In the run up to the EU elections, there has been a great deal of press coverage about which parties and people will or will not work with the far right. Most polls predict a rise in the number of MEPs representing far right parties in the new EU parliament. Civil society organisations are worried that their influence will diminish or even be curtailed if the parliament shifts to the right. Politicians and civil society are also afraid that any attempt to engage with far right politicians will lead to them being accused of condoning hate speech and thereby losing supporters. There is no doubt ..read more

The interview of Vitaliy Alekseyenko I am Ukrainian, but I was born and spent my youth in Uzbekistan. There I had the opportunity to undergo alternative service instead of military service. At birth, I was baptized in the Orthodox Church. When I grew up, I saw that they did not live there in love, as Jesus taught. There was a lot of stress in life, in particular due to misunderstanding in my family. The Holy Spirit directed me to seek truth and healing in Christian literature. I fasted, observed the Sabbath, and suddenly it was as if I were born again. At that time, there was no normal income ..read more

“Get very clear about the kind of world we would like and then start living that way.” – Marshall B. Rosenberg In a world often marred by conflict, misunderstandings, and strained relationships, the need for effective communication has never been more pressing. Nonviolent Communication (NVC) emerges as a transformative approach to fostering empathy, understanding, and harmonious connections. The current state of global communication Non-discrimination and equality are fundamental principles of any democracy. Election campaigns serve as critical indicators of commitment to these values, makin ..read more

By Saskia Basa, QCEA’s Migration and Peace Coordinator “They will burn us,” “Organise to catch them! The mountains are full of them”. These words were uttered by a man who, dressed in green camouflage, kidnapped 25 migrants in Evros, northeastern Greece, a region that has been ravaged by wildfires for more than two weeks in the month of August. The man circulated a chilling video where he filmed himself inciting Greeks to round up people on the move, and then directed the camera at his kidnapees, people escaping persecution, poverty, human rights violations or armed conflicts. Civil societ ..read more

By Céline Monnier Image by Javier Hirschfeld via Getty Images “Language shapes our mindset and determines what we think”, said the linguist Benjamin Whorf. Benjamin Whorf is often associated with the linguistic relativity theory which states that the grammatical and verbal structures of a person’s language influence how they perceive the world. So, does that mean that the language we speak exacerbate inequalities, particularly related to gender? If so, could our policy responses around gender neutral language mitigate this effect? Let’s find out. Language reinforces bias Image by Mona Chalabi ..read more

by Saskia Basa There is no question that the push for inclusion of women in security and defense sectors is gaining traction. In the 21 years that followed the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, over 80 countries have released national action plans to increase representation of women in peacebuilding and security sectors. Despite great evolution in the Woman, Peace and Security agenda, it has not escaped criticism over the omission of an intersectional perspective, which recognises how gender interacts with other identity markers such as sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic st ..read more

QCEA reads is a new series reviewing books related to QCEA’s values and work on peace, justice and equality. Working in Brussels on EU policy, policy briefs to read are some of the most common literature we are exposed to but they can be technical, abstract with little connection with everyday life. Fiction, essays, poetry etc. give us insights into people’s lives and how they experience the consequences of policies.  QCEA reads is a deliberate choice to broaden our horizon beyond the “policy bubble”, to keep our work grounded in lived experience and the felt impact o ..read more

QCEA reads is a new series reviewing books related to QCEA’s values and work on peace, justice and equality. Working in Brussels on EU policy, policy briefs to read are some of the most common literature we are exposed to but they can be technical, abstract with little connection with everyday life. Fiction, essays, poetry etc. give us insights into people’s lives and how they experience the consequences of policies.  QCEA reads is a deliberate choice to broaden our horizon beyond the “policy bubble”, to keep our work grounded in lived experience and the felt impact of EU policies in Eur ..read more

At the entrance to the ExCel Centre, in London on 14 September 2021 by Atiaf Alwazir* On the morning of Tuesday 14 September, I was on the DLR train heading to ExCel Centre in London’s docklands. I traveled to London from Brussels to witness and participate in actions against the Defence & Security Equipment intentional (DSEI) arms fair. The DSEI fair is one of the world’s largest arms fairs, and takes place approximately every two years. On the train, everywhere I looked I saw people in black or grey suits, and a dark mask. I wondered whether this was just the London work culture, or were ..read more

by Atiaf Alwazir* “Zero pollution for healthier people and planet,” was the theme of the EU Green Week. Yet one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in Europe remains hidden from view and was barely mentioned all week.  As highlighted in our latest report, the EU’s growing militarism must be addressed if we are to have any hope of saving the planet. European Militarism The EU was founded on a peaceful vision aiming to prevent a new arms race between European nations.  Military matters were absent from negotiations and initial EU structures.  But now, there is a growing no ..read more