Below are initial statements and responses to the U.S. attack on Venezuela by UFPJ member groups, reflecting a variety of perspectives. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will follow up as appropriate.

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): The U.S. attack on Venezuela comes as the Trump administration revitalizes a long history of U.S. violence and imperialism against nations and people in Latin America. READ MORE.

Black Alliance for Peace: For those in North America, we echo the calls [of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela] to mobilize and coordinate resistance against this violence and subversion from within the empire. READ MORE.

Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security (CPDCS): We also need to understand that this war for Venezuelan oil – the world’s largest known reserves – is not only about profits for Trump and his fossil fuel cronies, but it is a critical factor in the drive for regime change in Cuba. Venezuelan oil has been a critical lifeline for long embargoed Havana. READ MORE.

Coalition for Peace Action (New Jersey): President Trump just attacked Venezuela and kidnapped its president and his wife, saying the U.S. will now “run” the country. This is an act of war and an enormous violation of both international and domestic law. READ MORE

CODEPINK: This act of aggression is a continuation of U.S. attempts to seize and plunder Venezuela’s natural resources and undermine Venezuela’s sovereignty as well as the sovereignty of other countries in Latin America. This war also does not reflect the will of the people. Nearly 70% of Americans oppose another war and reject the endless cycle of military interventions carried out in their name. READ MORE and FIND INFO about Emergency Actions.

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL): This is a deeply immoral and unjust escalation of President Trump’s campaign of violence against Venezuela. It is an unauthorized act of war in violation of both domestic and international law. READ MORE.

Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA): This administration is unusually blatant. The president openly says the United States is simply going to “run Venezuela,” as if that approach has not already failed catastrophically. It failed in Afghanistan and Iraq. It fails in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. It fails under presidents of both parties. READ MORE.

Pax Christi: We will continue to uphold the principle of the self-determination of peoples and stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the respect for their human rights, including the right to a dignified life for the community now in the diaspora. READ MORE.

Syracuse Peace Council: We cannot sit back and watch another war being started with propaganda and lies. We must rally in dissent of the aggression by the Trump administration. We must be in solidarity with Venezuelans who did not ask for U.S. military aggression. READ MORE.

Veterans for Peace (VFP): In flagrant violation of International Law, the U.S. bombed civilian and military areas of the city of Caracas, the capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira in the early morning of Saturday January 3rd. Striking under the cover of darkness to maximize terror and psychological impact, the assault [killed] at least 80 people, including civilians, and destroyed vital Venezuelan infrastructure. READ MORE. ADD YOUR ORGANIZATION to VFP’s Statement “Stop the War on Venezuela! Defend Venezuela’s Sovereignty and Right To Resist!”

Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF): “Creating Zones of Lawlessness: Trump, Venezuela, and the Piecemeal Construction of an Authoritarian State” (December 4, 2025) An in-depth legal analysis of the Trump administration’s military actions in the Caribbean and threats to use armed force against Venezuela in the run-up to the January 2026 attack. READ MORE.

World Beyond War: Trump has now bombed Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and claimed that he would run the country. This is utter destruction of any rule of law. READ MORE.

United for Peace and Justice was formed in 2002 by hundreds of peace and justice organizations to coordinate opposition to the impending U.S. war on Iraq. We have continued to organize dissent to war and injustice under five successive administrations, standing against policies that inflict suffering abroad and impoverish communities at home.

UFPJ  works as a network, connecting our member organizations to establish common ground and identify opportunities for effective coalition work. Let us know what your group is doing!

In solidarity,
The UFPJ Coordinating Committee

The post UFPJ Groups Condemn U.S. Attack on Venezuela appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

As recognized in the 1945 Constitution of UNESCO, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” In 1955, Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russel declared, “We appeal, as human beings, to human beings: Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.” It is incumbent on each of us to contribute in some way to the construction of the defenses of peace. Here are some opportunities for engagement and education in the coming weeks. 

Organizational sign-on opportunity through August 1: Sign your group onto the “HumanRaceNotArmsRace” statement from Civil Society organizations here. “We must demand disarmament, prevent further proliferation, and ensure today’s conflicts do not become tomorrow’s nuclear catastrophe.”

Find an event near you: Physicians for Social Responsibility compiles an annual list of Hiroshima-Nagasaki commemorations. Click here to find your community and attend an event to commemorate 80 years since these immoral nuclear weapons were used in war. Click here to submit a local event to be included in the calendar and map.

Fold a paper crane for peace: Fold a paper crane and join in the annual #CranesforOurFuture campaign between August 6 – 9. #CranesForOurFuture is a joint project of the Hiroshima Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Nuclear Threat Initiative, and Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace.

Back from the Brink is mobilizing around two flagship congressional resolutions this August as we mark the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 80 years ago:

H.Res.317 – Urging the United States to lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race

S.Res.323 – Urging the United States to lead a global effort to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race

These congressional resolutions are the current focus of Back From the Brink’s national campaign along with continuing efforts to secure adoption of local resolutions — and they will be at the heart of commemorations organized by Back from the Brink hubs across the country.

Here are one-click tools to make it easy to act and share:

Support H.Res. 317

Support S.Res. 323

Educational Materials to Read, Watch, and Share

Nobel Laureate Assembly Declaration for the Prevention of Nuclear War – July 16, 2025; 100 Nobel Laureate signatories to date. “We ask that [global leaders] each be guided by the words of Nobel Laureates Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein: “We appeal as human beings to human beings: remember your humanity, and forget the rest.” Our survival and the survival of future generations are at stake.”

A new nuclear arms race, by Lawrence Wittner, posted on July 13, 2025, by beyondnuclearinternational

U.S. Mayors Renew Their Call for the U.S. to Lead the World Back From the Nuclear Brink, by Jacqueline Cabasso, published July 1, 2025, by Inter Press New Service Agency

Video: Why Should You Care? Nagasaki Mr. Taniguchi, by Shizumi Manale, 2017. Powerful personal testimony of Nagasaki A-bomb survivor, Sumiteru Taniguchi, recorded the year he died. According to the filmmaker, “This documentary captures the devastating reality of war—scenes so painful, they may make you want to look away. Some moments may be difficult to watch, leaving a lasting impression on both your eyes and your heart. And yet—We believe that true peace can only begin with knowing. That is why we created this film.”

 Social media: For those who want to participate in the shared hashtag campaign #HumanRaceNotArmsRace please use that hashtag in public/ social media promotions.

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There is a robust civil society presence on the margins of the NPT meetings. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a brief period of optimism about the possibility of nuclear disarmament. The Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons was founded during the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, with the launch of an appeal to the NPT States Parties calling on them to commence negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention (treaty) and to undertake a number of other measures to end the nuclear arms race, prevent nuclear war, and support the global elimination of nuclear weapons.

The Abolition 2000 Network is open to individuals and organizations to join. By the year 2000, over 2000 organizations had joined.

A lot has changed since 1995, but Abolition 2000 is still here and will be celebrating its 30th anniversary during the 2025 NPT PrepCom.

Abolition 2000 Live from the NPT Prep Com (virtual). On Wednesday, April 30, from 1:30 – 2:15 pm EDT, Abolition 2000 presenters, speaking from the United Nations, will give a short update on the deliberations – the good, the bad and the ugly – plus the main civil society proposals that are gaining traction at the PrepCom. As this will be on Zoom, the audience will be able to ask questions through the question box and chat box. Register here.

On Tuesday, May 6, Abolition 2000 be holding an interactive side event, Abolition 2000: On our 30th Anniversary, Past Lessons; New Realities, from 3:30 – 5:30 pm in Conference Room A of the UN. If you’re attending the PrepCom, please join us and share your reflections.

Abolition 2000 30th Anniversary Celebration: Lighting the Way to Peace! To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Abolition 2000 is planning a joyful, intergenerational anniversary celebration in New York on May 7 – coinciding with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s “Ode to Peace.” Plans are in motion for a musical performance and community gathering at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, across the street from the UN. This event will honor the longevity of our movement and engage local allies, musicians, and friends. It will feature 2000 LED tea candles (flameless) arranged in the shape of the international peace symbol. Please join us if you’re in NYC!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! If you can help with set up, we’ll be meeting at 4:00 pm to lay out the tea candles. Contact Jackie Cabasso at wslf(at)earthlink.net

If you can’t join in person, look for #2000Candles and #4NuclearFreeFuture in your social media.

2000 Candles for Abolition Social Media Campaign. With renewed leadership and growing momentum, Youth Fusion, the youth network of Abolition 2000, is launching a global social media campaign: 2000 Candles for Abolition, a call to remembrance and resistance for Abolition 2000’s 30th anniversary. Please join!

“Every flame we light is a step toward a world where no generation must fear the horror of nuclear weapons.”

How to Participate

Take a selfie holding a candle

1. Post on social media
2. Use the hashtag #youthFusionForNoNukes
3. Share your reflections: what concerns you most about nuclear weapons? What in the world do you love enough to protect from destruction?

Join: youth-fusion.org/join

Subscribe: youth-fusion.org/newsletter

Hashtag: #YouthFusionForNoNukes

United for Peace & Justice is proud to be an affiliated network with Abolition 2000.

The post Abolition 2000 – Live From the NPT PrepCom appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

February 18, 2025, late at night, a group of seven peace activists gathered at the front gate of Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara county California. They were there both to protest against the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) armed with a dummy nuclear warhead and also to celebrate the lives of Daniel Ellsberg, David Krieger and Fr. Louie Vitale. Dan, David and Louie were all arrested 13 years ago in February of 2012 protesting an ICBM test launch, along with 12 other people. That witness was so powerful that since that date the base has NOT published the ICBM test launch dates, giving only a three-day advance notice.

The men and women in the glare of the lights at the front gate celebrated life and peace. As the missile of death blasted across the ocean we celebrated life. Friends of Dan, David and Louie gathered online in the middle of the night to remember them and to support the protesters who were at the front gate at midnight. We read poetry and told stories and created a field of love and peace to counteract the death machine, until the horrible missile blasted off at 1 am. The protesters included Elizabeth Murray of the Pacific Life Community, Leah Yananton, an artist from Los Angeles, and five others.

Test launches damage human communities and ecosystems. The Marshall Islands, already forced to bear the overwhelming environmental costs of U.S. nuclear weapons testing, are still used as a target area for the ICBM tests.

ICBMs have been sold to Congress and the public as a guarantor of security. In reality, they are an imminent threat to public safety. In the words of the late Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Doomsday Machine, these weapons make “any conflict enormously more dangerous than it has to be” by increasing “the danger that any armed conflict between major nuclear states can escalate to all-out war.” ICBMs are on hair-trigger alert and, once launched, cannot be recalled, virtually guaranteeing a retaliatory strike on the country that launches them. As long as ICBMs exist, we live with the constant risk that misinterpreted intelligence, human error, or a single rash decision could end civilization as we know it within an hour.

Maintaining these weapons is a huge waste of resources. The U.S. has committed to spending hundreds of billions of dollars to “modernize” its ICBM force, which in practice means replacing the entire system. The ICBM program is now an astonishing 81% over budget. We must stop this madness.

Tensions among nuclear-armed states are high. The U.S. military paused a test when Russia invaded Ukraine and once again when Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. These provocative tests should be stopped in the interest of peace.

The Defuse Nuclear War coalition condemns these launches in the strongest possible terms as a wasteful, dangerous step backward for peace. The continued existence of ICBMs is a profound threat to the life and security of every single person in the United States and around the world. Click here to tell Congress to put an end to such tests and such weapons.
If you want to be notified of the next launch and protest please sign up at the Defuse Nuclear War ICBM alert list.

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UFPJ encourages groups around the country to organize public participatory readings of the speech this April 4 to build momentum for the Poor People’s Campaign Third Reconstruction Agenda to Heal the Nation: End Poverty and Low Wages From the Bottom Up. We have prepared a toolkit which provides everything you need to organize your own reading – in English or in Spanish. This year’s updated introduction makes reference to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine and the Israel – Hamas war in Gaza. You can organize a reading in person or online.

Please let us know if you’re planning a reading!

When Dr. King gave this speech, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War. The country was in turmoil as peace activists resisted the draft, and anti-war and civil rights protesters took to the streets. King’s speech laid bare the relationship between U.S. wars abroad and the racism and poverty being challenged by the civil rights movement at home. And it was controversial in some parts of the civil rights movement.

In this powerful speech Dr, King provides both a diagnosis and a cure that remain fully relevant today. “I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values…. we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up Dr. King’s unfinished work weaving the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, environmental devastation, militarism and the war economy and a distorted moral narrative of Christian nationalism that blames people for their own poverty and claims there’s “not enough,” into one “moral fusion” campaign.

Listen to an audio recording of Dr. King delivering “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” on April 4, 1967.

United for Peace & Justice is proud to be a national mobilizing partner with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

The post This April 4: Organize a Public Reading of Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam: Speech in Your Community appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

The Kansas City Nuclear Bomb Plant, officially named the Kansas City Security Campus, is of vital importance in the making of nuclear weapons.   This facility is an integral part of the manufacturing chain, producing and procuring over 85% of the non-nuclear parts for US nuclear weapons.  Without these parts, nuclear weapons production would cease.

“The US has embarked on the largest and most expensive nuclear build-out ever,” according to an article in the December Scientific American.   In its deadly pursuit of the most dangerous weapons on earth, the U.S. Government will double the size of this already massive bomb plant beginning in 2024.  With little public notice, the land has been purchased, zoning granted and earth movers are preparing the land for building.  Expansion includes 2.5 million square feet of new office, manufacturing and support space as well as adding an additional 1,000 employees to its current 7,800 employees.  So much time, energy and trillions of taxpayer dollars  invested to kill and destroy life.

The U.S. Government possesses an overflow of nuclear weapons capable of destroying life on earth many times over.  There are nine nuclear armed nations, many of whom have already threatened the use of nuclear weapons during conflicts.  Due to human error and misunderstandings, the United States & Russia, along with others, have experienced numerous nuclear close calls.   We are tempting fate.   One of these days “luck” won’t be on our side.

The entire nuclear production system has contaminated, sickened and killed untold numbers of U.S. citizens – men, women, children and babies. The same has happened all over the world, which has led to the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

This madness must stop.

Instead of paying people to produce/procure parts that build killer bombs, let these same employees use their knowledge and expertise to reduce global warming.  The plant should transition to green energy solutions providing employees with good paying jobs that build a sustainable, more liveable society.   Warheads to Windmills has an informative website addressing the climate catastrophe and nuclear war, the two existential threats facing the world.

WE MUST RESIST.  Plan to attend the Catholic Workers Resist Nuclear Weapons events April 12-15 here in Kansas City.  For those who can attend, April 12-14 are set aside for planning, nonviolence training as well as fellowship.  It will conclude on Monday, April 15 with a Day of Action at the plant, alongside PeaceWorks KC, a local affiliate of Peace Action, numerous non-profits, and the people of KC.  Details are being finalized and will be posted at www.peaceworkskc.org  In the meantime, write a Letter to the Editor, contact your elected officials, and let them know you want your taxpayer dollars spent on improving the living conditions in the U.S. instead of the evil of nuclear weapons.

For further information on the plant’s expansion read the recent Kansas City Business Journal article here.

The post Kansas City, MO: Critical Node of the New Arms Race – RESIST appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

Ceasefire & Diplomacy Now! CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE.

The post Demand an Immediate Ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza War appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

UFPJ encourages groups around the country to organize public participatory readings of the speech this April 4 to build momentum for the Poor People’s Campaign Third Reconstruction Agenda to Heal the Nation: End Poverty and Low Wages From the Bottom Up. We have prepared a toolkit which provides everything you need to organize your own reading – in English or in Spanish. You can organize a reading in person or online.

Please let us know if you’re planning a reading!

When Dr. King gave this speech, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War. The country was in turmoil as peace activists resisted the draft, and anti-war and civil rights protesters took to the streets. King’s speech laid bare the relationship between U.S. wars abroad and the racism and poverty being challenged by the civil rights movement at home. And it was controversial in some parts of the civil rights movement.

In this powerful speech Dr, King provides both a diagnosis and a cure that remain fully relevant today. “I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values…. we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up Dr. King’s unfinished work weaving the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, environmental devastation, militarism and the war economy and a distorted moral narrative of Christian nationalism, into one “moral fusion” campaign.

Listen to an audio recording of Dr. King delivering “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” on April 4, 1967.

United for Peace & Justice is proud to be a national mobilizing partner with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

The post This April 4: Organize a Public Reading of Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam: Speech in Your Community appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

The post If Biden Doesn’t Close Guantánamo, What President Will? Take Action Today! appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

On September 19, The PPC launched a 50-day national voter outreach program to ensure that the poor and low-income voters are a deciding factor in the upcoming midterm elections. In 2020, the PPC reached over 2 million poor and low-income voters before the general election. Their study of the post-election data showed that an intentional effort to engage low-income voters around an agenda that addresses their critical needs has the potential to shift the nation’s policy priorities. This season the PPC aims to reach 5 million poor and low-wealth, low-propensity voters across 15 strategic priority states. With living wages, healthcare, voting rights and other issues critical to poor and low-wealth people on the ballot, this year’s elections are more crucial than ever. If we ever needed to vote for democracy & justice, we sure do need to vote now!

On September 22, a diverse group of faith leaders, whose various traditions make up millions of congregants across the country, joined Poor People’s Campaign national co-chairs Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis for an urgent Congressional briefing to implore our elected representatives to act before the midterm elections on living wages and voting rights, and to fight for the reinstatement and expansion of policies that research shows can immediately lift millions of families out of poverty. Watch the recording.

Throughout the next 50 days, thousands of PPC volunteers from across the country will be making phone calls, sending texts, knocking on doors, and canvassing neighborhoods making sure that poor and low-income people both have the tools they need to register to vote & have a voting plan.

United for Peace & Justice is proud to be a national mobilizing partner with the PPC. We urge you to get involved and actively participate in the voter outreach campaign! Sign up and join your state campaign here

The post Poor People’s Campaign: If we ever needed to vote for democracy and justice, we sure do need to vote now! appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.