The Permanent Peace Movement (PPM) was founded in 1986 (Register Nr; 86/A.D. 24/5/1986), at the height of the Lebanese civil war, by a group of university students. Unified by their aversion to violence and common vision of a brighter, more peaceful future, they set the cornerstone for what has grown into an experienced organization that promotes peace throughout the MENA region.

In the last decade PPM has mediated and delivered training in Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Sudan and Lebanon and has instructed Iraqi NGO staff. The organization has developed into a regional hub for peacebuilding issues. It is the regional secretariat of the Global Partnership for Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and initiator of The Arab Partnership for Conflict Prevention and Human Security (APCPHS); the regional representative for the International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers; regional coordinator for the Non-Violence Network in the Arab Countries (NNAC); in the stirring committee for the MENA Action Network on Small Arms (MENAANSA).

 PPM works on a number of issues related to peacebuilding, which are expressed in the variety of projects we implement. Most recently we have worked on issues of conflict resolution, arms control, child soldiers, democracy and participation, restorative justice, nonviolence, and socioeconomic rights. In these projects it has cooperated with a list of International organizations, namely: The National Democratic Institute (NDI), The European Union (EU), The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), America-Mideast Education & Training Services (AMIDEAST), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Reintegration and Socio-Economic Rehabilitation (UNRSRD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Oxfam-Quebec, NOVA - Center for Social Innovation.

Our mission is to foster and proliferate a culture of peace through assisting the transformation of protracted social conflict by means of dialogue, conflict resolution, education, advocacy and training. Thereby we promote principles of human solidarity beyond existing boundaries and stereotypes. We seek to empower groups and individuals by emphasizing their agency and equipping them with skills to change the world they live in, in a constructive and nonviolent manner.

In the conduct of our mission we adopt an integrative approach, which stresses the interconnectedness of diverse peacebuilding methodologies (conflict resolution, diplomacy, nonviolence training etc.) on the one hand and that of the many domains that foster permanent positive peace (economic development, arms control, social justice etc.) on the other. PPM adheres to a list of core principles and practices:

 1.     Dialogue and People power: As conflict evolves within human relationship, we believe that it is solved by dialogue between those most affected.

 2.     Building a Culture of Peace: We believe that perpetual peace is not achieved by ‘solving’ conflict alone, but by utilizing nonviolent means in its solution.

 3.     Independence and impartiality: We are an independent organization free to follow our aims put forward in our mission statement, in accordance with these principles. We will seek to work with all parties involved in a conflict without taking sides.

 4.     Empowerment: We seek to empower people to become agents of positive change within their communities and societies.

 5.     Respect for Diversity: We make no discrimination on grounds of gender, nationality, race, class, ethnicity, or cultural and political beliefs. Yet welcome productive interaction between groups.

 6.     Institutional Learning: We are committed to ongoing learning through monitoring and evaluation and the sharing of our gained insights.

 7.     Sustainability and Commitment: We believe that long-term commitment is essential to the transformation of conflicts.

 8.     Diverse Methodologies: We believe that each situation requires a particular mix of methods to meet its needs.

9.     Integration and Coordination: We believe that peacebuilding is a diverse field composed of multiple domains, such as politics, humanitarian intervention, conflict resolution etc. We propagate the integration and coordination of these fields.

 10.  Partnerships: We believe in building collaborative processes with both local parties and international actors.

 11.  Accountability and Transparency: We are fully accountable to whom we work with and aim for absolute transparency in our work.