About IFOR

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) is an international spiritually-based movement composed of people who commit themselves to active nonviolence as a way of life and as a means of transformation - personal, social, economic and political.  IFOR has operational relations status with the United Nations (UNESCO).

Founded in 1919 in response to the horrors of war in Europe, IFOR has taken a consistent stance against war and its preparation throughout its history. Perceiving the need for healing and reconciliation in the world, the founders of IFOR formulated a vision of the human community based upon the belief that love in action has the power to transform unjust political, social, and economic structures. Today IFOR has branches, groups, and affiliates in more than 40 countries on all continents. Although organized on a national and regional basis, IFOR seeks to overcome the division of nation states which are often the source of conflict and violence. Its membership includes adherents of all the major spiritual traditions as well as those who have other spiritual sources for their commitment to nonviolence. 

The IFOR international secretariat in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, co-ordinates communication among IFOR members, links branches to capacity-building resources (and through the WPP provides training in gender awareness), and helps co-ordinate international campaigns, delegations and urgent actions. IFOR has extensive working relationships with like-minded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society initiatives around the world. IFOR’s 90 years of expertise in active nonviolence is recognized and respected by these NGOs and many others.

The International Fellowship Of Reconciliation (IFOR) maintains permanent representatives at the United Nations (UN) in New York, Geneva and Vienna who regularly participate in conferences and meetings of UN bodies, providing testimony and expertise from different regional perspectives, promoting non-violent alternatives in the fields of human rights, development, and disarmament.  IFOR has observer and consultative status to the United Nations ESOSOC and UNESCO organizations.