The International Peace Bureau (IPB) held its 2016 World Congress in Berlin, Germany from September 30 through October 3. This year, the congress included a panel discussion on universal basic income.
The panelists — who were also the organizers of this IPB workshop — included Juana Perez and Angel Bravo from the Spanish organization Humanistas por la Renta Básica Universal (“Humanists for a Universal Basic Income”), and Diana Aman and Ralph Boes of the Bürgerinitiative bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen (BBG), a Berlin-based advocacy group which celebrated its 10th anniversary at the start of the month. (BBG, in collaboration with other pro-UBI German organizations, has been campaigning for the introduction of a basic income referendum in Germany.)
The panelists described ways in which the implementation of a basic income would contribute to peace — for instance, by reducing or eliminating violence and social unrest caused by poverty, and by overturning the “inhuman system” of present societies that presently abide by the “biblical curse that says ‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread'”.
Founded in 1891, the International Peace Bureau has a long and distinguished history of advocating for a world without war and facilitating communication between peace societies worldwide. The IPB was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910, and 13 of its officers have received the prize as individuals. At present, IPB has 300 member organizations in 70 countries.
The IPB’s main present focus, and the theme of its recent congress, is the reallocation of military expenditures by governments.
For details concerning the IPB panel on UBI, see:
Sasha Volkoff (October 6, 2016) “A workshop on the Universal Basic Income in Berlin“, Pressenza International Press Agency.
Reviewed by Genevieve Shanahan
Image: Doves at International Peace Day, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 United Nations Photo
