We’re less than a month away from our annual global conference, #NoWar2024: Resisting the USA’s Military Empire, happening on September 20-22! I’m excited to announce the full conference schedule below. Come celebrate the International Day of Peace (September 21) with us by attending #NoWar2024, either online or in-person in one of our 4 conference locations: Washington, DC; Sydney, Australia; Bogotá, Colombia; and Wanfried, Germany. Our annual conference attracts participants from all over the world to learn, network, and strategize together towards the abolition of war.

All sessions will be livestreamed on Zoom with in-person events in Sydney, Australia; Wanfried, Germany; Bogotá, Colombia; and Washington, DC, USA.

September 20 7:00pm-11:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) /<br>September 21 9:00am-1:00pm Sydney Local Time

Acknowledgement of Country: Pastor Ray Minniecon, Kabi Kabi and Gureng Gureng Elder
Introduction: Alison Broinowski, WBW Board Member and former diplomat

Session 1: The Problem

• Karina Lester, Indigenous anti-nuclear activist and ICAN Ambassador
• Peter Cronau, journalist and author of The Base: Australia’s secret role in America’s global wars
• Bob Carr, former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
• Dr Sue Wareham, President, Medical Association for the Prevention of War
• Moderator: Dr Keith Suter, global futurist and commentator on international affairs

Session 2: The Solution

• Lilli Barto, campaigner for Wage Peace
• Amy McQuire, Darumbal and South Sea Islander journalist
• Natalie Wasley, anti-nuclear activist
• Dr Albert Palazzo, strategic military policy thinker and formerly the long-serving Director of War Studies for the Australian Army
• Moderator: Melanie Morrison, Director at the Sydney Peace Foundation

September 21 @ 8:00am-12:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) /
2:00pm-6:00pm Germany Local Time

Welcome: Wolfgang Lieberknecht, World BEYOND War Wanfried Chapter Co-Coordinator and Co-Founder of the International Peace Factory Wanfried
Performance by Black+White and short video of “Overcoming borders by cultural cooperation” between Germany and Russia

Session 1: U.S. and NATO Imperialism across Europe

• Glenn Diesen, Norwegian academic and political scientist
• Karl Heinz Peil, campaigner with Stopp Air Base Ramstein and creator of Visualbases.org
• Heike Hänsel, former member of the German Bundestag
• Florina Tufescu and Maria Cernat, World BEYOND War Romania Chapter Co-Coordinators
• Moderator: Wolfgang Lieberknecht, World BEYOND War Wanfried Chapter Co-Coordinator and Co-Founder of the International Peace Factory Wanfried

Session 2: Nonviolent Resistance to Stop Bases in Europe

• Jan Tamas of the No to Bases Initiative that successfully blocked a U.S. military base in the Czech Republic
• Persida Jovanovic and Milan Sekulovic of the Save Sinjajevina campaign that successfully blocked a NATO military training ground in the beautiful mountain pastures of Montenegro
• Bernhard Trautvetter, who will speak about ongoing movements in Germany to close the Ramstein and Büchel bases
• Reiner Braun, former Executive Director of the International Peace Bureau, who will speak about upcoming opportunities to take action in Germany

September 21 @ 3:00pm-7:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) / 
2:00pm-6:00pm Bogotá Local Time

Welcome: Gabriel Aguirre, World BEYOND War’s Latin America Organizer
Performance by Bogotan artist La Tata Mendoza

Session 1: The Problem of Militarization in Latin America 

• Diana Salcedo López, president of LIMPAL, the Colombia section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
• Alejandra Rodríguez Peña, member of the Olga Castillo Collective, an organization that works for justice and reparations for victims of sexual violence by U.S. military personnel in Colombia
• Laura Benítez, a marine biologist and activist opposing the construction of a U.S. base on Gorgona Island in Colombia
• Paola Renata Gallo Pelaez, Co-President of Mopassol, a movement opposing the construction of a U.S. military base in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
• Victor Gaute, Vice President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples
• Moderator: Alejandro Parra Macías, founding member of the Collective Action of Conscientious Objectors ACOOC

Session 2: Nonviolent Resistance to Close Bases in Latin America: Three Case Studies 

• Myrna Pagán, founder of Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust and Vidas Viequenses Valen
• Edgar Jay Stephens, leader of the Providencia Fishermen’s Cooperative
• Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense of Ecuador during the government of Rafael Correa
• Moderator: Alicia Cabezudo, General Coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean of the Global Alliance for Missions & Infrastructures for Peace-GAMIP

September 22 @ 1:00pm-5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) / Washington DC Local Time

Welcome: John Reuwer, WBW board member
Spoken word poetry by Marjan Naderi, an Afghan-American poet and performer, and the former D.C. Youth Poet Laureate (2020)

Session 1: Mapping Out the Empire: Socioeconomic Costs of Bases

• David Swanson, World BEYOND War’s Co-Founder and Executive Director
• Dr. Cynthia Enloe, author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases
• Khury Petersen-Smith, the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at Institute for Policy Studies
• Moderator: Jessica Sun, a member of the Leadership Team for the Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus

Session 2: Toxic Impacts of Empire: Linking Environmental Justice & Anti-War Movements

• Kazuyuki “Kaz” Nakazato, Director of the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) Washington D.C. Office
• Jared Hayes, Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s Senior Policy Analyst
• Moderator: Pat Elder, Director of Military Poisons

Closing Remarks: Kathy Kelly, World BEYOND War Board President

Hope to see you at #NoWar2024 this September 20-22,

Greta Zarro
Organizing Director
World BEYOND War
[email protected]

P.S. Have you seen our conference trailer video? Watch it on Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Tiktok.