Initiatives of Change (IofC) is a global organisation dedicated to "building trust across the world's divides" of culture, nationality, belief, and background. Initiatives of Change was known as
Moral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament (MRA) was an international moral and spiritual movement that, in 1938, developed from American minister Frank Buchman's Oxford Group. Buchman headed MRA for 23 years until his death in 1961. In 2001, the movement was renamed I ...
(MRA) from 1938 to 2001, and the
Oxford Group starting in 1929, after being called A First Century Christian Fellowship since 1921.
Principles
These principles are taken from those of the organization's predecessor,
Moral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament (MRA) was an international moral and spiritual movement that, in 1938, developed from American minister Frank Buchman's Oxford Group. Buchman headed MRA for 23 years until his death in 1961. In 2001, the movement was renamed I ...
(MRA), founded in 1938 by
Frank Buchman
Franklin Nathaniel Daniel Buchman (June 4, 1878 – August 7, 1961), best known as Frank Buchman, was an American Lutheran who founded the First Century Christian Fellowship in 1921 (known after 1928 as the Oxford Group) that was transformed un ...
. Initiatives of Change has spiritual roots but no religious affiliation, and invites "those with a faith...both to explore the roots of their own tradition, and to discover and respect the beliefs of others."
The name "Initiatives of Change" was adopted in 2001, expressing the emphasis of the organization in effecting social change beginning with personal change.
Programs
Initiatives of Change has programs in over 60 countries. In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, Hope in the Cities promotes "honest conversations" on race, reconciliation and responsibility. Their approach was integrated in the One America Dialogue Guide published by the White House at the initiative of U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1998. The programme Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy hold events in a number of Western countries, focusing on overcoming corruption and building cooperation. In
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, the Caux Forum for Human Security, brings together people working for peace and human security. In India, the IC Centre for Governance works with development experts, policy makers, social activists and others to strengthen the role of citizens in governance. Foundations for Freedom aims to support the development of democratic societies in Central and Eastern Europe. In
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
, Hope Sierra Leone is active in reconciling and rebuilding the country ravaged by civil war. In
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
' (Education for Peace) is teaching students about civic responsibility, including the skills of conflict resolution.
Since 1991, when it was launched at the Initiatives of Change
conference centre in Caux, Switzerland, the Creators of Peace (CoP) global peacemakers network has been active in many countries, particularly in Africa.
Initiatives of Change International
Initiatives of Change International, a
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
based in
Caux, Switzerland
Caux ( Montreux) is a small village in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland which is part of the Montreux municipality. It looks out over Lake Geneva from an altitude of 1000 meters.
Overlooked by the Rochers de Naye summit (2000 meters), the Cau ...
, is the legal and administrative entity that coordinates the national bodies of Initiatives of Change; It holds Special Consultative Status with the
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
, and Participatory Status at the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 46 member states, with a p ...
. Its first president was
Cornelio Sommaruga, formerly President of the
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
. He was succeeded by
Mohamed Sahnoun, formerly Senior Advisor to UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...
. In 2009 Prof.
Rajmohan Gandhi, historian and biographer of his grandfather
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
, was elected president. In 2012 Dr Omnia Marzouk, a paediatrician originally from Egypt and now based in UK, was elected president. In 2014 Initiatives of Change was awarded the Ousseimi Prize for Tolerance. In 2019, Indian businessman Suresh Vazirani was elected president.
Gerald Pillay,
Vice Chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...
and Rector of
Liverpool Hope University in England, took over from Suresh Vazirani in January 2022.
Conference centres
Initiatives of Change has centres in numerous countries. The largest conference centres are Mountain House, formerly the
Caux Palace Hotel in
Caux, near
Montreux
Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...
, and Asia Plateau, in Panchgani in India.
Mountain House was a derelict hotel in 1946, when it was bought by 100 Swiss families, and restored as a place where the warring nations of Europe could meet. In the following years thousands came there, including German Chancellor
Adenauer and French Foreign Minister
Robert Schuman
Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman (; 29 June 18864 September 1963) was a Luxembourg-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian Democrat ( Popular Republican Movement) political thinker and activist. Twice Prime Minister of France, a re ...
. At Caux many found reconciliation with former enemies, notably the French socialist leader
Irène Laure who had been active in the French Resistance and who, thereafter, devoted herself to building Franco-German understanding.
Edward Luttwak
Edward Nicolae Luttwak (born 4 November 1942) is an American author known for his works on grand strategy, military strategy, geoeconomics, military history, and international relations. He is best known for being the author of '' Coup d'Ét ...
described the work of Caux as an "important contribution to one of the greatest achievements in the entire record of modern statecraft: the astonishingly rapid Franco-German reconciliation after 1945."
In the following decades Caux welcomed people from African and Asian countries moving towards independence from colonial rule. In 1956, soon after
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
became independent, King
Mohammed V of Morocco sent a message to Frank Buchman: "I thank you for all you have done for Morocco in the course of these last testing years." In 1960
Archbishop Makarios
Makarios III ( el, Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as ...
and Dr Kucuk, President and Vice-President of
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
, jointly sent the first flag of independent Cyprus to Caux in recognition of the center's help. More recently, groups of opposing factions in the Great Lakes area of Africa, Sierra Leone and other areas of conflict, have met there.
Also prominent in the center's programs have been meetings between management and unions. The
Caux Round Table was launched there in 1986, and continues to meet there. It developed a program of Principles for Business which are now used widely in business and industry.
Each summer the centre holds a series of conferences dealing with specific subjects, attended by both teenagers and adults. In 2008 the first Caux Forum for Human Security, initiated by
Mohamed Sahnoun, brought together 300 people working for peace and human security. and this has developed into an annual conference on 'Just Governance for Human Security'. 'Land, Lives, Peace' brings together people from many countries working to restore degraded land to productive use. 'Children as Actors for Transforming Society' deals with
children's rights
Children's rights are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors. and children's participation
in partnership with a coalition of civil society organisation such as the Child-to-Child Trust and Learning for Well-being or the International
Janusz Korczak
Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit (22 July 1878 or 1879 – 7 August 1942), was a Polish Jewish educator, children's author and pedagogue known as ''Pan Doktor'' ("Mr. Doctor") or ''Stary Doktor'' ("Old Doctor"). After spending m ...
Association.
Asia Plateau in India holds conferences throughout most of the year, dealing with ethical governance, cooperation for development and conflict resolution. These bring together workers and managers from many industries, NGO leaders, public servants, and others. It also holds international conferences such as 'Making democracy real' and 'Dialogue on Just Governance', which bring together participants from over 40 countries.
References
External links
Initiatives of Change global websiteCaux official website* http://www.hopeinthecities.org
* http://www.justgovernance.net
* http://www.in.iofc.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Initiatives Of Change
International nongovernmental organizations
International non-profit organizations
Organizations established in 1938
International organisations based in Switzerland
Organizations with participatory status with the Council of Europe
Organisations based in Geneva