Church leaders across 7 denominations, including the Methodist Church, have today made the following statement following the publication of the Government’s integrated review of foreign and defence policies: “The Government’s decision in the integrated review of defence, security and foreign …
Peacemaking
Celebrate with us as nuclear weapons are banned under an international treaty
Today is a day of celebration for the Joint Public Issues Team and other advocates for peace around the globe, as the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) comes into legal force. For the 86 countries who have signed the Treaty, and for any more who decide to do so in the …
Advent 1: Prince of Peace
I felt like it was a dream, I told myself ‘you are not seeing this, this is not happening.’ When I was coming back there was a confrontation between the armed people and the military and I saw eight people lying dead by the side of the road, and I had to stay there for about an hour to wait for a …
Decades in the making: nuclear weapons banned by comprehensive UN treaty
Today is a day of celebration, at JPIT and for peace campaigners all around the world. The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has reached fifty ratifications and will enter into legal force after a period of ninety days. Nuclear weapons are by their very nature …
Women of Churches in Cameroon call for an immediate halt to Violence
On 21 September, International Day of Peace, women from a wide coalition of churches in Cameroon released a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire after violent conflict in the Anglophone region [1]. Women from churches in Cameroon’s Anglophone region have called on both the …
Security, defence, and development: an integrated review
In February of this year, the Prime Minister announced an integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. It would be the largest review of these areas since the end of the Cold War. At JPIT we welcomed such a wide-ranging brief. The opportunities offered by an integrated …
Joint Interfaith Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
6 August 2020 The following statement has been released by 189 organisations representing different faiths, on the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a wide coalition of faith-based communities from around the world, we have committed to speaking with one …
Peace and Pandemics
What could COVID-19 teach us about responding to the threat of nuclear weapons? How might Christians respond? It is widely acknowledged that COVID-19 has accentuated and laid bare many pre-existing issues within society, and has set a precedent for governments taking significant action when a …
Singing into a perfect storm
As leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, Rachel Lampard calls the Church to a new song of opposition against increased antisemitism. Friends of mine, who I didn’t even realise were Jewish, told me last year how worried they were about the antisemitism being stirred up in politics. Then an …
UN Security Council adopts the call for a global ceasefire
In April 2020, the JPIT partner Churches joined the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire to enable Governments to respond to the threat of Coronavirus, along with many civil society groups and over 70 nations. On 1st July, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution …