Are killing-free societies possible? Evidence suggests that by working with committed organizations, leaders and individuals like you we can signficantly reduce and eventually eliminate human killing. This goal belongs to everyone, across political, religious or ethnic affiliations. The development of truly civil societies, and nothing less than the future of humankind, depends on our joint success.

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    • Brief History

    In 1988 the Center for Global Nonviolence Planning Project was established by Professor Glenn Paige as an exploratory initiative in the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute of Peace, College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i. Its purpose was to be a creative facilitator of research, education-training, and action in the form of problem-solving leadership for nonviolent global transformation. The Center pursued discovering and sharing nonviolent spiritual, scientific, skills, and artistic resources through cooperation with individuals and institutions throughout the world, and by assisting the global emergence of nonviolent leadership and citizen competence. The Center also produced a number of publications and convened and participated in leadership conferences around the world.

    Center for Global Nonviolence Board of Directors, October 2, 1994In 2002, Professor Paige published Nonkilling Global Political Science. The nonkilling research findings of the book, of which translations to over 30 languages have been completed or are currently in progress, have become the basis for curricula, on-the-ground advocacy, and affiliate centers in some of the most killing-prone places in the world. This book was published the same year as, and complements, the unprecedented World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Violence and Health (2002) which concludes that human violence (including suicide, homicide, and war) is a “preventable disease.” These publications were significant contributions to the growing literature on issues, research and initiatives related to reducing or eliminating killing from various causes, and in various places, around the world.

    In November 2007 the Center organized and convened the "First Global Nonkilling Leadership Forum". A major outcome from the Forum was the acknowledged need and demonstrated support for establishing a successor Center for Global Nonkilling, along with an associated Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy. Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire co-chaired the Forum with retired Canadian science diplomat and Department of Peace advocate Dr. Bill Bhaneja. The Forum was attended by 30 participants from 20 countries.

    Immediately following the Forum, in December 2007, Professor Paige and CGNV Secretary Glenda Paige attended the 8th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, where the Peace Laureates proclaimed a "Charter for a World without Violence". A significant result from the meeting was the addition of a thirteenth principle to the Charter, drafted at the request of Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire, that calls upon all “to work together towards a just, killing-free world in which everyone has the right not to be killed and the responsibility not to kill others.”

    First Global Nonkilling Leadership ForumEarly in 2008, Humanity United provided a grant to CGNV to conduct a six-month strategic planning process. This process resulted in an organizational development plan for the Center for Global Nonkilling. This provided Humanity United with the basis for evaluating the potential structure, mission and strategies of the new Center, and its likelihood of success.

    A five person planning team, led by Greg Bourne, Karen Cross* and Tom Fee, with Glenn Paige* and Glenda Paige* (*existing CGNV Board members) worked closely to develop the organizational plan. Three joint working sessions were held in Honolulu, and four international colleagues joined the second session to contribute their perspectives to the planning process.

    Based on this plan, Humanity United then provided a much larger one-year grant in December 2008 to help establish CGNK. The grant enabled CGNK to hire, at least part time, all members of the proposed Leadership Team for the expressed purpose of demonstrating the value that can be added by CGNK to numerous other efforts around the world to stop killing and create societies open to infinite creativity in responding to human needs and aspirations.

    During the last quarter of 2008, after the indication of pending funding from Humanity United, CGNV proceeded with officially changing the name of the existing 501(c)3 from the Center for Global Nonviolence to the Center for Global Nonkilling. In addition, legal consultants were hired to update both the By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation for the 501(c)3 and steps for the transition from CGNV to CGNK, such as establishing a new Governing Council, were put in place.

    On December 6, 2008, the CGNV Board held its final meeting, adopting a slate of new Governing Council members, as well as providing provisional approval of several important administrative and financial policies for the operation of the new organization. The two co-directors were officially hired by the outgoing Board for a period one year, and the new co-directors then officially hired the remainder of the Leadership Team on one-year appointments.