Warmonger, despot, brutality, warfare - all of these words are in the dictionary, and for good reason. It’s important to have the words to express the world around us, particularly those related to violent conflict, which is on the rise around the world.
But it’s also important to be able to talk about how we can build peace. And although ‘peacebuilding’ is a word used by the United Nations, the World Bank and by governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations and peacebuilders globally, “peacebuilding” is not in the dictionaries.
Together with peacebuilding organisations around the world, Conciliation Resources has joined a campaign to change this. We want to get the word ‘peacebuilding’ in to the Oxford English Dictionary, Harper Collins and Merriam Webster dictionaries.
We believe it is time to recognise the role and impact of peacebuilders who are working hard to prevent violence, and find creative paths to peace. We also think it’s vital that people have the language to understand the concept of peacebuilding.
Join the campaign!
If you’re on Twitter, tweet at the dictionaries to tell them you want to see peacebuilding included in their next edition. Just copy and paste the tweet below.
The world needs more peacebuilders! I support the campaign to add #peacebuilding to the dictionary and recognise the people working hard to build peace & end violence @OED @MerriamWebster @OxfordWords
What do we want the dictionaries to add?
Peacebuilding (also seen peace-building, peace building)
noun | /pēs bildiNG/ [pees bil-ding]
“A broad range of measures implemented in the context of emerging, current or post‐conflict situations and which are explicitly guided and motivated by a primary commitment to the prevention of violent conflict and the promotion of a lasting and sustainable peace.” – OECD2