The Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2025 (DoP 2025. HR 1111)
was introduced in Congress on February 7, 2025.
For many years we have joined together to realize – as stated in the Earth Charter and DoP 2025 – “a global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.” DoP 2025 builds upon peacebuilding bills that were introduced between 2001 – 2023 by former Representatives Dennis Kucinich (OH) and Barbara Lee (CA).
DoP 2025 Sponsor Ilhan Omar (MN-5) said, “Peacebuilding helps to address the root causes of violence, implement broad measures to stabilize our society and others around the world, and prevent violent conflict to create a sustainable, peaceful world…
“Violence is not only destroying lives, but it is draining our resources. Every dollar we invest in peacebuilding saves countless more by reducing crime, conflict, and instability. My hope is that our future generations inherit a world that values peace more than we have valued war.”
We thank Congresswoman Omar for sponsoring this bill and we thank the cosponsors of this bill. We also thank DoP advocates for working to ensure this bill was introduced. For more information see this link.
Monthly Campaign Calls:
Third Wednesdays, 5pm PT/6pm MT/7pm CT/8pm ET – See Quick Reference Page with zoom information, links to 2024 calls and related documents/links and information.
Video recording for February 19, 2025 call with guest speaker, David Wick, on The Many Faces of the Culture of Peace and Badass Peacebuilding. Also see Social Change 2.0 book excerpt referred to in call and the slides.
- Ongoing Yearly Initiatives:
- Season for Nonviolence
- Peace wants a Piece of the Pie – Mother’s Day Campaign
- Fall Advocacy Days (Via Zoom) – Sept 16-20, 2024 (and beyond) – Contact [email protected] to participate.
- Holidays 4 Peace
“Spread the word” resources
- Invite friends and family to join the Third Wednesday DoP Campaign Monthly Calls; see Quick Reference Page with 2024 call subjects/guests with recording links and other special programs/trainings
- Social Media Toolkit
- Download Press Release to send to local press agencies
- Download this Press Release to share your story with the Department of Peacebuilding bill
- Also see additional resources below
To advocate for a Department of Peacebuilding, First, you can…
Sign the DOP petition for 1,111,000 signatures for Peace
Then you can…
Send a Press Release to local press agencies about the bill
Next you can…
Email and Tweet your Reps to ask to co-sponsor
Next you can…
Endorse the Department of Peacebuilding as an individual, organization, or both
Finally you can…
Schedule a virtual meeting with your member of congress. Email [email protected] to learn more.
To learn more about being the change you wish to see in the world …
- Add your name to Department of Peacebuilding supporters in the Peace Alliance database by signing up here.
- Devote 5 minutes, as often as you like/can, to listen to a meditation designed to facilitate the manifestation of a DoP, created as a gift from Tez and Tami from Pathways to Peace to us and to the world.
- Review the material on this webpage and offer feedback to us by emailing [email protected].
- Search for training sessions and local organizations that are working to reduce violence and build peace and support them with your time or other resources.
Thank you to Peace Alliance Department of Peacebuilding committee members Laura Brown and DJ Chandler for writing this beautiful article for Kosmos Journal about blessed community with a cause. Read Here
- Sustained goodwill creates friendship.
- Sustained friendship creates trust.
- Sustained trust creates empathy.
- Sustained empathy creates compassion.
- Sustained compassion creates peace.
–Azim Khamisa
What you can do TODAY:
- Help us add co-sponsors to the Department of Peacebuilding legislation by taking this ONE-CLICK action.
- Join our monthly Department of Peacebuilding Campaign calls on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. CLICK HERE to join the zoom call at the assigned time or call-in information is 1-929-436-2866 or 1-669-900-6833, meeting ID 464 735 321.
- Email [email protected] for more info and to receive monthly email updates and reminders the week before each call or for general inquiries about the campaign — better yet, let her know you’re ready to get to work for more peacebuilding and one of us will speak with you more.
- Participate in our initiatives and actions, including: 1) Season for Nonviolence; 2) Mother’s Day “Peace-Wants-A-Piece-of-the-Federal-Budget-Pie” meetings with members of Congress; 3) Annual Department of Peacebuilding Advocacy Days in Washington, DC; 4) Follow-up to Advocacy Days; and 5) Holidays 4 Peace.
- Help us gain additional organization and prominent individual endorsements of the Department of Peacebuilding legislation. Contact [email protected] for more information.
- Help us add to our list of city, county and tribal entity endorsers of the Department of Peacebuilding and connect on other city-related peacebuilding efforts. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Take Action! Tell Congress to get behind H.R. 1111, legislation to establish a U.S. Dept. of Peacebuilding. If you call, email or otherwise contact your representative in support of a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding, please record your action!
Thank you to all who participated in Connecting with Congress. We have additional co-sponsors as a direct result of
Advocacy Days Zoom meetings.
Additional Resources
- Dept. of Peacebuilding Overview
- Key Highlights
- DoP: Part of America’s DNA
- What To Say To Congress – Why Support DOP?
- NVC training: Speaking Truth with Care for effective/connecting meetings recording here
- Crossing Divides Through Connection – Building Bridges: Navigating Difficult Conversations with Compassion and Understanding, a (90 minute) Workshop with Jo Berry (9/7/24) recording here
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Read the Full Dept. of Peacebuilding Bill
- Link to Current Co-Sponsors of H.R. 1111
- Talking Points
- City Council Endorsements
- Individual & Organizational Endorsements
- Endorsement Form- if you or your org wants to endorse
- Printable Postcards for Congress
- Why a Dept. of Peacebuilding Matters Case Statement
- Is Peace a Human Right?
- Send this Pie to Congress
- Peace Alliance Podcast
- Watch the Peacebuilder Series
- DOP 2022 Report
The Peace Alliance has championed efforts to support the adoption of legislation to establish a cabinet-level US Department of Peacebuilding in our federal government.
Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2023 was INTRODUCED by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) on February 21, 2023!
Systemic racism is a significant driver of violence and a key obstacle to peace in the United States.
– Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2023
This historic and transformative legislation calls for a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding to make peace a much-needed national and ongoing focus. It addresses the interconnection of all life and the intersectionality of peace, justice, equality, planetary survival and other aspects of life.
The Department of Peacebuilding Act and this grassroots campaign is about creating a nonviolent and Beloved Community.
To learn more about this legislation, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Other One-Step Legislative Action Opportunities – See the Legislative Priorities Page
Other Two-Step Legislative Action Opportunities
Take a two-step action to call and write your member of Congress.
Call the DC office of your Congressperson, ask for the email address of the Legislative Director.
- Find your Representative
- Call that Representative- Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121
A Department of Peacebuilding will work to:
- Provide much-needed assistance to efforts by city, county, and state governments in coordinating existing programs; as well as develop new programs based on best practices nationally
- Teach violence prevention and mediation to America’s school children
- Effectively treat and dismantle gang psychology
- Rehabilitate the prison population
- Build peace-making efforts among conflicting cultures both here and abroad
- Support our military with complementary approaches to peacebuilding.
- Create and administer a U.S. Peace Academy, acting as a sister organization to the U.S. Military Academy.
- And more …
Historical Perspective
There is a bill before the U.S. House of Representatives to establish a Department of Peacebuilding. This historic measure will augment our current problem-solving options, providing practical, nonviolent solutions to the problems of domestic and international conflict. The legislation will pass from bill to law under one condition: that a wave of citizen interest rises up from the American people and makes itself heard in the halls of Congress. During the 20th century, over 100 million people lost their lives to war, most of whom were non-combatants. Now, in the 21st century, the extent and current speed of nuclear proliferation makes the achievement of nonviolent alternatives to war the most urgent need of the human race.
Watch Dot Maver’s speech to congress for a Department of Peacebuilding and
Support for the Department of Peacebuilding Bill H.R. 1111 below
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work for it.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt.
Like the Department of Peacebuilding on Facebook!
Archived Event Links
The Building Bridges, Not Walls – A Day of Inspirational Speakers – “Peace In” segments from Sunday, September 20, 2020, are on our YouTube Channel here. Speaker bios are here.
The United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, offered in Segment #3, is here.