Initiatives of Change

Initiatives of Change International (IofC) known as Moral Re-Armament from 1938 until 2001 is "a global network committed to building integrity and trust across the world’s divides," its website states. [1]

Based in Caux, Switzerland, it "is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and Participatory Status at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The association Initiatives of Change International is the legal and administrative body that federates the national bodies of Initiatives of Change and which seeks to make their experience and knowledge available to the United Nations and other international institutions," its website states. [2]

"Initiatives of Change began under the name the Oxford Group in the 1920s." The Oxford Group's founder was Frank Buchman. [3]

"Mohamed Sahnoun is its President, having taken over from Dr Cornelio Sommaruga on 1 January 2007."

Executive Committee (2006)

According to the IofC website:

• Cornelio Sommaruga - President
• Dick Ruffin - Executive Vice President
• Chris Evans - involved in Foundations For Freedom and Caux Initiatives for Business; for last 6 years served on the Board of IofC-USA
• Mike Brown - one of the coordinators of Action for Life since 2001
• Antoine Jaulmes - currently vice-president of the French Initiatives of Change board and a member of the Council of the Swiss Foundation Caux-Initiatives of Change
• Haridas Nair - Executive Director of an educational foundation
• Andrew Lancaster - served on IofC’s Council of Management in Australia for over 25 years and co-edited the World Bulletin (forerunner of Global Update) for 12 years; June 2003 to October 2006, National Coordinator for Initiatives of Change in Australia
• Inese Voika - created Transparency International-Latvia; with IofC since 1992
• Richard Weeks, Secretary of Initiatives of Change Association (Canada); an Agenda for Reconciliation International Steering Committee member and Canadian liaison for the Great Lakes of Africa Initiative; a member of IofC's UN Office Management Committee; co-founder Canadian Friends of Burma (1990)

IofC International Council

Accessed June 2010:

• Lorne Braun
• Hennie de Pous-de Jonge
• Will Jenkins
• Nombulelo Khanyile
• Andrew Lancaster
• Grace Liu
• K Haridas
• Inese Voika

Contact

Website: http://www.iofc.org/en/abt/organization/int-assocn

Criticism

• Reinhold Niebuhr, Christianity and Power Politics (), pp.1315-16. ("Hitler and Buchman")
• Reinhold Niebuhr, "The Moral Re-Armer", Time, August 18, 1961.
• Paul Bond, "An exchange on Frank Buchman and the Nazis", World Socialist Web Site, July 9, 2008.

Resources and articles

• Rajmohan Gandhi - former president
• Initiatives of Change UK