After many months of quiet effort, ministry for peace has secured enough support in Parliament to set up an official All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues. The purpose of the APPG, as formally stated in the Parliamentary Register, is 'To encourage dialogue, on the basis of expert information and opinion from across the political spectrum, on issues relating to conflict; especially on the practical means to prevent, transform and resolve violent conflict.'

Establishing this group, which is a major step forward for ministry for peace, has generated a lot of interest across government and amongst those who work in the field of conflict management. The APPG will provide a forum where Parliamentarians, government officials, NGOs, academics and others can come together on a regular basis to share ideas and thoughts about the challenges of non-violent approaches to managing conflict.

ministry for peace will continue to hold its regular evening meetings open to the public and it is hoped that there will be a fruitful interchange between these meetings and those of the APPG.

The Parliamentarians who agreed to support the group formally are listed below. We are very grateful to them, as well as the many others who expressed their support informally.