Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Frieden

The Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Frieden e.V. (AGDF) is a German umbrella and professional association (Dach- und Fachverband) of organizations and institutions engaged in peace work at home and abroad. According to its official website, it brings together 32 member organizations, while its German Wikipedia entry describes 34 member institutions. Its peace services are open to all people. The AGDF sees itself as a network that initiates and advances peace-oriented action through strengthened cooperation, rooted in the traditions of voluntary services (work camps, reconciliation work), resistance against National Socialism, the historic peace churches, democratic and nonviolent human rights movements, and ecumenical partnerships. The AGDF was founded in 1968 on the initiative of (Johann-)Wolfgang von Eichborn, who chaired it until 1977. It began with nine organizations and was a response to deepened peace-policy discussion and the challenges of the North-South conflict. Its guiding principle is the biblical concept of peace as taken up in the Conciliar Process for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, though some member organizations derive their peace commitment from the human rights tradition; the AGDF regards these two lines as mutually correcting and enriching. It works closely with the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) while emphasizing its structural independence. The association is organized into three thematic departments: Department I, Local and Regional Peace Work; Department II, a qualification network for civil, nonviolent conflict transformation; and Department III, Services, which includes multi-month volunteer placements abroad and the deployment of peace professionals for civil conflict transformation. Its member organizations include Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Frieden, and various church-based peace offices. The AGDF is financed through grants from church and state bodies, collections, membership fees, and donations. It is registered in the Bonn register of associations under VR 3375 and is recognized as a non-profit corporation. It publishes annual reports and maintains a member map showing the fields and countries of deployment of its member organizations. Its website features current news, including statements on the Federal Forum for the International Voluntary Year (FIJ), the 15th anniversary of the International Youth Volunteer Service (IJFD), and cooperation appeals for peace policy engagement. Historically, the AGDF has been active in major peace policy campaigns. In June 1981, together with Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste, it called for the peace demonstration in Bonn's Hofgarten on 10 October 1981. In September 1985, again with Aktion Sühnezeichen, it published the five Düsseldorf Peace Theses at the 21st German Evangelical Church Congress in Düsseldorf, opposing military deterrence potentials and advocating a fairer distribution of wealth, refusal of military service, and nonviolence. The AGDF has also registered the logo of the East German peace movement "Swords into Plowshares" as a trademark and takes legal action against unauthorized use. Today the AGDF continues to serve as a coordinating body and advocacy platform for peace work in Germany, promoting dialogue on controversial peace policy questions through initiatives such as Friedensgespräche (Peace Conversations).

The Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Frieden e.V. (AGDF) was founded in 1968 on the initiative of (Johann-)Wolfgang von Eichborn, who chaired it until 1977. It emerged from the traditions of voluntary services (work camps, reconciliation work), resistance against National Socialism, the historic peace churches, and the impulses of democratic and nonviolent human rights movements and ecumenical partnerships. It was founded as a response to the deepened peace-policy discussion and the challenges of the North-South conflict. The goal of this association of initially nine organizations was to initiate and advance peace-oriented action through strengthened cooperation. Its supporting basis was rooted in the sphere of the Evangelical churches and the shared conviction that peace cannot be created by military force but grows out of a process in which injustice, violence, unfreedom, need, and fear are overcome. The AGDF sought to anchor this peace-ethical orientation as a core task of Christian action in the constituted churches and to bring it to bear in current political developments and debates. Addressing the consequences of German and European history was an important field. Early on, AGDF members practiced civil society engagement for peace and development under the perspective of the "One World." The AGDF participated in shaping the process for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. In security policy, the AGDF was a leader in the movement against nuclear armament in West and East and for overcoming... In June 1981, the AGDF together with Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste called, on the margins of the 19th German Evangelical Church Congress in Hamburg, for the peace demonstration in Bonn's Hofgarten on 10 October 1981. In September 1985, the AGDF together with Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste published the five Düsseldorf Peace Theses at the 21st German Evangelical Church Congress in Düsseldorf, opposing military deterrence potentials, for a fairer distribution of wealth in the world, for refusal of military service, and for nonviolence. In the meantime, the AGDF has registered the logo of the East German peace movement "Swords into Plowshares" as a trademark and takes legal action against unauthorized use with lawyer's warning letters; previously (2005) the registration was rejected by the DPMA for lack of distinctiveness. The AGDF has three thematic departments: Department I: Local and Regional Peace Work; Department II: Qualification network for civil, nonviolent conflict transformation; Department III: Services (multi-month volunteer placements abroad, deployment of peace professionals for civil conflict transformation). It works closely with the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) while emphasizing its structural independence. Its guiding principle is the biblical concept of peace as taken up in the Conciliar Process for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, though some member organizations derive their peace commitment from the human rights tradition; the AGDF sees these two lines as mutually correcting and enriching. The AGDF is financed through grants from church and state, collections, membership fees, and donations. It is registered in the Bonn register of associations under VR 3375 and is a non-profit corporation. It publishes annual reports and maintains a member map.

• 2021

  Tax exemption confirmed by the Bonn-Innenstadt tax office on 23 March 2021.

• 2005

  DPMA rejects trademark registration of the "Swords into Plowshares" logo for lack of distinctiveness.

• 1985

  AGDF and Aktion Sühnezeichen publish the five Düsseldorf Peace Theses at the 21st German Evangelical Church Congress.

• 1981

  AGDF and Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste call for the peace demonstration in Bonn's Hofgarten on 10 October 1981.

• 1977

  Wolfgang von Eichborn ends his chairmanship.

• 1968

  AGDF founded on the initiative of (Johann-)Wolfgang von Eichborn with nine member organizations.

Umbrella and professional association for peace work, rooted in Christian pacifism and human rights, cooperating with the EKD while maintaining structural independence.

• International Youth Volunteer Service (IJFD)

  Long-term international volunteer service for young people, supported by the Federal Forum FIJ.

• Peace expert deployment

  Deployment of peace professionals for civil conflict transformation.

• Friedensgespräche (Peace Conversations)

  Dialogue format inviting people to discuss controversial peace policy questions respectfully.

1. 1Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Frieden | AGDFfriedensdienst.de
2. 2AGDF-Mitglieder | Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Friedenfriedensdienst.de
3. 3Leitbild der AGDF | Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Friedenfriedensdienst.de
4. 4Berichte und Finanzen AGDF | Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Friedenfriedensdienst.de
5. 5Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Friedenwikidata.org
6. 6Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Friedende.wikipedia.org