The Metta Center for Nonviolence has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations. The UN plays a crucial role in creating a more peaceful world, and we work to bring the logic, history and yet-unexplored potential of nonviolence to the international forum and beyond. We believe that the fundamental mission of the United Nations can only be achieved through nonviolence.

Presentations at the UN 

Founder and President of the Metta Center Michael Nagler has delivered several presentations at the United Nations. They include: 

• Speaking about the role of media in building a peaceful world at the High-Level Forum for the Culture of Peace in 2015.
• Speaking at the event commemorating the International Day of Non-Violence in 2018, at the invitation of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN
• Joined the World Youth Conference on Kindness organized by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and other partners in August 2019 in Delhi, India.

Raising awareness of unarmed peacekeeping

Metta has been collaborating for several years with the international NGO, Nonviolent Peaceforce, in advancing unarmed civilian protection; a peacekeeping strategy that has shown to prevent, reduce and altogether stop violence in conflict zones.  

We have also been discussing with our partners the idea of establishing the observance of an International Day of Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) on April 17, the day in 2014 when two peacekeepers from Nonviolent Peaceforce were able to demonstrate the power of UCP in South Sudan. You can also learn more about the UN observances here, including International Day of Non-Violence on October 2.

Resources for UNITAR and Nonviolent Peaceforce

We created three short videos as a supplement for trainings in nonviolence, with an emphasis on the formation of peace teams and unarmed civilian intervention work.  These videos were originally prepared for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Nonviolent Peaceforce.

Promotion of nonviolence to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action and partnership by all countries recognizing that global issues such as poverty, inequality, conflicts, and climate change are all interconnected. 

We believe that Metta’s work of promoting nonviolence and a higher image of humankind – guided by our Roadmap – can contribute to advancing the SDGs, especially with the following goals: 

• Goal 4: Quality Education – and especially Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development 
• Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production – we can never be fulfilled by the consumption of external things, but by deep relationships of service to the sacred life within and around us
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – and especially Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

Supporting UNESCO’s work on education for nonviolence 

We heartily and widely promote the UNESCO Seville Statement on Violence and we promote and value the scientific among many approaches to raising the human image for example in the film, book, and board game that now make up the Third Harmony Project.