Welcome

A central part of the mission of Rotary is to empower Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. Rotarian Peacebuilder clubs commit to engage in dialogues and projects that promote positive peace in their communities and across the globe. Building peace may seem like a daunting task, but the Rotarian Action Group for Peace has identified the Simplify, Unify, and Engage approach, which paves a more do-able, effective and successful path to peace and nonviolence. peace through service rotarian action group for peace. Do Your Piece of Peace.

Rotarian Action Group for Peace is a strong believer and supporter of Peacebuilder clubs. Peacebuilder clubs play a vital role in sparking passion and a direction for peace within their own Rotary clubs, districts and communities. We encourage every club to take action, become a Peacebuilder club, and contribute to creating a more peaceful world.

Become a Peacebuilder Club. Applications here: https://rotaryactiongroupforpeace.org/how-to-become-an-active-peacebuilder-club/

See the Webinars here:

Rotary Peace Programme

Rotarian Peace Projects Incubator

Fergal McCarthy tells us about the Rotary Peace Programs. He is the Peace Programs Manager at Rotary International

Applications are now open for the October cohort of the 2021 IEP Ambassador programme. You have until September 30 to apply. Share with your networks, colleagues and friends.

Apply now --> https://forms.gle/9jPYkidUEiwQArkPA

Apply here

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfgQV7fQjFg

International Day of Peace

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PROMOTING PEACE

Reem Ghunaim

Reem serves on the boards of several international organizations: Rotary Club of Portland (one of the largest Rotary Clubs in the world), Hands of Peace (an organization that empowers youth to lead the solutions for peace between Israelis and Palestinians), Combatants for Peace (an international NGO and an egalitarian, bi-national, grassroots movement committed to non-violent action against the “Israeli occupation and all forms of violence” in Israel and the Palestinian territories), and Peace Village (an organization that creates access to peace education for children worldwide).

Reem has provided leadership through several international projects and events. In 2018, she served on the organizing committee of the Environmental Sustainability and Peace Conference, one of Rotary International’s six Presidential Peace Conferences which was addressed by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. She led the growth of the RAGFP Peacebuilder Club program from 22 clubs in the Pacific Northwest to over 270 clubs in 30 nations in less than three years. Reem is currently co-organizing the Rotary Peace Project Incubator, a gathering that aims to produce 40 international sustainable peace projects. Reem co-designed the 2020 Middle East Peace Education Trip to establish an experience for an international audience to create a fair understanding of the challenges and opportunities for peace in Israel and Palestine. She conceptualized and developed the Activate Positive Peace workbook which was presented at the 2019 Rotary Convention in Hamburg, Geneva Peace Week 2019 at the United Nations, and posted to the Positive Peace Academy by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Reem is the creator and host of the weekly Together for Peace webinar series which was designed to elevate social justice and peace issues. In this series, Reem interviews world-class leaders, including social entrepreneurs, organizational leaders, academics, peace activists, Nobel Peace Prize nominees, and inspiring Rotarians.

Reem is an advocate for Human Rights, economic development, social entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and creative arts. She recently advanced a data-driven study of COVID-19 policies and their impact on vulnerable populations as a machine-learning contributor at Omdena, a global platform that builds innovative and ethical AI solutions. Currently, Reem is leading a Peace Project that builds a social-entrepreneurship hub for Palestinian youth to build innovative technological solutions to peace obstacles in their community.

Previously, Reem created economic development strategies for the City of Shenzhen to advance the city’s livability program. She combined art and innovation for the Planning of Livable Cities project led by the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reem worked for the United Nations Crisis Prevention Unit in Fiji where she worked with government representatives and religious leaders to foster collaboration between the government and civil society. She organized the 2011 Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival. This festival was mainly sponsored by the European Commission to promote mutual understanding through the creative arts. Reem advanced the 2010 International Conference for Human Values in Hamburg by integrating the Muslim community into the conference. This conference was held by the International Association of Human Values where Reem was completing her Yes We Can leadership program in Hamburg, Germany.

Gretchen Alther

Gretchen Alther builds programs that strengthen individual and community leadership. She is expanding the East-West Center’s leadership programs for women; directs the Center’s flagship residential course, the Asia Pacific Leadership Program; and contributes to other short- and long-term training both in Hawai‘i and across the region. With over 15 years of experience as an international educator and humanitarian, Ms. Alther infuses her program design with a commitment to equity and to grassroots communities. Previously, Ms. Alther designed and managed multimillion-dollar programs to support disaster relief, conflict zone aid, and resilience in marginalized communities in the US, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Gaza, Colombia, Haiti and beyond. She has recently worked with the UNFPA Arab States Office to operationalize their resilience framework in Syria and the broader region. Ms. Alther serves on the advisory committee of the Institute for Climate and Peace, and is a founding board member of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security. She earned an M.A. from Brandeis University, postgraduate certificates in leadership and peacebuilding from the East-West Center and Chulalongkorn University, respectively, and a B.A. from Texas A&M University.

Peter Kyle

Peter first came to the US from New Zealand in 1973 to pursue post-graduate studies in law at the University of Virginia as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. After a career in private legal practice in New Zealand he returned to the US in 1992 to take up a position with the World Bank as a senior international attorney. He retired from this position in 2009.
He was inducted into Rotary in 1976 and has since served the organization in many capacities. He has been particularly involved in alumni/Rotary Peace Fellow activities and has chaired both the Alumni Relations and Rotary Peace Centers Committees. He has also served as an International Assembly Trainer, COL Delegate, RI President’s Representative and Dean of the Rotary Representative Network. He is currently the RI Director for 2020-22 in Zones 33 & 34.
Peter has received the Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award together with the Service above Self Award and the Citation for Meritorious Service. He and his wife, Margaret, live on the West River in Maryland in a home designed by Margaret and close to their two children and one grandson.

Al Jubitz

A native Oregonian, Al graduated from Yale University and received his MBA from the University of Oregon, School of Business. Upon retiring from the family business (Jubitz Corporation) in 2001, he and his wife Nancy formed the Jubitz Family Foundation. Along with their three daughters, Al oversees grantmaking and partnerships with organizations that foster peacebuilding and environmental stewardship. The Foundation’s primary program is the War Prevention Initiative, a team of academic researchers who are challenged by Al’s firm belief that war is obsolete.

With a personal value for voluntarism and civic responsibility, Al has served on numerous nonprofit boards relating to environmental issues, children’s welfare, and peace. A third generation Rotarian, he is Past President and remains an active member of the Rotary Club of Portland (Oregon, USA). This commitment led him to co-create the Rotary Action Group for Peace, which works to support the peace work of Rotarians worldwide. Al regularly speaks at Rotary conferences and meetings to promote peacebuilding in communities everywhere.

The Postive Peace Committee in District 5000

As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect. By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.

Our commitment to peacebuilding today answers new challenges: how we can make the greatest possible impact and how we can achieve our vision of lasting change. We are approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what we mean by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved.

Rotary creates environments where peace can happen.

Rotary’s Four Roles in Promoting Peace

Rotary and its members are:

Practitioners: Our work fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, improving the health of mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies directly builds the optimal conditions for peaceful societies.
Educators: Our Rotary Peace Centers have trained over 1,300 peace fellows to become effective catalysts for peace through careers in government, education, and international organizations.
Mediators: Our members have negotiated humanitarian ceasefires in areas of conflict to allow polio vaccinators to reach children who are at risk. ary Peace Centers have trained over 1,300 peace fellows to become effective catalysts for peace through careers in government, education, and international organizations.

Advocates: Our members have an integral role as respected, impartial participants during peace processes and in post-conflict reconstruction. We focus on creating communities and convening groups that are connected, inclusive, and resilient.