There are several non-governmental organizations within New Zealand, the United Nations Association of New Zealand and Peace through Unity among them, who are campaigning for the establishment of a Ministry for Peace within the Government of New Zealand.

While of the Four Freedoms, formulated by Franklin D. Roosevelt during WWII, the Freedom of Speech and Expression and of Worship have since then greatly increased, Freedom from Want and from Fear is still plaguing the world. The build-up of armaments has not created a sense of security, and ‘globalisation’ has not been successful in eliminating poverty, nor creating sustainable use of the world’s natural resources.

• In order to help transform the present culture of fear and hostility to one of cooperation and goodwill, Peace through Unity has proposed that a Ministry for Peace be established which will:
• Identify root-causes of conflict, disharmony and hostility between nations
  and peoples;
• Actively promote the employment of conflict-resolution, mediation; negotiation and other peacemaking and peace-building skills, and encourage that these skills become common practice;
• Become a focal point for active and constructive cooperation between government and civil society for the creation of a fairer, healthier, more prosperous and more enlightened local/global community.

In today’s world where new and strong transnational actors have the power to influence the decision-making of sovereign states, the role of governance is rapidly changing.

Therefore the role of the peoples of the world – potentially the greatest transnational actor of all – should be to work together with their governments and the United Nations for the common good of all.

See the Peace, Security, Disarmament presentation by Gita Brooke of Peace through Unity to the United Nations Association of New Zealand Annual Conference, May 2008

New Zealand Network Meeting on Ministry of Peace Proposal, Wellington, July 21, 2007

Community Consultation and Cooperation on a Ministry for a Culture of Peace in New Zealand, July 2007

Peace Through Unity Presentation at UNA New Zealand Panel, May 2006