THE APPEAL OF THE NOBEL PEACE LAUREATES FOUNDATION INC

In the FY 2025 fiscal year, the Peace Appeal continued to collaborate with partners in Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, the Middle East and in the United States. The three broad areas of our activity included 1) partnering with peacemakers promoting dialogue, democracy and human rights, 2) aiding local initiatives seeking to ameliorate those most affected by conflict, and 3) investing in research and knowledge sharing initiatives on non-violence, transitional justice and other topics to build awareness and the capacity of peacemakers and their allies. Support to Peace Efforts in the Myanmar ConflictThe Peace Appeals support to peace efforts to transform the Myanmar conflict continued throughout the year. In the United States, as part of our collaboration with the University of Virginias Democratic Futures Project, we continued to convene a working group on Myanmar, and supported the development of a weekly newsletter, tracking casualties and developments in the conflict.In the region, our technical assistance and grantmaking continued in collaboration with Myanmars National Unity Consultative Councils Joint Coordination Committee on Transitional Justice. Working with 18 organizations and networks, the Joint Committee has advanced the knowledge and understanding of transitional justice throughout the country, benefitting from multiple sessions with international experts and practitioners supported by PAs support over the last year. Stakeholders report that concrete progress has been made preventing unlawful killings in the face of relentless attacks on civilians by the military juntas forces, increased understanding of human rights norms, best practices for documentation of human rights violations, best practices in providing psycho-social support to victims, increased awareness of issues related to conditional amnesty and encouraging defections, victim centered restorative justice and reparations, and the importance of transforming a system that has promoted severe violence for decades. Four priority areas for the development of policies were pursued during the year, including Accountability: Prosecution and Punishment,Victim-centered Transitional Justice,Defection and Defiance, and Conditional Amnesty. Over the course of the year, a draft framework was developed on Psycho-Social support adopted by both the Joint Committee on Transitional Justice and the National Unity Governments Ministry of Health.Additionally, our grantmaking and technical assistance enabled the convening of a working group focused on civilian resistance whose agenda included focusing on ongoing non-violent actions, working against the juntas push for elections (sham elections), strengthening humanitarian support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and monitoring human rights violations.Global Faith Leaders and PeacebuildingIn collaboration with the World Council of Churches, the Peace Appeal has supported multiple engagements of faith leaders from throughout East and Southern Africa as they seek to inspire citizens from within their faith communities to greater civic engagement. Along with multiple partners, including the University of Virginias Democratic Futures Project, the Peace Appeal helped arrange, fund and facilitate international and regional gatherings to explore faith leaders roles as peacemakers, and to develop the skills and resources necessary to mobilize their fractured communities to transform the social, political and economic blight that impedes regional development.Middle East Our efforts in the Middle East included support to peace initiatives of our partners and allies, and humanitarian relief to child victims of the war in Gaza. Amidst the war in Gaza, we continued our support to global and international initiatives, including technical assistance and grantmaking to institutions engaged in inter-religious and political dialogue among stakeholders to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During the year our support increased for the medical treatment and psycho-social support of child victims of the war in Gaza evacuated to third countries. The United StatesIn the United States, our partnership with the University of Virginias Democratic Futures Project supported exchanges with democratic advocates, students and faculty resulting in several initiatives, including the continued publication in English and Burmese of weekly and monthly updates on civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, the development of curriculum