Peace Force International (PFI)

PFI will revolutionize peacekeeping and fight genocide by recruiting, training, and equipping volunteer peacekeepers for UN peacekeeping missions.

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UN peacekeeping missions have saved millions of lives by protecting civilians threatened by genocide. However, because the UN relies on countries to donate peacekeepers, and because countries rarely commit troops when it is not in their self-interest, missions are seldom fully staffed and often fail. At the same time, Americans deeply care about genocide but have no way to end to the violence. Peace Force International (PFI) would bridge the gap between the need for peacekeepers and the desire of civilians to get involved.

Modeled after successful organizations like Teach For America and the Peace Corps, PFI will recruit highly motivated and capable civilians, provide them with intensive boot camp training, and equip them to serve in UN peacekeeping missions. PFI peacekeepers will work alongside UN peacekeepers to provide life-saving protection to civilians in war-torn regions. The UN has previously accepted peacekeepers unaffiliated with countries armies, and has the authority to continue to do so.

PFI will consist of four components. First, PFI will use a rigorous recruitment model to identify and attract the most qualified applicants, mostly from college campuses. PFI will look for integrity, ethics, academic success, physical aptitude, and leadership experience.

Second, recruits will go through a thorough and strenuous boot camp, akin to military basic training, with additional training in ethics and nonviolent peacekeeping.

Third, recruits will be equipped with everything necessary to carry out a peacekeeping mission, and made available to the UN for deployment. PFI peacekeepers will operate under the command of the UN.

Finally, PFI will partner with graduate schools and employers to provide peacekeepers with expanded opportunities (much like Teach For America has done with its alumni). It will also help develop them into leaders that will take their experiences into their careers, making the issue of genocide one of national prominence.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Google
• Project
• 10^100
• 10
• to
• the
• 100
• Peace
• Force
• International
• PeaceForce
• Genocide
• Darfur
• Peacekeeping
• UN
• United
• Nations

[mossmatt]

OW MY EARS!

[shnutza]

Great idea - it's a shame it's so necessary. I would like to see this work in areas where wars and violence might not amount to genocide, and to help people through natural disasters and ongoing problems such as drought.