The International Commission on Peace and Food (ICPF) was formed in 1989 (36 years ago) (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.
Towards the end of that year The Mother's Service Society, a social science research institute based in Pondicherry, South India 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.
During the next five years it held successive meetings on these themes in such countries as Italy, Russia, India, Jordan, Norway, USA, France and Germany.
In a daring initiative the ICPF took the stand that it was eminently possible for the industrialized and developing countries of the world to fully absorb their labor force in productive employment.
In pursuit of such a visionary scheme the Commission drew up a plan to generate 100 million jobs over a period of ten years in India.
It enlisted the support of Mikhail Gorbachev in advocating a more gradual and less disruptive transition to market economy in these countries than the one recommended by Western governments and monetary agencies.
Such efforts led to the formulation of an effective strategy to counter run-away inflation in Yugoslavia by Commission Member Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic in 1994.
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.
[1] The report was one of the first to view security from a wider perspective that includes political, social, economic and institutional factors required for a stable and prosperous society.
[2] The Commission's belief that long-standing political problems could be solved in a peaceful manner through economic progress stands vindicated by more recent events in Ireland, where rising prosperity has induced the IRA to give up its violent methods.
The Commission took the stand that rising levels of unemployment are not inevitable and can be reversed by the adoption of sound strategies for job generation compatible with market-driven economics.
Instead it took the stand that infinite growth was possible if the mental and organizational resources available to humanity in the form of knowledge, technology, vocational skills and modes of organizations were fully utilized.
In 2000, ICPD approached the governments of India and Pakistan to explore the possibilities of widening the economic cooperation between the two countries as a means of fostering peace.
[3] Since then the main work of the Commission's report on nuclear disarmament, global governance, employment, social development and human resources have continued as part of the program of work of the World Academy of Art & Science Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, Chairman of ICPF, first recipient of the World Food Prize, former Director General of the International Rice Research Institute, Agriculture Secretary to Government of India, Member of the Indian Planning Commission.
John Mellor, President, JMA, Inc.; Director, IFPRI; Chief Economist, United States Agency for International Development.
Robert van Harten, President, Mira International, Netherlands and Senior Research Fellow, The Mother's Service Society, India.
Ted Williams, Executive Director, Kilby Awards Foundation; Senior Associate, Winrock International; Former Administrator, The World Food Prize;