The 5th annual meeting of the board of INMP was held at the secretariat office in The Hague on 4-5 May 2012. The meeting was attended by 13 board members (from America, Asia, and Europe) and by the Secretariat Administrator. The board meeting was opened by a special presentation by Mr. Akio Komatsu, industrialist and director of the Human, Nature & Science Institute Foundation (HNS), on his work for peace and reconciliation in east Asia during the past fifteen years, especially concerning the relations of Japan with China and Korea.

It was decided to introduce a “scholarship” system for those who contribute to the network, but cannot afford membership (e.g. in developing countries). The granting of a “scholarship” will be decided by the board. A first INMP member donation for the scholarship was made during the meeting. Anzai Science & Peace Office (ASAP) in Kyoto offered to act as Asian secretariat of the INMP – an advantage of this structure is that non-English speaking Asian members will have a central information point in Asia.

On the digital front, the new website and e-mail addresses for the INMP were launched. The INMP is also active on social media platforms Facebook and LinkedIn. During the meeting, a new publication was presented: Museums for Peace: Transforming Cultures. Edited by board members Clive Barrett and Joyce Apsel, the book includes papers based on the 7th International Conference of Museums for Peace (2011, Barcelona).

Projects relating to the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague (September 2013) were discussed, including the ‘Peace philanthropy – then and now’ exhibition. Also discussed were plans for the 8th INMP Conference in September 2014 in Korea.

Other issues addressed at the board meeting included the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Gernika (Spain), the reopening of the Bradford Peace Museum (England), the rebuilding of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum (Switzerland) and the work done by the Peacelab Museum Factory (Italy).

The volume includes 23 essays by contributors from Africa, America, Asia and Europe. Themes include: Museums without Walls, Peace Education, Remembrance, Cultural Exchanges, Images, and Re-visioning Peace Museums. The 270-page volume also includes a series of photos, diagrams and drawings on peacemakers and global art of peace education activities along with designs for new exhibits and museums for peace. The book is about exploring the potential of peace museums to challenge people to become actively involved in peacemaking. A must have for all interested in peace and conflict, peace-making, peace education and peace museums.

The book can be ordered via www.lulu.com.