Oxford Research Group (ORG) is one of the UK’s leading advocates for the non-military resolution of global conflict. We combine in-depth political and technical expertise with many years experience in promoting serious analysis, dialogue and change. On an incredibly tight budget we manage to project alternative thinking on current security dilemmas to the broadest and most influential constituencies.

Established in 1982 by Dr. Scilla Elworthy, ORG is a registered charity and a public company limited by guarantee. In 2003, ORG was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize and in April 2005 The Independent newspaper named ORG as one of the top 20 think tanks in the UK. Peace Direct, which grew out of ORG’s conflict prevention work and became an independent NGO during 2004, was named ‘Best New Charity’ at the Charity Awards 2005.

Regardless of what current projects we work on, our long-term goals are always the same: to encourage and promote a deep shift in the way that people think about security, based on the understanding that lasting security is not attainable through military means. Developing long-term ‘sustainable security’ for everyone means understanding the root causes of conflict, and promoting dialogue rather than confrontation as the means to a truly secure world.

A core team of senior consultants lead our work, united by a common philosophy. We carry out and commission research into realistic non-military alternatives to current security orthodoxy. We publish and disseminate our findings through reports, seminars, consultations and private dialogues. Our practice is to make accurate information available so that open public debate can take place. We also seek to foster dialogue between policy-makers and their critics, to help build bridges of understanding as a means of developing new ideas and making possible significant policy shifts. We work in partnership with many other individuals and groups, and the media, to magnify our influence with key constituencies.

We have played a key role in opening and sustaining dialogue between decision-makers in government and civil society. Our reports have been influential in shaping major policy debates. Our meetings have facilitated breakthroughs in creative thinking and the forging of new relationships. Our partnerships have magnified our influence with decision-makers and opinion formers.

Under its current Director, Dr Chris Langdon, ORG has retained its fundamental values but has developed new areas of activity, which have led to a heightened public profile for the organisation, as well as a move from Oxford to London.