John Siebert, executive director of Project Ploughshares, a peace and disarmament organization supported by the Presbyterian Church, has resigned after 10 years of service.
“It’s been an incredible privilege to provide leadership at Project Ploughshares since 2005,” Siebert told the Record. “Surprisingly, there have only been two executive directors in the 38-year history of the organization. Every organization needs new leadership from time-to-time to shake things up and allow change to happen.”
Siebert noted that it has been particularly gratifying to participate in human security work with partners in East Africa and the Caribbean. “Both regions suffer from insecurity, and the scourge of deadly small arms that makes violence in their societies worse,” he said.
He counts the day when the Arms Trade Treaty came into force on Dec. 24, 2014 “as a proud moment for Ploughshares. My colleague Ken Epps has been working with national and international partners for over 15 years to realize that moment. We need to celebrate these achievements.”
Though there have been reasons to celebrate, when it comes to global peace and security, many challenges remain. One of the main ones is “advancing peace and disarmament in a changed Canada.”
“Where once we could count on critically supporting the Canadian government as a leader in United Nations peacekeeping and disarmament initiatives, now Canada is either quiet or blocking international cooperation,” said Siebert. “A new executive director will bring fresh eyes, ideas and energy to meet these challenges.”
“I want to thank John for his outstanding work and leadership,” wrote Scott Kline, then-chair of the organization’s governing committee, in a December press release. “Since coming to Ploughshares nearly a decade ago, John has worked with an exceptional staff to fulfill our mission and to pursue our vision: ‘a secure world without war, a just world at peace.’”
Ploughshares is currently searching for a new executive director. Siebert will continue in this capacity until a suitable replacement is found.
