CPNN | Culture of Peace News Network

Mayors for Peace Joint Appeal March 16, 2026

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Today, the global security situation is significantly in crisis. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is in its 5th year and no end is in sight. Already too many armed conflicts exist in the world and now a new one has started between the US, Israel and Iran. Many people, including civilians, are being killed and essential infrastructure is being destroyed. The tit-for-tat attacks and their escalation to hitting installations in an increasing number of countries are causing grave consequences not only for the region but also the world at large regarding political and economic security.

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Question related to this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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We are also worried that neglecting the rule of law, including the UN Charter, would lead to more and more armed conflicts. We call upon all the countries engaging in armed conflicts to immediately implement a ceasefire and restore peace and stability.

Mayors for Peace, which consists of approximately 8,600 member cities in 166 countries and regions, a global network of local government leaders committed to protecting the safety and security of their citizens, strongly demands that international disputes be resolved by diplomatic efforts through dialogue. The use of force against any country which results in the loss of innocent civilian lives, is totally unacceptable.

On behalf of Mayors for Peace, we hereby declare once again that, together with all peaceseeking people around the world, we will make every effort to achieve lasting global peace and create a world free from nuclear weapons.

MATSUI Kazumi, President of Mayors for Peace, Mayor of Hiroshima

SUZUKI Shiro, Vice President of Mayors for Peace, Mayor of Nagasaki

March 19, 2026DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, East Asia, globalEast Asia, globalCPNN Coordinator

War in Iran: Elders call for consistency in defence of the international rule of law

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article from The Elders

The Elders warn today that countries will be drawn into an illegal war if they acquiesce to continuing US demands around the Iran crisis, such as to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. We urge countries to stand up collectively, resist pressure, and make it clear that those who initiated this war are responsible for its consequences and for ending it quickly.

The Original Elders in 2010

International law should not be invoked selectively. Many Western leaders rightly insisted that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 demanded an unequivocal response. They were swift to criticise states who put their economic interests above principle.

Yet many of the same leaders now hesitate to call out unlawful military action by the USA and Israel. This hypocrisy is not lost on audiences in the Middle East or across the Global South. It is eroding trust in international institutions, and feeding the perception that Western countries invoke rules only when politically convenient.

The recent UN Security Council resolution condemning Iranian attacks on neighbouring states, while omitting any reference to the initial US-Israeli strikes, illustrates this troubling selectivity. When the Council applies the law unevenly, it undermines its own authority.

The ongoing US and Israeli aggression against Iran and Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean threaten grave consequences for regional security and the global economy.

Military action will deliver neither peace, justice, nor the respect for human rights Iranians deserve following longstanding, systematic violations and the recent bloody repression of peaceful protesters by the regime.

The lack of a coherent US strategy raises the prospect of instability within Iran comparable to that following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. This danger is further increased by uncertainty over the location and status of Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.

Question related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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There is no military solution to nuclear proliferation. When nuclear-armed states strike a non-nuclear state during negotiations, the message is unmistakable: that possessing nuclear weapons could provide protection. The most likely consequence of the illegal war launched on Iran is not greater security, but rather further incentives for nuclear proliferation.

Leaders who say they believe in international law must stick to their principles, and put long-term stability above short-term considerations.

The Elders

Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair of The Elders

Graça Machel, Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders 

Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the UN Development Programme

Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and co-chair of the Taskforce on Justice

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate

Denis Mukwege, physician and human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Laureate

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico

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March 19, 2026FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, globalglobalCPNN Coordinator

France: A Look Back at the Solidarity March

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article by Contre Attaque

Around 150,000 people took to the streets across the country on Saturday, March 14th, to protest against racism, fascism, and war. There were 100,000 in Paris, 12,000 in Lyon, 10,000 in Marseille, 5,000 in Toulouse, 4,000 in Nantes and Rennes, 3,000 in Montpellier, over 2,000 in Bordeaux, 1,500 in Besançon… But also hundreds of people in numerous medium-sized and small towns throughout the country, in more than 100 diverse and intergenerational marches.

Dozens of banners, placards, tifos, and flags were unfurled. There were groups of undocumented immigrants, antifascists, anticolonialists, feminists, artists, and chants… It was a real success, in a very difficult political and social context, and on the eve of an election. And yet, what was the media coverage? Virtually nonexistent.

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(Click here for the French original of this article.)

Questions related to this article:

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

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When the entire European far right converged on Lyon to celebrate its martyrdom a month ago, it barely managed to gather 3,200 people. And yet, this neo-Nazi march was broadcast live by every television channel, and even glorified by France Info, which described it as a “family-friendly” event. As for the fascist organizers, they were given free rein to parade on every television channel before and after this sinister march to promote their ideas and spread their lies.

Media manipulation also means this: overvaluing every reactionary meeting, every lowbrow activist, or the latest anti-LFI hack, while rendering invisible all the far more numerous voices fighting for justice and equality.

It is therefore vital and necessary to showcase our struggles, our words, our creations, to make them exist wherever possible. And to come together in even greater numbers and with even greater determination for the struggles to come. They have the billions, we are millions.

To find the platform for the Solidarity March, with upcoming deadlines, visuals, and fundraising information, the presentation is here.

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March 19, 2026Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATIONEuropeCPNN Coordinator

Cuba Receives Solidarity Convoy from Europe

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Cuban News Agency (translation by CPNN)

A contingent of more than one hundred activists, representing some 50 solidarity, political, and labor organizations from 17 countries, arrived Tuesday night at Havana’s José Martí International Airport with about five tons of medical supplies and other essential items.

This gesture of support for Cuba is part of the European leg of the Nuestra América (Our America) convoy, from which other groups will arrive in the coming days from different geographical areas, carrying similar cargo intended to alleviate the current tensions caused by the intensification of the policy of maximum suffocation applied by the United States government against Cuba.

Rigoberto Zarza, director for Europe at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, explained that the shipment, valued at approximately 500,000 euros, will be distributed in coordination with Cuban institutions to four hospitals in Havana.

He specified that the initiative was coordinated by the Italian Agency for Cultural and Economic Exchange with Cuba and the call from the Progressive International, which resonated across various platforms. This allowed for the collection of contributions from some 700 individuals and several solidarity groups in Europe, with representation from Morocco and Algeria in North Africa.

(Click here for the original version in Spanish.)

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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He praised this action as being of great importance, not only for its material significance at this time from a medical and humanitarian perspective, but also for its awareness of the particularly complex energy situation facing the archipelago, which is also reflected in the shipment of photovoltaic systems

Belgian MEP Marc Botenga defined the presence on the island in these circumstances as a duty of solidarity with Cuba, which is a victim of Washington’s criminal policy of strangulation and which has historically offered its support to the rest of the world in other particularly delicate episodes.

He recalled the presence of the Cuban medical brigade in Italy during the peak of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and how its healthcare professionals played a decisive role in containing the virus in Italy.

“We are here to remind you that Cuba is not alone, that we stand with you from our countries and return this great solidarity!” he emphasized.

French MEP Emma Fourreau insisted that the first thing to do for the cause of the Caribbean nation is to speak about it throughout the world and how it is affected by the economic war being waged against it.

She pointed out that by experiencing the Cuban reality firsthand, they can be spokespeople for this struggle at the international level.

“The most important thing is to listen and learn what Cubans have to say; this is a first step, a symbolic action that will attract the attention of the rest of the world,” she concluded.

The Cuban ambassador to Italy, Jorge Luis Cepero, went to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Tuesday to see off the members of the European Solidarity Convoy as they departed for Havana.

In statements to reporters at the airport, the diplomat emphasized the significance of the gesture, a demonstration of the close ties of friendship between the people of Italy and Cuba, and of the strong rejection in Italy of the genocidal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against the island.

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March 18, 2026Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITYLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Benki Piyãko, Brazilian indigenous spiritual leader awarded Niwano Peace Prize

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Vatican News

The 43rd Niwano Peace Prize has been awarded to Mr. Benki Piyãko, an Indigenous spiritual leader of the Ashaninka People in Brazil’s Amazon. The Niwano Peace Foundation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, awarded the prize in recognition for his “sustained leadership in defending Indigenous land and culture and for pioneering reforestation and environmental protection over the past fifteen years.”

Ecology and community

Benki Piyãko founded the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute and the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference to advance education, community-based ecological restoration, and the transmission of traditional knowledge, mobilizing youth and communities for large-scale reforestation and biodiversity conservation.

In the press release announcing the prize, the Niwano Peace Foundation noted how he had become an influential voice for environmental stewardship in Brazil and internationally, “guided by Indigenous spirituality and committed to intercultural dialogue.”

The recognition of Benki Piyãko’s work highlighted his efforts to preserve the Amazon rainforest, protect Indigenous culture and spirituality, and educate younger generations about living in harmony with the Earth.
The prize also noted his work to show the importance of traditional wisdom, ecological responsibility, and global cooperation in addressing the climate and environmental crisis.

The award presentation ceremony will take place in Tokyo on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, where he will be given the peace prize certificate, a trophy as well as and twenty million yen.

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(Click here for an article in French.)

Question related to this article:

Indigenous peoples, Are they the true guardians of nature?

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The Niwano Peace Prize

The Niwano Peace Foundation conducts an annual international search for prize candidates “to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible.”
The purpose is to “both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace.”

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Here are CPNN articles about some of the previous winners of the Niwano prize:

2023 – Mr. Rajagopal P. V. to receive the Niwano Peace Prize

2019 – CJP co-founder and first director John Paul Lederach awarded Niwano Foundation Peace Prize

2018 – Adyan Foundation in Lebanon to Get 35th Niwano Peace Prize

2016 – Center for Peace Building and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka, to receive the Niwano Peace Prize

2015 – Esther Abimiku Ibanga, Founder of The Women Without Walls

2014 – Dena Merriam, Founder and leader of The Global Peace Initiative of Women

2012 – Rosalina Tuyuc Velasquez: Constructing an Inclusive Guatemala

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March 14, 2026FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

USA: More Than 250 Groups Oppose Additional Spending on Trump’s Illegal Iran War

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article from Common Dreams (reprinted according to Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Members of Congress should vote against any additional funding for President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional war on Iran, 251 groups said today in a letter sent to Congress. Waging a war of choice that costs an estimated $1 billion a day not only fails to address the economic squeeze and health care crisis facing Americans, but diverts federal funding from an array of urgent domestic priorities. The letter was led by Public Citizen, Win Without War, MoveOn, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“By launching a war against Iran, Trump has violated the Constitution, defied international law, flouted the will of the American people, and has put millions of lives across the region at risk. A vote for President Trump’s Pentagon supplemental funding package would be a vote to commit the U.S. even further to this crisis, which has already killed seven U.S. servicemembers and nearly 2,000 people from across the region, and which endangers the lives of many more,” the letter reads.

The Pentagon’s budget now totals more than $1 trillion, after an extra $150 billion the agency received in the GOP’s reconciliation bill. A supplemental worth $50 billion would be enough to restore food assistance for four million Americans, establish universal pre-K education, and pay for the annual construction of more than 100,000 units of housing. The groups maintain that this illegal war with Iran cannot be an excuse to fund more weapons instead of priorities here at home.

Other prominent signatories to the letter include Oxfam America, the Service Employees International Union, National Nurses United, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the National Organization for Women, the Union of Concerned Scientists, J Street, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Indivisible, Common Cause, Jewish Voice for Peace, Rising Majority, and Working Families Power.

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Questions related to this article:

The struggle for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

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“More money for the Pentagon will serve to extend and escalate an illegal, unpopular, and devastating war – as well as pave the way for still more Pentagon funding requests,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen. “The money wasted on this war should instead be invested in meeting the economic squeeze felt by everyday Americans. The $11.3 billion spent on the first six days of the war would, for example, be enough to restore food benefits to the four million people losing them due to the tax and budget reconciliation bill.”

“President Trump’s illegal war has already shown the costs war imposes — American servicemembers killed and injured, thousands of civilians killed in fighting, skyrocketing oil prices, a conflict spiraling over a dozen countries in unexpected ways, and more. That’s exactly why it’s so crucial that the decision to go to war not rest on one person’s impulses. Congress must not fund the continuation of this unconstitutional war,” said Christopher Anders, director of ACLU’s Technology and Democracy Division.

“Every penny wasted on bombing children and families in Iran would be better spent on health care and affordable housing in America. Secretary Hegseth and President Trump are ready to spend trillions on another forever war that nobody asked for, but they won’t lift a finger to lower costs here at home,” said Sara Haghdoosti, chief of program for MoveOn Civic Action. “A vote for supplemental spending is a vote to continue the war in Iran, and Congress must listen to the vast majority of Americans and stop the reckless spending and bloodshed.”

“People across the U.S. already hate Trump’s illegal war in Iran, and they’re not going to like it any better if Congress wastes $50 billion more of their money on it,” said Shayna Lewis, deputy director of Win Without War. “It’s outrageous that Trump is even asking for more money to spend on bombs when his spiraling war is killing civilians abroad and driving up prices for everyone at home, all with no end in sight. Congress should tell Trump clearly: not one more penny for this foolish, destructive war.”

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March 13, 2026HUMAN RIGHTS, North AmericaNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator