ARK network helps build an autonomous civil society in Croatia.