The Business Plan for Peace: Making Possible a World Without War

Many people feel powerless in the face of what they see in the news: a world in crisis, with wars and violence taking place across the globe. In her talk Dr Scilla Elworthy will offer a vibrant alternative through an introduction to her latest book, written for all who want to step out of helplessness and apply their personal skills to doing something about the challenges facing us.

Packing a punch with facts and figures, Dr Elworthy’s talk will explore the forces that drive armed conflict, and then by contrast show what is already effective in building peace at both local and international levels. Unveiling key elements of the research that underpins her new book, she will detail a first ever fully costed Business Plan for Peace.

Finally she will reveal the massive impact that ordinary people can have in making a peaceful world possible, and how they can do it.

Scilla Elworthy is a world-renowned, award-winning peace activist, speaker, author and pioneer who in 1982 founded the Oxford Research Group, a non-governmental organisation set up to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics, for which she was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. She served as its executive director from 1982 until 2003, and subsequently set up Peace Direct, a charity supporting local peace-builders in conflict areas. Among many other achievements Dr Elworthy is a member of the World Future Council, an advisor to The Elders, a co-founder of Rising Women Rising World and the author of numerous books including in 2014 “Pioneering the Possible – Awakened Leadership for a World that Works,” published by North Atlantic Books.

The event will be chaired by Dr Philip Webber, physicist, award-winning environmentalist and defence expert who has written widely on the risks of nuclear weapons. He holds a PhD from Imperial College London and has worked since the 1980s to promote the responsible use of science, design and technology, particularly with Scientists for Global Responsibility.

The lecture is jointly organised by Conway Hall and The Martin Ryle Trust, a registered charity that continues the work of Sir Martin Ryle (1918-1984) in promoting justice, peace and the constructive uses of science and technology. Ryle was a physicist, radio astronomer, engineer and passionate critic of injustice and militarism.

Proceeds from this event will be used to fund work that furthers these goals.

The event opens at 7:00 pm with a bar and light refreshments. Dr Elworthy’s talk will start at 7:45 pm.