AGM 2024

AGM 2024

Movement for the Abolition of War

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2024

to be held at 2pm, Sunday 10 November 2024

at Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD

AGENDA

1 Apologies for absence
2 Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2023 and matters arising
3 Notification of any other business
4 Chairperson’s report
5 Acting Treasurer’s report for the year ending 31 March 2024
6 Membership Report
7 Proposal by MAW exec to replace elected officers with co-conveners, followed by election of executive members
8 Open discussion forum and review of campaign priorities and strategies.
Existing campaign priorities:
military-related greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis
arms control and military spending
nuclear disarmament and support for the TPNW
peace education, including raising awareness of the UN
Rethinking Security

9 Any other business


Who’s who and candidates for election


President: Professor Paul Rogers. We are delighted and honoured to have Paul as President of
MAW. He is Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford and has worked in
the field of international security, arms control and political violence for over 30 years. He lectures
at universities and defence colleges in several countries and is a regular commentator on global
security issues in both the national and international media.
Vice-Presidents:
Colin Archer – Secretary General of the International Peace Bureau 1990-2017. MAW Vice-
President since 2012. Active with CND and Global Campaign on Military Spending (UK).
Martin Bell – a former BBC war reporter, MP for Tatton 1997-2001, currently a UNICEF UK
Ambassador. MAW Vice-President since 2006.
Christine Blower – General Secretary of the NUT 2009-2016 and now International Secretary of the
NEU. A Labour Peer since 2019. MAW Vice-President since 2013.
Diana Francis – former President of International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Council Member of
Rethinking Security. MAW Vice-President since 2018.
Mererid Hopwood – Academic, poet and lifelong campaigner for peace working particularly within
the International Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales. Instrumental with others in creating the
Academi Heddwch Cymru – a peace institute within the Welsh universities. MAW Vice-President
since 2020
John Gittings – active in the early years of the CND, and worked for The Guardian as China
correspondent and foreign leader-writer for many years. He was a member of the editorial team for
the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace (2010, OUP) and has written a history of peace
thought, The Glorious Art of Peace (2018, OUP). Proposed as a Vice-President in 2024.

Candidates for election or re-election to MAW’s Executive Committee:

Our constitution allows for “four officers and not fewer than 6 and not more than 12 members being elected at the Annual General Meeting who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting.”

Proposal. At a meeting of the MAW executive committee on 9 October 2024, attended by all but one of the exec, there being no volunteers for any of the officer roles, a proposal was made to replace the chair, vice-chair and secretary with 2 co-conveners, Hilary Evans and Sally Reynolds for one year, with Gill Hurle continuing as acting treasurer, and the exec taking joint responsibility for all actions, and to review this arrangement at the next AGM.

Co-conveners.

Hilary Evans – member MAW Executive Committee 2010-2014 and 2015-2019. Vice-Chair 2019-2023. Active member of Kingston Peace Council/CND and UNA-UK and has long-time strong environmental concerns.

Sally Reynolds – joined the Executive Committee in 2001, Vice-Chair 2013-2014; Secretary 2014-2018 and since 2021. Also MAW Resources Secretary. Active member of Abingdon Peace Group and various environmental groups.

Acting treasurer & membership secretary: Gill Hurle – committee member and Membership Secretary since 2012. Acting Treasurer since 2022. Is also Treasurer and Membership Secretary of Kingston Peace Council/CND.

Webmaster. Tim Devereux – MAW Chair 2014-2017; Vice-Chair 2018-2019. Chair 2019-2023; Vice-Chair 2023-2024. He also maintains our website and is a member of Pax Christi and Yorkshire CND.

Ordinary Members.

David Collins – Executive Committee member since 2018. With Hilary, leads MAW’s work highlighting the connection between military activity and the climate crisis. An international member of Veterans for Peace, he has recently helped translate a graphic novel by Argentinian Ariel Martinelli on the Falklands War into English.

Sue Gilmurray – served as Chair of the Executive Committee 2009-2011. Committee member 2010-2014 and 2016-2020. Re-elected 2022. Has gathered and arranged MAW’s collection of anti-war songs for choirs. Active member of Anglican Pacifist Fellowship.

Helen Horton – committee member since 2021. After a career in teaching and teacher training, is now MAW’s representative on the Peace Education Network. Chair of Amnesty International UK since 2024 and active with VSO.

Heather Speight – a long-time member of MAW. Member of the Executive Committee 2014-18, then served as Vice-Chair until 2020 during which time she produced MAW’s booklet of quotations ‘From War to Peace’. Also active in Peace Action Durham.

Arthur West – a long-time supporter and member of MAW, Arthur was elected to the Executive Committee in 2022 on the understanding that he can only participate online (attendance at London-based meetings would not be feasible). He was Chair of Scottish CND from 2011 to 2019, is currently Secretary of Ayrshire CND and is active in the Scottish Peace Network and Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland Network.

Abolish War team.

Editor: Helen Riley – has edited our newsletter Abolish War since 2012 and is willing to continue although not to be on the Executive Committee. The exec has proposed a reduction in issues of Abolish War to 3 per year, probably in January, May and September.

Proof-reader: Valerie Flessati – has proof-read Abolish War since 2015.