Each year, more than 2 billion dollars are spent on weapons worldwide

Since 1983, Fundipau has been working towards gathering more people to build a world that is free of violence and living in peace.

The organization promotes cultural and structural change to enable the eradication of violence as a form of relationship between individuals and peoples.

As the organization’s director Jordi Armadans explains, “A very important part has to do with raising awareness among citizens and that is why we organize many activities, courses with teaching materials and workshops on how to address conflicts and work towards a culture of peace”.

Armadans says that “first and foremost, we need a change in values, but this must also come with a change in policies and structures so they are more coherent for peace”.

5 key goals to foster peace

The president of Fundipau stands firm in saying that “peacebuilding is a task for everyone, citizens and states. There are many goals to reach, and they can be summarized in five”:

• Making large investments in preventing armed conflicts before they happen.
• Gaining awareness on human rights and placing them at the forefront so they are respected. These human rights also include political, cultural and social rights; and also promoting global justice. Armadans says that “the more human rights are grounded, the safer our world will be”.
• Working towards greater global governance and more global policies. “Some states have no interest in being accountable to a more global system, and this explains why it is necessary to reform the United Nations system to promote more global tasks” Armadans adds.
• Working for disarmament and demilitarization. “Today, two trillion dollars are spent on arms around the world. Arms trade is extremely active, and this makes peacebuilding very difficult”, Armadans explains.
• Working towards peacebuilding and a culture of no violence. The president of Fundipau highlights that “the culture of violence is far too deep-rooted; it must be replaced by a culture of peace through spreading knowledge and awareness raising among citizens so that citizens learn what the real situation around the world is like”.  “There are many tools to address violence, such as exhibitions, spaces for reflexion, social media, debates, workshops and a whole range of events to raise awareness among citizens, Armadans adds.

How you can collaborate with the foundation

There are several ways to collaborate with the association and its objectives. People who do tasks for the organization do so on a voluntary basis; from office work to organizing campaigns and volunteers for the activities. Anyone who would like to may become a member of the organization or make a donation.

Armadans adds as a reminder that “the challenge of peacebuilding in this world is a difficult one, but it is proven that when work is well done and continued in time, positive outcomes are achieved”.