Council

WRI Council has now produced a Statement of Principles, a daunting task that the organisation had not managed since the 1950s. As well as introducing some of the main tenets of pacifism and nonviolence, this statement also respects the plurality of views within the organisation, and acknowledges the complexity posed by certain situations.

WRI embarked on this drafting mainly as a means of stimulating discussion rather than with confidence about producing a final text.

Get ready for Council! Council starts on the evening of Saturday, 21 June, and finishes on Friday evening, 27 June.

A first mailing containing a draft agenda, practical information and a registration form has already been sent to WRI affiliates and their representatives on the Council. A revised agenda will be circulated early in May. If your organisation is not a WRI affiliate, you are welcome to send an observer to our meeting.

Here is a quick overview of the programme to whet your appetite:

Proposal for a study conference on Social Change Strategy

From time to time, WRI is approached by movements engaged in social struggle to discuss questions of strategy development and the use of nonviolence. To increase WRI's capacity to respond to these approaches, the 1995 Council meeting agreed to hold a study conference on Social Change Strategy.

The February meeting of the WRI Exec proposed a working group to develop a structure for a study conference of up to 100 people.

Accommodation and Fees

This year's Council will take place in Liege, Belgium, from Saturday 20 July in the evening until Thursday 25 July in the afternoon. Participants will be expected to arrive on Saturday and the Council will start after dinner with an introductory session. The closing session will end around 3pm on Thursday.

Rafa Ajangiz
c/o KEM-MOC, Iturribide 12-1 D,48006 Bilbao, State of Spain. Tel.: +344 415 3772; fax: +34 4479 0383 Roberta Bacic Herzfeld
Los Capullos, 0135 Villa Andalucia, Temuco, Chile. Tel: +56 45 251445 (H), +5645 215263 (W). Albert Beale
c/o Housmans Peace Resource Project, 5 Caledonian Road, London NI 9DX, Britain Reinoud Doeschot
Groene Zoom 12, 2811 VH Reeuwyk, Netherlands Thomas Hackman
Sandgatan I B 25, 00180 Helsingfors, Finland Maggie Helwig
312a Walworth Road, London SE17 2NA Marko Hren