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The Business Plan for Peace (BPP)

How to take an effective stand for peace in a volatile world – the business plan for peace.

This challenge brings Pathways To Peace, led by PTP Co-vice President Sheva Carr, and Scilla Elworthy’s Business Plan for Peace, together as core partners dedicated to enhance the evolution of a Culture of Peace. We are excited to live in remarkable times when a never-before convergence of forces is combining to finally make the possibility of peace the new reality.

Many people feel powerless in the face of what they see on TV or read in the news – a world in crisis, with wars and violence taking place across the globe. But Scilla Elworthy has written a book for all those who want to step out of helplessness and apply their own personal skills to do something about the challenges now facing us.

“In half a century of work in the world, the most important lesson I’ve learned is that inner work is a prerequisite for outer effectiveness, for the simple reason that the quality of our awareness directly affects the quality of results produced. The new brand of leaders that we need — those who are actually able to meet the challenges of today and thrive in the world of tomorrow — are the ones who know and live the connection between inner self-development and outer action. If we want to communicate clearly, transform conflicts, generate energy, and develop trust within our families, in our places of work or in government, our first challenge is to do the inner work”, Scilla has said.

Sheva Carr is also the founder of HeartMath’s HeartMastery Program through Fyera! with expertise in how to access heart intelligence, and on how to receive the benefits of the heart’s impact on consciousness, health, performance and creativity. Marrying Scilla’s practical, real-world business plan for peace with Sheva Carr’s applications of the latest scientific break-throughs for generating peace within your physiology . . . there now exists a synergistically potent frame-work for making peace a reality in our lifetimes. With the Business Plan for Peace, we now have a comprehensive, strategic plan for global and local peace.

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The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War Paperback – February 8, 2018

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ self-published (February 8, 2018)
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The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War

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Many people feel powerless in the face of what they see on TV or read in the news – a world in crisis, with wars and violence taking place across the globe. Scilla Elworthy has written a book for all those who want to step out of helplessness and apply their own personal skills to do something about the challenges now facing us. Packing a punch with facts and figures, the first few chapters investigate the forces that drive armed conflict, and then, by contrast, show what is already effective in building peace at both local and international levels. The crucial heart of the book is a first-ever costed Business Plan for Peace, showing that war can be prevented for $2 billion. The final, upbeat, pages reveal the massive impact that ordinary people can have in making a peaceful world possible, and how they can do it.

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The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War Paperback – 21 Sept. 2017

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ebook ∣ Building a World Without War

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The business–peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance

• Original Article
• Published: 25 February 2018
• Volume 23 , pages 414–435, ( 2020 )

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• Peer Schouten 1 &
• Jason Miklian 2 , 3  

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This article explores the implications of ‘business for peace’ (B4P), a new global governance paradigm that aims to put international businesses at the frontline of peace, stability and development efforts in fragile and conflict-affected states. This article argues that B4P entails a shift in the balance between public and private authority across what we coin the ‘business–peace nexus’ and which comprises corporate peacebuilding activities across different spatial scales and institutional settings. We explore B4P’s agency across two distinct nodes in this nexus—in global peacebuilding and development architectures, and in local peacebuilding settings in the Democratic Republic of Congo—to articulate the B4P paradigm’s multiple and contradictory effects on the balance between public and private authority in contemporary peacebuilding. On the one hand, B4P tips institutional scales towards the public by embedding corporations within public accountability structures. On the other hand, by legitimising businesses as peace actors, the B4P framework risks institutionalising asymmetrical encounters between firms and people affected by their operations. We deploy the term ‘asymmetrical governance’ to explain how the amalgamation of global and national, public and private into the operational presence of corporations skews the balance of power in their encounters with local populations.

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“Business for Peace” (B4P): can this new global governance paradigm of the United Nations Global Compact bring some peace and stability to the Korean peninsula?

Owners or Partners? A Critical Analysis of the Concept of Local Ownership

Local Business, Local Peace? Intergroup and Economic Dynamics

Source: UNGC B4P website, available at https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library/381 [last accessed on 23 October 2017].

The UN initiative aside, Norway launched a Business for Peace Foundation in 2007, European business leaders formulated the Ypres Manifesto on Business for Peace in 2014, and Sri Lanka has had a Business for Peace Alliance since 2002. Regional and national businesses as well as small and medium enterprises also participate in the UNGC B4P project, but we exclude them from discussion as MNCs are the primary focus and driver of B4P, and MNCs are typically more engaged with the global governance aspects of peacebuilding than national firms, which give MNCs outsize importance. B4P can thus be seen in this article as representative of a broader set of business ventures in peacebuilding.

There is, of course, significant variation in MNCs within sectors, between sectors, and even within departments of specific firms, thus making any generalisation about ‘what MNCs believe’ or ‘what MNCs do’ inherently problematic and potentially leading towards over-generalisation. To better inform our theoretical development, we thus use examples wherever possible to show the trends of MNC action, using relevant literature to illustrate how peace issues are reflective of broader changes in corporate culture.

We prefer the notion of the ‘nexus’ over the equally productive concepts of ‘network’ (Callaghy et al. 2001 ) and ‘assemblage’ (Abrahamsen and Williams 2009 ) as we aim to single out the interface between corporate and peacebuilding actors among the many associations that make up the tangled web of peacekeeping worlds. The notion of business and peace forming a nexus was first coined—but not developed further—in Ford ( 2015 , p. 21).

United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office, Peacebuilding FAQ, available at http://www.un.org/en/peacebuilding/pbso/faq.shtml [last visited on 23 October 2017].

Available at https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2001/mar/30/guardianletters2 [last accessed on 23 October 2017].

Western-owned MNCs are of course not the only MNCs operating in such areas, and Chinese and Indian MNCs in particular have operational philosophies and action in conflict zones that are worthy of significant forward study. However, as they have had historically less engagement with international NGOs and the UN than their Western counterparts, we exclude these promising actors of study (and national/regional private sector actors as well) from the argument at hand for space and coherency reasons.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/participants [last accessed on 23 October 2017].

Source: interviews at UN B4P inaugural meeting, Istanbul 2014. Also see Gilboa et al. ( 2016 ).

The yawning gap between the number of signatories in the UNGC and B4P may be seen as a result of the B4P platform’s overlap with the UNGC (and company belief that UNGC participation is enough for peace and development), or there may be larger structural risk issues that influence such choices. The topic is unfortunately beyond the scope of this paper but future empirical research on firm choices to participate in such ventures may prove insightful. Thanks to anonymous reviewer for this point.

Miklian ( 2018 ); also see Carroll ( 2015 ).

https://3blmedia.com/News/CSR/Business-Peace-Platform-Unveiled-UN-Global-Compact-Leaders-Summit [last accessed on 23 October 2017].

Note that of the thousands of UNGC business signatories—including 1200 UN–business partnerships for conflict-affected regions under the ‘Responsible Businesses Advancing Peace’ program (UNGC 2013b )—none have yet been considered to have violated the ‘Guidance on Responsible Business in Conflict-Affected & High-Risk Areas’ framework, indicating the persistence of discrepancies between such discursive politics and on-the-ground practices.

Nonetheless, in foregrounding ‘the West’ as a locus of this agenda, they also overlook that many B4P corporations are non-Western. While B4P might be seen as an archetypical neoliberal (Western) strategy to consolidate corporate footholds in conflict settings, three of China’s largest extractives—China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)—have participated in B4P since its inception, although they have not been significantly active members. See footnotes 3 and 7.

Author interview, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, B4P chair, Istanbul, September 2014.

First coined in Holman ( 2004 , p. 417), who mentions it once as a (further undefined) umbrella term for the tendency of ‘asymmetrical regulation’, whereby upscaling of economic regulation to the EU level is accompanied by social deregulation at the national level.

Source: interview G4S, Goma, November 2015.

http://www.g4s.com/en/Social%20Responsibility/Our%20commitment%20and%20approach/Case%20Studies/Business%20for%20peace/ [last accessed on 23 October 2017].

Such initiatives may themselves be increasingly vulnerable in the coming years to corporate influence with the USA’s current withdrawal in leadership and participation. A morphing from the current framework is likely regardless, perhaps shifting back to national-level oversight as Canada has recently attempted with its Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) watchdog (guided by John Ruggie).

Source: author interview, Paris, 2015.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Cindy Horst, Jennifer Oetzel, Oystein Rolandsen, Greg Reichberg, Brian Ganson and the anonymous reviewers for their insights and comments. Any errors remain ours alone. We also thank the Research Council of Norway for funding through the NORGLOBAL programme.

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Schouten, P., Miklian, J. The business–peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance. J Int Relat Dev 23 , 414–435 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41268-018-0144-2

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Issue Date : June 2020

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Friends Committee on National Legislation and Peace Direct co-hosted an event, A Business Plan for Peace: Investing in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in the Quaker Welcome Center, bringing together both peacebuilders and policymakers in a conversation highlighting the importance of locally led peacebuilding initiatives and advocating for more peaceful U.S. foreign policies.

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Finally, Tax Season is Over. Or Is It? Here are 5 Things You Need to Do All Year to Reduce Tax-Season Stress. With a solid tax plan, you'll have peace of mind to go out into the world and enjoy the post-tax season sun.

By Matt Gardner Edited by Micah Zimmerman May 13, 2024

Key Takeaways

• It's important to spend a few hours planning for the year ahead and to commit to an ongoing schedule of check-ins and payments.
• Ultimately, these investments will help you reduce your tax burden, avoid unnecessary stress next April, and plan for your company's growth.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Tax season is full of anxiety and confusion for small businesses . Nobody wants to spend late nights combing through spreadsheets, reconciling expenses and accounting for their deductions at the last minute. But in early April, this exhausting tax work feels inevitable. It's no wonder that by April 16, many small business owners are breathing a big sigh of relief: "At last, that's over. We don't have to worry about taxes for another year."

Sound familiar? Okay, take a breath.

But then get back to work.

If you can start early and incorporate tax planning into your overall business strategy, you can minimize tax-season stress, avoid fines and penalties, and maybe even find a few extra deductions. Here are five things you need to do year-round to manage your taxes.

1. Get organized

Creating a good tax strategy starts with investing in good software. Several great tools are available for small and medium-sized businesses, including products like Intuit QuickBooks Online and Xero. Research the pros and cons, understand the pricing options, and learn how they integrate with other systems you may already have in place.

Accounting and bookkeeping software often includes a service to track receipts digitally, so you won't have to rifle through a shoebox of paper at the end of the year. Take the time to learn how to use this feature, and ensure everyone on the team is tracking their expenses similarly.

Close your book monthly. That means ensuring all your transactions are accounted for, and any discrepancies are reconciled. By setting up a modern back-office infrastructure with cloud-based accounting and bookkeeping software, you can quickly review all your transactions from the previous month. Any missing transactions or accounting errors could spell trouble down the road, so you want to catch them early. You'll stay ahead of the game if you put a monthly finance check-in on the calendar.

Separate business and personal expenses. If you haven't done so already, set up a business bank account separate from your own and make sure you use a separate business credit card for any purchases. Although it may be tempting to live off the business' cash accounts while scaling up when tax time comes, those personal expenses won't qualify for deductions, and you'll get headaches. If you take money out to pay yourself a salary, you may even have more taxable income than anticipated.

Related: Your Company Won't Grow Until You Follow These 4 Keys to Success

2. Research deductions and tax credits

Emerging small businesses often miss out on deductions simply because they don't have the time to learn about them. However, many business-related costs , such as home office setup, professional fees, rent, office supplies, utilities and travel, can be deducted. Mixed-use expenses, such as business meals, car and auto expenses, and insurance premiums, may also be eligible. Deductions for employee compensation, contractor labor, advertising, and education are also essential to track because they can lower taxable income and foster business growth.

If you do your research early, you may also be able to find tax credits available to your specific industry or state. Be sure to understand what you can write off and what documentation you'll need to do so. This way, you can create a paper trail for these write-offs throughout the year.

3. Know your tax deadlines

Entrepreneurs need to understand and stay ahead of tax deadlines throughout the year to avoid IRS penalties. These deadlines vary by business type, and they include things like business income taxes, payroll taxes, and W2 filings. Here's a good breakdown of tax deadlines for 2024.

Related: Must-Know Tips for Navigating Tax Season With a Side Hustle

4. Find a great partner

Consider outsourcing all or some of your finance operations to a trusted accounting partner. A good partner can help you streamline your processes and replace back-office functions, freeing up time and money for you to grow your business. The right partner can manage your bookkeeping, standardize your reporting, optimize your business processes, and provide dedicated support throughout the year. They can help you understand and plan for cash flow, quickly highlight errors, and help you rectify them.

A good finance partner can also help you stay on top of U.S. tax regulations. With the tax laws constantly changing, hiring a professional will give you peace of mind that your returns will be filed correctly. Your finance partner can help you create a custom tax strategy, flag tax obligations throughout the year, and hold you accountable for the strategy you create.

If you already have an accountant and you're considering switching, now is a great time to evaluate new accounting options.

Related: 6 Steps to Make Tax Season As Painless as Possible

5. Be proactive

Whether or not you hire a partner to help you with your taxes, it's a good idea for small businesses to create a payment plan for the year. This spring, document all your tax deadlines so you can pay your tax obligations before they are due. If your company has employees in another state, you may also have obligations there.

If you can, file your annual taxes early to avoid the extra burden at year-end. This also helps your business limit potential penalties and their associated interest.

If you have a team to support you, add quarterly budget check-ins to your calendar so everyone can keep pace with your cash flow, budgeting, and growth goals.

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Understanding the Trump-Inspired Peace Proposal for Ukraine-Russia Conflict

A recently published book by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank supportive of former President Donald Trump, presents a strategy for the United States’ national security, presuming Trump’s victory in the upcoming presidential election. This strategy includes recommended actions for a potential future administration regarding the ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. According to an Associated Press analysis, this proposed plan suggests Ukraine might not need to relinquish its territories. However, it indicates that Kyiv should enter negotiations understanding that a significant diplomatic resolution may only come to pass after President Putin’s departure. Under the plan, Russia could see some sanctions lifted, but this would be balanced by imposing a special tax on the sale of Russian energy, funds from which would go towards rebuilding Ukraine. The plan also suggests delaying Ukraine’s membership in NATO, with a full removal of sanctions on Russia contingent on an agreement favorable to Ukraine. The plan specifies that future military aid to the US would be contingent on Ukraine’s commitment to engage in peace discussions.

FAQ Section

What are the key components of trump’s peace plan for ukraine.

The plan calls for Ukraine not to surrender any territory and to engage in talks that might only result in a significant breakthrough after Putin is no longer in power, potentially easing sanctions for Russia, establishing a tax on Russian energy sales to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership, and conditional US military support based on Ukraine’s willingness to enter peace negotiations.

Will Ukraine need to cede territory according to the plan?

No, Ukraine will not be asked to give up its territory under this proposed peace plan.

Is the complete lifting of sanctions against Russia possible according to the plan?

Full sanctions relief for Russia could be possible, but only after a peace agreement that satisfies Ukraine is signed.

Is Ukraine’s NATO membership addressed in the plan?

Yes, Ukraine’s potential NATO membership is suggested to be postponed.

What is the condition for the US to provide military aid to Ukraine?

The provision of future military aid by the US would be subject to Ukraine’s agreement to engage in peace negotiations.

The book released by the America First Policy Institute sheds light on a possible approach to the Ukraine-Russia conflict within the context of Trump’s broader envisioned foreign policy. While this proposal offers a series of recommended steps, the practicality and success of such measures depend on various political, diplomatic, and geopolitical factors. With an emphasis on diplomacy and the balance of sanctions and incentives, the plan underscores the complexity of finding a resolution to the prolonged and contentious situation in Eastern Europe. Notably, while this strategy goes into detail on how to potentially resolve the conflict, any concrete actions or outcomes remain speculative until actualized by policymakers.

Note: The presented content is based on information gathered from different sources on the internet, as well as an AI news feed. TheUBJ does not claim authorship or ownership of the content. The original source can be referenced at https://ubn.news/what-does-trumps-peace-plan-for-ukraine-and-the-russian-federation-envisage/ .

Business Plan for Peace: New look, ambitious vision

In 6th Century BC Anatolia, the Lydians and the Medes had been at war for more than five years. The war had been sparked by the desire for revenge after the son of Median king Cyaxares was killed by nomadic hunters who had been given protection by the Lydians. It had grown into an intractable cycle of violence as a series of battles proved indecisive.

During the Battle of Halys, writes the historian Herodotus , ‘day was suddenly changed into night… The Medes and Lydians, when they observed the change, ceased fighting, and were alike anxious to have terms of peace agreed on.’ A solar eclipse had caused the fighters to pause, recognise their shared humanity, and begin negotiations for peace.

An eclipse represents a rebalancing of forces. People around the world have long seen them as a sign; a time to stop, wonder, or pray. They provide an opportunity to pause, breath, reflect, and see the bigger picture. It is easy to think that the world revolves around ourselves and to act selfishly or without compassion. These moments of alignment, balance and beauty can provide some much-needed perspective, and remind us of the bigger picture of which we are all a part.

And it is this rebalancing that inspires Business Plan for Peace and our new look .

We believe that the future belongs to those who can see it. This means utilising every aspect of ourselves: unlocking right-brain as well as left-brain intelligence; following the heart as well as the head; focusing on inner work as well as outer action; developing the ‘soft skills’ of conflict transformation as well as supporting the infrastructures needed for them to flourish. We support leaders to take a pause and think clearly and honestly about how they can contribute to sustainable peace.

It is our mission to take peacebuilding beyond the traditional arenas of the UN, NGOs and community leaders, bringing on board businesses, investors, educators and military institutions too. We work with communities, decision-makers and business leaders to develop the competence, confidence and commitment to transform conflict and invest in peace.

Through the foundational skills of the Mighty Heart , we are helping organisations and individuals to unite mind, heart and purpose and transform personal and professional challenges. Through our charitable arm Plan for Peace we are enabling communities to transform local conflict and change conflict systems. And through our registered not-for-profit company we are enabling purposeful businesses to take a stand, invest in conflict prevention and invest and build infrastructures for peace between companies and communities.

An eclipse provides a pause and inspiration, hope and opportunities to reset for peace. There are concrete steps that we all can take. Invest in Peace. Join us .

Join our growing community of changemakers.

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UK will not ‘strong-arm’ Ukraine into peace deal, Shapps says

The defence secretary said it is ukraine’s business how they choose to bring the conflict to an end..

The UK will not try to “strong-arm” Kyiv into accepting a peace deal with Russia, Grant Shapps has said, as Moscow intensifies its assault on north-east Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary’s comments come after Rishi Sunak dodged questions on Monday about a report that Lord David Cameron persuaded Donald Trump to back more funding for Ukraine on the basis that it would allow the Republican to secure a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv if he wins the US election.

Mr Shapps told Times Radio on Tuesday: “There is no sense at all in which Britain would try to persuade, strong-arm or otherwise, Ukraine into accepting giving up some of their territory – that’s a decision entirely for Ukraine.”

He added: “What Ukraine does and how it decides to bring this to an end is their business. What I can confirm is that the UK will back Ukraine all the way.”

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The Sunday Times reported that the Foreign Secretary suggested to Mr Trump that if he won the US presidential election in January and inherited a stalemate, it would provide him the ideal conditions to make a deal. Mr Trump came out in support of a US aid package for Ukraine shortly afterwards.

Congress approved the long-delayed foreign assistance package late last month that sets aside 60 billion dollars (£48 billion) in aid for Ukraine.

Asked about the report, Mr Shapps said: “Obviously I wasn’t in the room. I know what the Foreign Secretary did say, which is that it’s very, very important that the United States follows the UK’s lead and we just increased our money to Ukraine this year.”

Mr Shapps said: “He certainly would have said to Trump that it’s very important that the United States Senate sees that package go through Congress and that package did go through Congress, and thank goodness because it’s armaments and defensive weapons very much needed by our Ukrainian friends.”

Moscow has stepped up its attack in Kharkiv in recent days, marking a significant advance that could pin Ukrainian forces in the north-east while heavy fighting continues in the Donetsk region.

Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Russia’s renewed offensive in north-east Ukraine was a “wake-up call” because “this was going to happen due to the delays in getting Ukraine what they needed” in terms of military equipment.

He added: “My simple message is to the world, and in particular to the United States now given the package that has passed Congress, not only is it the right thing to do, it’s a lot cheaper to defend and therefore deter Putin here and now than it is to allow him to win.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv to reassure Ukraine it has American support.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and shadow defence secretary John Healey visited Kyiv on Monday to stress the Labour Party “fully backs” Britain’s increased military aid and that there would be “no change” in the support offered to Ukraine under a Labour government.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters on Monday that he did not recognise the Sunday Times report.

The spokesman said: “We have been unequivocal in our position, Putin must fail in his illegal war in Ukraine. We will support Ukraine for as long as necessary to repel Russian aggression.”