PBI-Canada one of 16 PBI "country groups", works to support PBI's 5 international projects (Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico and Nepal). The work of PBI-Canada is supported by 2 staff members, a board of directors and various in Canada volunteers.

Mandate

PBI deploys teams of trained volunteers into the field to assist local human rights defenders (HRDs) in opening greater political space for non-violent activities in favour of peace and human rights. Our signature and primary strategy for pursuing this mandate is the provision of international presence and protective accompaniment (PA).

Through PA, volunteers physically accompany local civil society activists at risk, deterring potential threats and encouraging increased efforts for the promotion of peaceful solutions to armed conflict and for the respect of human rights.

PBI’s operating principles include that of non-violence, non-partisanship, and non-interference.

By offering a field-based presence, PBI fulfills a unique niche that is a logical complement to the more traditional external pressure offered by the international human rights movement. Amnesty International has recognised the necessity of such a presence, for instance, when it has frequently encouraged us to protect people it advocates for from the outside.

There is a broad recognition amongst UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that the traditional tools of documentation and lobbying have provided insufficient protection in many circumstances, and that direct field presence is necessary to quickly activate an international support network in case of a pressing threat, acting as a deterrent against potential abuses.

Our presence in the field, indeed, physically and symbolically sends the message that the international community will not accept human rights violations or abuses.

How does it Work?

On invitation, PBI sends teams of volunteers into areas of political repression and conflict. The concrete tasks of a PBI team going into a conflict area depend on the situation and are developed according to the specific needs of the project to be undertaken. PBI's work includes:

• Accompanying those whose lives are threatened.
• Providing international, non-partisan observers in situations of conflict and crisis.
• Reporting on our work to the international community.
• Fostering reconciliation and dialogue among conflicting parties.
• Learning from the people we work with.
• Offering education and training in nonviolence.

PBI-Canada Activities

PBI-Canada is a registered charity in Canada with a mandate of supporting PBI's international work. This support takes a variety of forms:

• Emergency Response Network ERN. PBI-Canada activates and maintains a ERN in Canada. Learn more about PBI's GRN.
• Volunteer Recruitment and Support. Individuals from Canada who are interested in volunteering with on of PBI's filed projects (Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, Guatemala, Nepal) should contact PBI-Canada for information on the application process (individuals from other countries who are interested in applying should contact the relevant PBI Country Group or PBI's international head office).
• Newsletters. We strive to print a PBI-Canada Newsletter "Presence" twice a year. Presence seeks to update our Canadian supporters of the activities of the field projects, events and activities happening in Canada.
• PBI-Canada also has an E-Newsletter list. Through this list we send out PBI-Canada updates and electronic versions of the newsletters written by the field projects. This is a fairly low volume list, with about 1 mailing every 2 or so months. To subscribe to the newsletter, please contact us with a request to be added to our newsletter list.
• Public Events. PBI-Canada organises various events throughout the year to education about the work of PBI and the human rights issues present in the countries where we have our field projects. These events include presentations from returned Canadian volunteers, educational forums with human rights defenders from our project countries, information sessions about PBI-Canada and the broader work of PBI, and co-sponsored events with other groups in Canada who work within the context of peace, social justice, human rights. Benefit concerts have been organized in Toronto in past years, the most recent one in March 2005, hosted by the Common Thread Community Chorus of Toronto. These events are one of our most important ways of sharing the things we learn and reaching out to new members. Interested in having a volunteer talk to your group, or helping organize an event? Contact us
• Fund raising and Grant-writing. We PBI-Canada's work is supported by the Peacefund Canada Foundation. The Foundation works to raise funds for PBI's work from individual Canadians. PBI-Canada works to raise funds for PBI's Field Projects through foundations, religious groups, unions, and other groups and organisations. PBI-Canada relies largely on individual donations for our operations.
• Networking. PBI-Canada participates in, or are observers to, conferences and other coordination spaces on peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding in the international community.
• Delegations. Members of PBI-Canada have been involved in the organization of delegations to Colombia and Guatemala in past years. The most recent delegation was to Guatemala in July 2006.
• Sales. PBI-Canada sells a variety of merchandise, books t-shirts, pins. An on-line catalogue will soon be available.

Structure

PBI-Canada has a volunteer Board that endeavors to 'face to face' twice a year and holds teleconference meetings in between. The work of the Board is to set policy for the work of PBI-Canada as a Canadian non-governmental organisation. The work of PBI-Canada is supported by 2 staff and a variety of office volunteers and supporters around the country.

PBI-Canada's Board of Directors

The Board acts as a policy setting body for PBI-Canada and also fulfills the role of 'employer'to the staff. In keeping with the principles of PBI, the Board strives to use a non-hierarchical model of organizing and consensus-based decision-making, which emphasizes relationships and process and not just outcomes.

PBI-Canada strives to maintain a Board with geographical, sex, age and racial diversity.