International Commission on Peace and Food
The International Commission on Peace and Food (ICPF) was formed in 1989 as a private non-governmental initiative to bring an end to the arms race and thereby redirect the monetary resources of the world for accelerating global economic development. The Mother's Service Society, approached the renowned Indian Scientist M. S. Swaminathan to explore the possibility of convening a group of experts to promote the efforts to increase food supply and also at the same time intensify efforts to bring down the arms race. The Commission was formed with Swaminathan as the Chairman and included 25 leading scientists, defense and development experts and politicians. Notable among the political members were Queen Noor of Jordan and the former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter. By the time the first meeting of the Commission took place at the end of September 1989 the world political climate had changed considerably for the better. Barely six weeks later the Berlin Wall fell signaling the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The financial resources for the functioning of the Commission were contributed by its own members coupled with public donations and other forms of support from such agencies as UNDP, UNESCO, Ford Foundation, The Third World Academy of Science, the Governments of USSR and Norway, The Gorbachev Foundation, The Carter Center and The Mother's Service Society. The Commission's final report, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, was published in 1994 and formally presented to the UN Secretary General and member states by the Government of Jordan.
The International Center for Peace and Development (ICPD), headquartered in Napa, California, was formed in 1995 to continue the work of the Commission. Harlan Cleveland, former President of the World Academy of Art & Science, former US Ambassador to NATO, served as chairman from 1995 to 2008. Garry Jacobs, former Secretary of the Commission, is Executive Director. wiki
