Category Archives: TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

UNESCO: Young Leaders Call for a New Culture of Peace

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from UNESCO

Young leaders gathered at UNESCO Headquarters and the Sorbonne in Paris to present the Call by Young People and a Young People’s Reflection Document, the outcome of a youth-led reflection on the future of UNESCO’s mandate.

Conducted in the summer of 2026 with the support of France, bringing together the voices of 145 young leaders from 135 countries, the initiative calls for a new culture of peace in the minds of women and men for the twenty-first century.


Frame from video on Twitter (X)

Presenting the Call and Reflection Document in Paris

On 3 and 4 September 2026, eleven young leaders brought their ideas into direct dialogue with Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, and H.E. Mr Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, during events held at UNESCO Headquarters and at France’s Fabrique de la Diplomatie at the Sorbonne.

The Director-General and the Minister recognized the importance of youth engagement for peace and the critical role that young people must play in addressing the challenges of today’s world. Their exchanges with the young leaders called for placing youth not at the margins of the discussion, but at its very center.

The Director-General highlighted that: “Peace […] requires creativity, imagination, patience and tools. The role of UNESCO is precisely to provide new generations with these tools.”

Mr Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, stated: “UNESCO perhaps embodies, more than any other entity within the United Nations system, the spirit of peace. This spirit of peace is inherently a spirit of the future, one that it falls to young people to uphold, nurture and pass on to future generations.”

The Call and the Reflection Document put forward concrete proposals on how UNESCO’s founding mandate to build peace can continue to be translated into ambitious and effective action, particularly in times of crisis.

They call for deeper and more meaningful youth participation in decision-making and for greater investment in key areas of UNESCO’s mandate, from inclusive education to climate action, from Open Science to the ethical development of artificial intelligence, and from the protection of cultural heritage to access to reliable information.

The documents emphasize the importance of empowering young people as partners in addressing global challenges, strengthening resilience in times of crisis, and promoting intercultural dialogue. They also underline the need to ensure that UNESCO’s normative leadership translates into tangible benefits for communities, particularly those that are underserved, affected by conflict, or vulnerable to climate change.

Youth as a Priority Group

In line with UNESCO’s designation of youth as a global priority, this consultation is a strong example of the Organization’s commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to its strategic thinking and to work alongside UNESCO in the implementation of its programmes.

The Call by Young People is being presented as part of the broader UNESCO80 reform initiative for consideration by UNESCO’s Member States at the Executive Board session to be held in October 2026.

Text of the Call by Young People for a New Culture of Peace

Call by Young People for a New Culture of Peace in the minds of women and men for the 21st century Paris, 3 September 2026

We, 145 youth leaders from 135 Member States and Associate Members, representing diverse regions, contexts and lived experiences across the world, brought together through the UNESCO 14th Youth Forum and on the occasion of the Organization’s eightieth anniversary,

Recall that UNESCO was founded on the conviction that, since wars begin in the minds of women and men, it is in those minds that the defences of peace must be constructed — and affirm that this remains an unfinished task, not a historical statement.

Observe that peace today is threatened as much by structural violence, displacement, planetary crisis, and the erosion of trust within and between communities and generations as by armed conflict. Education, sciences, culture, as well as communication and information can either help prevent these threats or, when poorly governed, further undermine the foundations of peace. In an era reshaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological development, these fields are also increasingly intertwined with digital environments that can amplify mis- and disinformation, polarization and division, while also creating new opportunities for dialogue and learning.

Determined to apply the lessons of our history in order to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes and to resolve problems through dialogue.

Recognize that social cohesion and intergenerational solidarity are essential components for lasting peace, and that addressing discrimination, exclusion and inequality, while creating meaningful opportunities for dialogue, cooperation and shared cultural life, can strengthen trust within and between communities and generations, as well as contribute to more inclusive, peaceful and resilient societies.

Underline that young people are already taking action — as mediators, researchers, educators, and builders of digital and cultural spaces — yet too often without the recognition, resources or meaningful role in decision-making needed to sustain and strengthen their contributions.

Call on UNESCO, its Member States and their partners to turn these principles into sustained action through the following measures:

1. Embed youth partnership in decision-making systemically and structurally.

Youth participation in peace processes, conflict prevention and reconciliation remains far too limited today. In line with Security Council Resolution 2250, youth must therefore be better recognized as partners in conflict prevention and peacebuilding and included in institutional mechanisms for conflict prevention and mediation.

Within UNESCO, youth engagement should evolve from consultation to meaningful partnership. This means ensuring that opportunities to provide input are complemented by meaningful participation in decision-making: youth representation in National Commissions and Delegations to the General Conference, and in mechanisms such as the SDG 4 Youth & Student Network which ensures that youth are represented in education decision-making bodies alongside ministers. It also requires systematic follow-up: consultations, including this one, should be followed by public reporting on the recommendations adopted, actions taken in response, and the implementation outcomes. UNESCO should build on the Global Youth Grant Scheme and networks such as the Youth Climate Action Network to connect, resource and give visibility to youth-led initiatives already under way, rather than creating parallel structures, with particular attention to young women and girls, Indigenous youth, youth in African and Afro-descendant communities, youth from Small Island Developing States, as well as youth from marginalized and underserved communities.

2. Treat education as the first line of defence against hatred and division.

Discrimination and hate speech, online and in classrooms, disproportionately affect youth, especially girls and minorities. It can deepen existing divisions within communities, making inclusive and peaceoriented education essential to build understanding, challenge harmful narratives and strengthen social cohesion. Education has a critical role in equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and values needed to navigate differences, challenge harmful narratives and participate constructively in society.

(Click here for the article in French.)

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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UNESCO’s Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development, media and information literacy, digital citizenship, social and emotional learning, and the non-violent handling of disagreement should be integrated into school curricula and teacher training as core components of education. This should be complemented by clear guidance to distinguish hate speech from legitimate criticism and disagreement, strengthen civic education and critical-thinking skills, and equip teachers to recognize and address discrimination and hate speech. To this end, national education policies should also include frameworks to protect minors and other vulnerable groups from violent, hateful and manipulative online content. Schools should further promote a “language of peace”, equipping young people with the skills to express disagreement constructively, engage in dialogue and navigate differences without hostility or violence. Curricula should also reflect the histories and contributions of African and Afro-descendant people as well as Indigenous peoples on their own terms, including their cultures, knowledge systems and diverse contributions. In crisis and conflict settings, where schools serve not only as places of learning but also as spaces for protection and psychosocial support, UNESCO, Member States and relevant partners should invest in continuity plans, cross-border recognition of learning, and the reopening of schools wherever conditions allow.

3. Turn memory and culture into bridges for mutual understanding, not battlegrounds for division.

The traumas of history cannot be overcome through silence or by forgetting; a peaceful future requires acknowledging the past and learning from it. When history and culture are used to divide, they can entrench mistrust and resentment. Teaching the history of conflict should be evidence-based, open to multiple perspectives, and designed to build empathy rather than resentment, drawing on UNESCO’s Programme on Holocaust and Genocide Education and its Memory of the World Programme to keep archives, testimonies and documentary heritage accessible to educators and young people. Youth meaningful participation can be fostered through initiatives such as oral history projects, community mediation, and digital efforts to counter misleading information and harmful narratives. Tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as Indigenous knowledge systems, require the same level of protection: stronger risk assessment and preparedness before conflict, and genuine accountability for attacks against them during conflict.

Protecting cultural heritage and the memory of the world is not only about preserving the past; it also helps sustain cultural continuity and enables communities and generations to engage with history, different perspectives and identity in ways that foster mutual understanding. Cultural exchange and engagement with different historical memories can create space for mutual understanding, helping communities encounter one another beyond inherited narratives of division, particularly in contexts shaped by historical conflict. This also highlights the importance of supporting teachers in connecting historical memory to reconciliation and the prevention of future violence.

4. Advance Open Science and access to knowledge as pillars for peace.

Science education and critical thinking can strengthen resilience to information manipulation and polarization, particularly in digital spaces. Open Science complements these efforts by making scientific knowledge more accessible, shareable and inclusive across communities and borders. Yet financial, technological and linguistic barriers continue to limit access to scientific knowledge, especially for researchers and institutions with fewer resources. Open Science should therefore support equitable participation in scientific collaboration, publishing, innovation and knowledge creation through investment in digital infrastructure, connectivity, scientific capacities and science communication. UNESCO’s 2023 Open Science Outlook reports that only around one-third of academic articles published between 2000 and 2021 were openly available, rising to around half for articles published in 2021. By strengthening international scientific cooperation, enabling knowledge-sharing across borders and connecting researchers and communities around shared challenges, Open Science can contribute to a culture of peace. This should include advancing the proposed Global Open Science Fund – supporting countries and communities in developing the capacities needed to participate in and benefit from Open Science. Together, these efforts position science and knowledge as drivers of peace, strengthening international cooperation and informed decision-making, which are essential to solving today’s complex global challenges.

5. Defend the integrity of information as a condition for peace.

Dis- and misinformation can spread faster than reliable information can be verified or corrected, while an estimated 2.6 billion people remain offline, with access most limited in low-income developing countries. A safe and inclusive information environment requires both closing the digital divide and strengthening the quality and diversity of information available to communities. This includes accessible information, community-based fact-checking, local-language journalism, greater transparency around the systems that shape what information people encounter, as well as stronger protection for journalists, whose killings rose by 38 per cent in 2022–2023 alongside an impunity rate of 85 per cent in 2024. UNESCO should build further on its Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms and the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, while supporting independent journalism, community media and spaces for young people, particularly those in rural and marginalized communities, to access information and participate in civic life.

6. Govern artificial intelligence to serve peace rather than division.

Artificial Intelligence trained on a narrow range of languages and cultural contexts can reproduce the inequalities it claims to address, and without appropriate safeguards, its use may contribute to bias, surveillance and discrimination, particularly affecting young people. UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence requires stronger implementation in practice, including independent and periodic scrutiny of AI systems for bias and disparities in content moderation, ethical impact assessments involving diverse populations, and greater transparency around AI-generated content and the algorithms that shape content recommendations.

As digital spaces have become increasingly central in young people’s lives, youth should be meaningfully included in discussions on how these digital spaces and technologies are governed. Young people should be recognized not only as users of AI systems, but as partners in shaping the policies and systems that affect their lives, while supporting them in developing the AI literacy skills needed to participate meaningfully in these processes. Given the distinct and rapidly evolving impacts of artificial intelligence on young people, UNESCO and its Member States should explore, through the appropriate processes and with the meaningful participation of young people and relevant partners, whether the existing normative framework should be complemented by youth-focused guidance, including, as appropriate, a dedicated standard-setting instrument on youth and artificial intelligence. Any such work should build on and complement UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, with particular attention to young people’s rights, safety, well-being, agency and meaningful participation throughout the AI life cycle.

Beyond these safeguards, it is essential to address inequalities in access to AI and its impact on youth employment, while ensuring that its benefits are shared equitably through the development of local skills and capacities.

7. Safeguard education, sciences, culture as well as communication and information for a culture of peace in times of conflict and crisis.

While prevention and early action to address the root causes of conflict and crisis must remain a priority, when crises and conflicts do occur, education, sciences, culture, and communication and information must be protected from disruption. An estimated 272 million children and youth were out of school in 2023, a figure UNESCO itself considers an underestimate due to data gaps in conflict-affected countries and regions. The rights to education and to participate in cultural life, as well as the right to share in scientific advancement and its benefits, must be upheld even in situations of displacement, crisis and conflict. By protecting access to learning, cultural expression, knowledge, and reliable information during crises, UNESCO and Member States can help preserve the connections, cooperation and shared understanding on which peace depends. This should include expanding the UNESCO Qualifications Passport to ensure that displaced students’ qualifications and previous studies are recognized across borders, establishing pre-arranged financing through mechanisms such as the SDG4 Emergency Fund, and providing support for young researchers and knowledge holders working under conflict or crisisrelated pressures. In times of crisis and conflict, maintaining access to reliable information is equally important to sustaining education, scientific cooperation and cultural life, helping communities remain connected and able to respond to challenging circumstances. Together, these measures help safeguard UNESCO’s fields of education, sciences, culture, and communication and information as essential pillars of a culture of peace.

Looking Ahead

These recommendations will only matter if they are followed through with and by youth. We call for transparent follow-up on the conclusions of this consultation, reflecting the standards of transparency we are asking UNESCO to foster in its work. UNESCO’s mandate to build the defences of peace in the minds of women and men was written for a different century, but it was written to last. Eighty years on, it falls to this generation, working alongside UNESCO, its Member States and their partners, to carry that mandate into an era of profound societal, environmental and technological change, shaped by planetary boundaries and an increasingly fragmented international landscape. We must ensure that the peace envisioned by UNESCO becomes a peace we truly get to live in.

Together, we call for a new culture of peace for the 21st century: one that we build across generations, make a reality in our time, and pass on to those who come after

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Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Indonesia: Building peace from the slopes of Mount Muria

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article by Teguh Karyanto from Anabaptist World

Wiyata Wacana Christian Religious College (STAKWW), in collaboration with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), held a peace curriculum development discussion with Christians and Muslims on the slopes of Mount Muria, Central Java, on May 6, 2026. — Ellia Christin Wardhani

The demonstration that led to the Aug. 13, 2025, demonstration  in Pati, Central Java, is a reminder that the need for education that builds a culture of peace is becoming increasingly urgent. Differences in interests and views can easily develop into violence if not managed through dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution. This condition shows that peace is not just an ideal, but a skill and value that needs to be built in social life.

Building on this awareness, the Wiyata Wacana Christian Religious College (STAKWW), in collaboration with Mennonite Central Committee, held a peace curriculum development discussion on the slopes of Mount Muria, Central Java, on May 6. This activity brought together academics, church leaders, peace practitioners and international partners to formulate a curriculum that is able to instill the values of peace, reconciliation, justice and conflict transformation in theology education in Indonesia.

Through the development of this curriculum, STAKWW and MCC hope to prepare church and community leaders who not only have a strong theological understanding, but are also able to become agents of peace who bring dialogue, strengthen reconciliation and build a more just and harmonious coexistence in a pluralistic society. Here are five things about peace service.

1. STAKWW Pati initiates peace curriculum development

This discussion is a strategic step for STAKWW in developing a curriculum that is relevant to the challenges of the pluralistic life of the Indonesian people. The participants had a dialogue about concepts, learning materials, teaching methods and the implementation of peace education in the context of the church and society. This activity is expected to produce a curriculum that is not only academic, but also shapes the character of students as peacemakers. Through collaboration between academics, practitioners and church leaders, this curriculum is designed to be able to respond to the needs of community service and empowerment in a contextual manner. This discussion found topics of nonviolent learning and conflict transformation.

2. The slopes of Mount Muria become a space for peace reflection

The choice of location on the slopes of Mount Muria, which is on the north coast of Java, has its own meaning. The region, which is known as a place for a tradition of dialogue, tolerance and harmonious community life, was the right space for reflection to discuss the values of peace. The calm atmosphere encouraged participants to hold deep conversations about the importance of education as a means of social transformation. In addition to being a place for discussion, the beautiful natural environment also invited participants to reflect on the relationship between spirituality, concern for others and responsibility for creation. This learning experience that is integrated with the local context strengthens the participants’ commitment to bring the values of peace into their daily lives and ministry.

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Question for this article

Religion: a barrier or a way to peace?, What makes it one or the other?

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3. MCC shows commitment to peace education

This activity received support from Mennonite Central Committee, which is strongly committed to promoting peace, reconciliation and community development. MCC’s support for the development of a peace curriculum in Indonesia, as well as strengthening cooperation between theological educational institutions and international networks, are building a culture of peace. Through this partnership, STAKWW Pati has the opportunity to enrich a global perspective while developing an educational approach that remains rooted in the local Indonesian context. Continued collaboration is expected to encourage the birth of various educational, research and community service initiatives oriented towards peaceful transformation.

4. Cross-generational and cross-institutional collaboration

The discussion brought together lecturers, researchers, church leaders, students and international partners in an open-dialogue atmosphere. Various experiences and perspectives were shared to enrich the preparation of the peace curriculum, so as to be able to respond to the challenges of social conflict, cultural diversity and the needs of the church in building a peaceful coexistence. Such cross-background interactions create mutually enriching learning spaces, where each participant can contribute based on their experience and expertise. Through collaborative dialogue, participants also identified various learning strategies that encourage students to become agents of peace who are able to bring reconciliation in society.

5. Building a generation of peacemakers

Through this activity, STAKWW affirmed its commitment to produce graduates who not only have theological competence, but also become agents of peace in society. The peace curriculum is expected to be the foundation for the birth of church and community leaders who are able to build dialogue, strengthen reconciliation, and present the values of love, justice, and peace in the life of the nation and state. Through an integrative learning process, students will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and character needed to respond to various social problems wisely and constructively. Thus, STAKWW hopes that its graduates can make a real contribution to the realization of an inclusive, harmonious, and empowered community in facing various challenges in the future.

The discussion on the development of the Peace Curriculum at STAKWW is an important milestone in strengthening the role of theological education as a means of social transformation. With the support of MCC and the collaboration of various parties, this initiative is expected to give birth to a contextual peace education model, rooted in Christian values, and able to make a real contribution to the realization of a peaceful, inclusive and civilized Indonesian society.

More than just curriculum development, this initiative is a long-term investment to shape a generation of church leaders, educators, and agents of change who are able to build dialogue, manage conflicts constructively, and bring about reconciliation in a pluralistic society. From the slopes of Mount Muria, STAKWW and MCC affirmed their commitment to continue to knit a web of peace through education, so that the values of love, justice and respect for the dignity of every human being can be realized in the life of society, nation and state.

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Teguh Karyanto is a pastor at Javanese Mennonite Church (GITJ) Pesantenan Pati, lecturer of Wiyata Wacana Seminary Indonesia, secretary of GITJ Synod, member of Global Anabaptist Higher Education Network (GAHEN) and specialist of Mission Commission under Mennonite World Conference (MWC).

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East Asia, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

The Peace Makers Academy 2026 is accepting applications for an international peace hackathon in Paris

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

Special to CPNN from the Peace Makers Academy

At a time when societies across the world face increasing polarization, conflict and uncertainty, the Peace Makers Academy 2026 will bring together 25 young leaders from diverse nationalities for an intensive four-day international experience dedicated to peacebuilding, leadership and collaborative action.

This year’s edition is built around the theme “From Resources to Peace: Science, Innovation and Citizen Action”.

Organized in Paris from 15 to 18 October 2026, the Peace Makers Academy is far more than a training program. Designed as a three-day international Peace Hackathon, the Academy combines experiential learning, intercultural dialogue and project-based collaboration to empower participants to become concrete actors of peace within their communities.

Built around the conviction that peace is a skill that can be learned, practiced and multiplied, the Academy offers participants a comprehensive 360-degree approach to peacebuilding through expert-led workshops, simulations, keynote lectures and collaborative challenges.

Rather than focusing solely on theory, the program encourages participants to design practical and innovative responses to real societal challenges. Throughout the event, interdisciplinary teams will work together to develop initiatives capable of creating measurable local and international impact.

From dialogue to action

One of the Academy’s defining features is its action-oriented methodology.
Instead of limiting discussions to global challenges, participants are invited to co-create practical solutions addressing issues such as social cohesion, inclusion, dialogue, youth engagement and community resilience.

The hackathon serves as a laboratory for innovation where participants move rapidly from identifying challenges to designing impactful initiatives that can be implemented beyond the Academy.

This emphasis on implementation reflects a broader vision of peace—not merely as the absence of conflict, but as the active construction of inclusive, resilient and cooperative societies.

Building an international network for peace

Beyond technical skills, the Academy seeks to create a lasting international community of changemakers.

(Click here for the article in French.)

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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Participants will have the opportunity to establish professional relationships with experts, facilitators and fellow young leaders representing multiple countries and cultures. These connections are intended to continue long after the Academy concludes, encouraging future collaborations and cross-border initiatives.

Final round of applications

The final application round is now open for candidates wishing to join the 2026 cohort.

Young leaders, students, professionals, entrepreneurs and engaged citizens between 18 to 40 years old, with a strong interest in peacebuilding and international cooperation are encouraged to apply. The program will be conducted entirely in English.

Peace Makers Academy 2026
Dates: 15–18 October 2026
Location: Paris, France
Language: English
Participants: 25 selected candidates from diverse nationalities

As the final selection process begins, this is the last opportunity to become part of an international community committed to building peace through collaboration, innovation and leadership.

About JCI and JCI France

The Peace Makers Academy is organized by JCI France, the French national organization of Junior Chamber International (JCI).

Founded in 1915, Junior Chamber International is a global nonprofit organization of active young citizens aged 18 to 40, bringing together more than 160,000 members in over 100 countries and territories. JCI develops leadership through projects that create positive change in communities while advancing active citizenship, entrepreneurship, international cooperation and the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. JCI holds consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC.

Through the Peace Makers Academy, JCI France contributes to this global mission by providing young leaders with practical peacebuilding skills, fostering intercultural dialogue and empowering participants to transform innovative ideas into tangible actions for more peaceful and inclusive societies.

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Press contact: Eva JOURJON — peace.academy@jcef.asso.fr — +33 6 29 09 87 21

(Editor’s note: On August 15, we spoke by telephone with Eva Jourjon who reassured us that applications are still being considered, despite information on the internet saying that applications are closed.)

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If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on United Nations Alliance of Civilizations” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.

Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

India and Pakistan: A Conversation That Refused To End

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY .

Special to CPN from Nawal Amjad

On Thursday, 2 July 2026, people from two countries with one of the greatest global flashpoints came together — India and Pakistan. These countries fought a war last year, but here is thing about the need to pursue peace: it is not a permanent end goal but a continuous process — and every worthwhile process has to be revived like it did not exist, but also like it never stopped.

The event was hosted in collaboration by civil society organizations like, Socialist Yuvjan Sabha (India), Socialist Students’ Union (India) with Centre for Peace and Secular Studies (Pakistan), including luminaries like Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Ms. Lalita Ramdas and Ms. Diep Saeeda, who enabled the space for a discussion between people of the two countries.

The event was moderated by Rumaan Mecci (India) and Ahmad Raza (Pakistan), who navigated the event with all their light whether there was no electricity or internet (quite literally), or there were other bleak moments from some trolls in the audience that the moderators’ fellow, Rishi Anand helped keep away seamlessly.

If I have to begin with introducing this event, so it was a virtual dialogue themed on, ‘How can young people lead a new chapter of peace-building, democratic engagement and people-to-people diplomacy between Pakistan and India and create a shared future?’ Young changemakers along with individuals that have dedicated a substantial part of their lives to a Culture of Peace were there. And what is particularly special about this event is how it had enthusiastic participation from citizens from both countries, even expats who have spent years nurturing their and their polities’ identities abroad.

I was also honored to have been invited there because of my background with helping nourish a Culture of Peace in the last few years, and more recently, through my affiliation with Peace Manifesto 2025 and the Culture of Peace Corporation since last year.

When I had attended this dialogue, I did not maintain notes (something that I seldom forget when attending every webinar till date, even if I am a passive part of it), but in hindsight, I realized that perhaps making notes would have been a good way to document every noteworthy sentence that I heard in the discussion, however, some things need to be experienced — and so having chosen to be my usual geeky self would not have been this helpful.

What I in turn realized was that this event was indeed a watershed moment. Not because in the most academically fancy terms, changemakers, particularly young changemakers from two ‘archrivals’ came together one evening, but because an originally envisioned two-hour-long event went on for about almost four hours. If that surprised you, I’m not surprised, because that was the exact reaction of my mentor-boss, Professor David Adams, who has been one of the pioneers at UNESCO to have conceived the idea of a Culture of Peace for the whole world, decades ago and since then, he has not looked back from working for it despite what his friend-colleague described to him to be an increasingly apocaloptimistic world.

The need for a shared future

Monica Wahi, a prominent child film specialist from India opened the discussion by her reflections emphasizing upon the need for a ‘shared future’ — to this, I both responded and opened my address by saying that we would only need to have a shared future, if we had been divided — we were never really divided. I began by speaking about our ‘shared challenges’ as two struggling domestic polities: India, whom we clearly looked up to before the world’s greatest democracy increasingly began to deconsolidate, and our own democracy in Pakistan, having struggled to consolidate since forever.

Take the recent student protests in India for example. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)’s leak in India is the same as the Medical and Dental College Test (MDCAT)’s leaks in Pakistan; besides, the unfair grading replete with discrepancies that led to reconduct of the former in Pakistan only speaks volumes of how ‘we are always in this together’ is an apt phrase to describe most of what we both suffer. In fact, when I saw the police dragging protesters and even India’s seasoned politician Rahul Gandhi upon the country’s streets, I asked my own audience on my private Instagram the other day that, ‘Can I also say that our democracies are Sanjhi? Sanjhi is a Punjabi language word used commonly by people of both sides of the border which translates to as, ‘shared’.

Now back to the dialogue. I spoke of our many commonalities using very distinct set of things, but each weaving into why or how we are not that divided, if only we admit to realize. For instance, I spoke of my childhood familiarization with the word, ‘actor’ through watching Shah Rukh Khan, Indian superstar whom I referred to as, ‘Sharo Khan’ for the longest time — my first vivid TV memory of childhood.

Similarly, when women in India and Pakistan, both have to constantly register their existence through apparently needing to ‘break a glass ceiling’ rather than realizing that the latter only concretizes it, and when the news of women’s abuse of any nature circulates in the media or otherwise, the reasons and ramifications on both sides of the border are not different. In fact, even when a 150-year-old tree in Lahore is cut and so is a 100-year-old tree in Nashik, India — the hue of cry in the civilized people of both sides of the border is the same — and the vested interests of the powers that be responsible and or complicit in these cases are also the same.

During the dialogue, I also drew attention to my belief in the power of SDG 4.7: the seventh target of the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, Education, which is about working for and embodying values and practices of Global Citizenship Education and Sustainability; the non-exceptionalist nature of climate change sparing no one; my love for what all India has done and continues to do for entrepreneurship — thanks to me marveling at (Shark Tank India) as one of the many emblems of what we got to learn from them; a need for a Joint Pakistan-India Parliament where the youth could discuss the day-to-day issues of ‘shared interest’; a Public Diplomacy Centre to deepen people-to-people connectivity between both nations and some form of a Public Interest Promotion Centre/ Declaration, that enables us to teach each other best practices on governance, foreign policy, education, public health-care, technology, entrepreneurship, media and of course, art, culture and entertainment — no matter our piercing differences continue to stare into our faces.

If I begin to describe everything said by everyone, the article would never end, but I still deem it necessary to share brief takeaways from my fellow youth panelists from within my country and across the border.

Opportunities for dialogue

Tiya Mhatre, a student based in AliBaugh near Mumbai, who is about to join UWC Pearson University and is passionate about UN simulation conferences (just like I used to be) said something really helpful, Tiya pointed out that while student diasporas are one of those key scarce spaces remaining for youth of both countries to connect to each other, there are more opportunities through universities and student communities that ought to be explored; may it be collaborating through dialogues like these; joint projects; cultural exchanges on areas like, climate change, public health-care, sustainability and innovation — because in Tiya’s eyes, lasting peace begins with trust and trust begins with conversation, and while the former cannot resolve complex regional issues, it can indeed preserve something essential, the willingness to ‘keep talking’.

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Questions for this article:

Can peace be established between India and Pakistan?

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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Another fellow panelist, Kabir Rao, who is a student of philosophy and Arabic at the University of St Andrews from India, and besides his interests in politics and military affairs for the Middle East, he is also attempting to learn Urdu and Farsi — yes, you heard that right. A Hindu in India studying philosophy and Arabic. Learning Urdu and Farsi. Kabir emphasized on his turn about the organic link between our shared struggles for a non-militaristic, non-violent and democratic outlook and better relations with neighbors at home. He also highlighted the similarities between India and Pakistan’s ‘connected histories’ and our present-day struggles. He further argued that the working class in both countries, especially the young people within it ought to understand these similarities and base their struggles on them.

A poem than transcends national boundaries

Kabir ended his points by reciting a verse from a poem, ‘Black Out’ by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a poet with ‘Pakistani origins’ and whose services for the country were oxygen for the progressive and democratic lungs of the country. The verse reads as,

ایک پل ٹھہرو کہ دریا کا کہیں پاٹ لگے
اور نیا دل میرا
زہر میں دھل کے، فنا ہو کے
کسی گھاٹ لگے
پھر پئے نذر نئے دیدہ و دل لے کے چلوں
حسن کی مدح کروں شوق کا مضمون لکھوں

Which translates to English as, ‘Wait a moment, so the river may somewhere find its shore, and my tender heart, washed in poison and dissolved, may reach a landing place.
Then I shall walk on, offering the lit lamps of my heart’s anguish, singing praises to beauty, and penning the treatise of longing.’

Such is our ‘shared’, or dare I say, inseparable history and legacy of our people, that is only telling of how profoundly we need a deliberate and a very consistent cultivation of a Culture of Peace.

Science and health transcend national boundaries

Another panelist, Iqra Preet, who is a PhD Biochemistry scholar and a researcher in nanotechnology-based treatment for multiple diseases based in Lahore, Pakistan said something that every other participant from (even within the audience) kept echoing till the end: how shared scientific research and investment in public health-care does not need to see who belongs to which nation. In my understanding, how a sample on a microscope, a DNA or a virus should override our very fragile fixation with our yet-to-understand fantasies of our so-called perfected nation-states.

Culture transcends national boundaries

Then it was Ritu Das, who is a queer feminist activist from Uttar Pradesh, based in Lucknow, India and is also a poet and has been active in the movement spaces for almost a decade. She utilized her turn by recalling her stay experience in a hotel in London. Among her hotel staff were two individuals — one, a Hindu Indian from Rajasthan — the other who was a Muslim from Bangladesh. To Ritu’s surprise, the connection felt and built more deeply and meaningfully with the Muslim from Bangladesh than her own fellow citizen.

According to Ritu, it was because of the cultural and linguistic boundaries that transcended the political border separating the region. It helped Ritu reinforce an important sociological insight: it is often our shared cultural and historical inheritances that sustain solidarities. In fact, Ritu’s grandmother’s narration of the violence events during partition taught Ritu something very poignant: she recounted violence with extreme ethical sensitivity and the latter was quoted by Ritu to have told them, ‘People of every community were killed and people of every community were forced to leave their homes, foregrounding human suffering rather than communal identity.’ As a member of a marginalized community, Ritu has witnessed Bangladeshi transgender communities drawing parallels between India’s Transgender Card Framework and Bangladesh’s Hijra Identity recognition, despite different political and legal systems — proving in the words of Ritu that, ‘struggles for dignity, recognition and justice frequently transcend national borders, producing what may be understood as transnational communities of care and resistance.’

The webinar was also attended by celebrated practitioners like, Sachendra Pratap Yadav, President of the Socialist Students’ Union and a PhD scholar at the BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, India; Sanjay Gadhalay, an engineer, entrepreneur and Climate activist from Hyderabad India; Mazher Hussain, who runs Confederation of Voluntary Agencies (COVA) from Hyderabad, India and is a long-time peace activist; Shivi Upadhyay, recent PhD scholar in social work from Delhi University and a development activist who works in Goa at present; Razi Raziuddin, who can be uniquely distinguished because he studied at both Aligarh University and Banaras Hindu University and now works as a scientist in the United States of America and runs a diaspora forum; Cedric Prakash, a Catholic priest and a prominent human rights activist from Ahmedabad, India; Father Anand, Catholic activist, priest and playwright from Varanasi, India; Sheema Kermani, prominent classical dancer, actor and social activist from Pakistan among others.

The conversation refuses to end

This convergence was not easy owing to trolls constantly trying to keep the moderators on their toes, and even us attendees wondering if it would go on smoothly? There was, of course, a shared anxiousness around letting the audiences also participate by risking giving them a mic. Some of them were trolls, but most of them were also equally or even more elated than us to have been there, and it is these same people, the common people, with whom the discussion went on for almost four hours. Some of these people contributed by narrating tales of being constantly anxiety-ridden because of growing up in a military background — and the very solid and legitimate fear of losing their loved ones. But there were also those that wanted to call a spade a spade, and hence demanded us to not pretend like everything was hunky dory, but to both acknowledge and embrace the discomfort — talk out loud about the elephant in the room, issues like cross-border terrorism and Kashmir to name a few. Others simply encouraged and looked forward to more honest and uncomfortable conversations regularly in the future.

Before the article’s title starts to influence me (and it literally never ends), I am thinking of concluding this piece just when I have heard about the education minister in India resigning — if this is true victory for people of India is premature to say because systemic changes have a long way to go before they bear fruits. Notwithstanding that the ‘cockroaches’ in India were heard, and a seed has to be planted somewhere for it to appear to be bearing fruits later — and that gives me: a cockroach in Pakistan — a glimmer of relief for the justice of the dozens of those innocent students, who lost their lives just because their system failed them. But whether it is the cockroaches in India or in Pakistan, the conversation hopefully refuses to end.

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DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, South Asia, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

UNESCO Korean workshop: Translating Peace into Action

… TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY …

A page from Linked-in of Edvard Grigoryan

From declarations to action — translating peace into something you can actually feel.

This June, I had the honor of being one of 42 youth leaders from 33 countries selected to take part in the 12th Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The theme couldn’t have spoken more directly to my work in Peace and Conflict Resolution: “Translating Peace into Action: Leveraging Media and the Arts for Youth Advocacy.”

We kept returning to one question that has stayed with me since:
“Do we have the courage to face the realities of our time, and allow ourselves to feel deeply enough that it transforms us and our future?”

Over five intensive days, we moved beyond theory and into practice. A few moments that marked me:

→ A keynote on whether youth can truly promote peace in an era of global crisis

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Question for this article:

Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

(Continued from left column)

→ A powerful session on the Art of Peacebuilding through Theatre of the Oppressed, turning conflict into embodied understanding

→ Hands-on labs on Media and Information Literacy and countering hate speech — essential skills for anyone working in conflict-sensitive spaces

→ Confronting ethics and empathy in the age of AI

→ A deeply moving visit to the War & Women’s Human Rights Museum, a reminder of why this work matters

→ And throughout it all, designing real, community-based action plans we’ll carry home

What made this experience extraordinary was the people — peacemakers, artists, journalists, and changemakers from every corner of the world, all proving that peace is not a policy text. It’s something we build, practice, and live every day.

This workshop was made possible by UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) and the UNESCO MGIEP Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, in partnership with the GCED Youth Network — a remarkable demonstration of UNESCO’s commitment to equipping young people to lead transformative change.

For someone whose path is rooted in peace and conflict resolution, this was more than a workshop. It was a reminder that the most durable peace begins with empathy — and that media and the arts may be among our most underused tools for advocacy.

Grateful, energized, and ready to translate this into action.

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East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Haiti: National Conference : Commitments of religious leaders, joint declaration

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Ici Haiti

On Friday, May 29, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs held the closing ceremony of the National Conference of Religious Leaders for Peace, Stability, and Civic Engagement. Following the workshops, the religious leaders adopted a Declaration reaffirming their collective commitment to peace, social cohesion, civic education, support for vulnerable populations, and the effective integration of young people.

Commitments of the Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders :

1 – We commit to promoting, within our religious communities, concrete initiatives for violence prevention, civic education, and support for vulnerable populations, and to working to raise awareness among our Haitian brothers and sisters of the values of peace, tolerance, civic responsibility, and living together, particularly through community activities, mediation efforts, awareness campaigns, and youth programs;

We also commit to strengthening, within our communities, mechanisms for violence prevention, spaces for dialogue, listening, and community mediation, as well as initiatives that promote the mentoring, training, and reintegration of vulnerable youth;

2 – We call for a national mobilization around peace, civic responsibility, and the effective integration and/or reintegration of young people, particularly those from vulnerable communities and those affected by violence;

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(Click here for a French article on this subject.)

Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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3 – We call upon the State, religious leaders, those of ancestral traditions, as well as spiritual and philosophical guides, the private sector, and civil society to unite their efforts to strengthen social cohesion, promote civic education, and build a culture of peace, stability, and civic responsibility;

4 – We reaffirm our commitment to supporting victims of violence and assisting young people through training, mentoring, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual support initiatives, as well as the development of concrete alternatives to violence and crime;

5 – We recommend that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs promote the protection of places of worship and support religious leaders, those of ancestral traditions, as well as spiritual and philosophical guides in initiatives that foster interreligious dialogue, social cohesion, and the promotion of civic responsibility for peace, stability, and the strengthening of the Haitian social fabric;

• We urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs to establish a National Council for Interreligious Consultation (CNCI) to foster ongoing dialogue among all religious sectors, ancestral traditions, and spiritual and philosophical leaders to promote peace, security, and social cohesion in Haiti;

• We also urge the Government to declare May 28th “National Day of Religious Leaders, Ancestral Traditions, and Spiritual and Philosophical Leaders” to ensure the sustainability of this initiative, which involves groups from this sector in matters of national interest;

• We reaffirm our commitment to promoting responsible religious discourse that fosters hope, unity, fraternity, solidarity, and reconciliation in the best interests of the Haitian nation;

• Finally, we reaffirm our commitment to working alongside the Haitian State, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, and civil society, to implement strategic plans to give concrete form to this Declaration.

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Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Mouvement de la Paix: For Peace in the Caribbean; Stop the Blockade Against Cuba !

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

A press release from Mouvement de la Paix

The Mouvement de la Paix demands the immediate end to the illegal and inhumane blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba for the past 60 years and respect for the sovereignty of Cuba and all Caribbean states.


In recent statements, the President of the United States announced his intention to “deal with Cuba,” stating that “Cuba will be next on the list” because “Cuba continues to pose an extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security. Following the pressure exerted on several Latin American countries and the military aggression against Venezuela, Cuba is once again being targeted, even though it poses no threat to the United States.

Let’s think about this together! The facts speak for themselves: The USA is a country of 390 million inhabitants (43 times the population of Cuba—a small country of 9 million inhabitants), it is the world’s largest military power with approximately $900 billion in annual military spending; it has 1.8 million soldiers (active and reservists) compared to only a few tens of thousands of soldiers in Cuba. The USA has 7,500 nuclear warheads, while Cuba possesses no nuclear weapons and is determinedly fighting for the total elimination of nuclear weapons and practicing a policy of peace and cooperation, as seen in the medical field. It is not Cuba that has a military base in the USA, but the USA that maintains, against Cuba’s will, a military base at Guantanamo, infamous as a detention and torture center, particularly during the illegal US war in Iraq.

For more than sixty years, the Cuban people have suffered a blockade condemned every year by the United Nations General Assembly (1). This blockade causes serious human suffering by preventing normal access to essential products; it is an obstacle to the country’s economic development and to international cooperation since any person or economic entity (banks, various organizations) who would like to cooperate with Cuba are systematically subject to sanctions.Les nouvelles sanctions décidées par les États-Unis contre Cuba et contre les pays apportant leur aide à Cuba (ordre exécutif  du 1 mai 2026) (2)  constituent des violations supplémentaires du droit international. L’objectif  de ces sanctions  est quasiment  de ruiner l’économie du pays et de soumettre la population à des souffrances et des pénurie sources de souffrances et susceptibles  de mettre en cause la cohésion sociale du pays.

Beyond individual political opinions, the issue today is to defend the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law: respect for the national sovereignty of states, peaceful and political resolution of disputes and conflicts, and the rejection of the use or threat of force in international relations. The rule of law must prevail over the use of force.

(Click here for the original press release in French.)

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Question related to this article:
 
How can we best express solidarity with Cuba?

How can war crimes be documented, stopped, punished and prevented?

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France, present in this region of the world through Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and other territories, has regularly condemned the blockade at UN General Assemblies. Faced with the strengthening of the blockade, France must make its voice heard at the Security Council and the UN General Assembly. It must exert all necessary energy to ensure that the regular and near-unanimous condemnation by the UN General Assembly translates into concrete measures of economic and financial aid for Cuba. France cannot remain silent in the face of the measures dictated by the USA to the national and international banking system. It must take steps to remove the obstacles preventing French charitable and humanitarian organizations from transferring their aid to the Cuban people; it must speak out against the militarization of the Caribbean and against illegal U.S.A. military interventions in the region, whether carried out directly by the U.S.A. or by private militias or military or paramilitary organizations, all of which increase tensions and threaten regional peace.

We call upon the French government, parliamentarians, local elected officials, trade unions, associations, and citizens’ organizations to take action to achieve:

° The immediate end of the blockade against Cuba, as demanded by the United Nations General Assembly (1);

° Respect for the sovereignty of Cuba and all Caribbean states;

° Respect for international law and the Charter of the United Nations;

° The establishment of a zone of peace and cooperation throughout the Caribbean and Latin America region.

The Cuban people and all Caribbean peoples have the right to live in peace, to cooperate freely, and to build their future in mutual respect and solidarity, as enshrined in the Charter of CELAC (3), which aims to build peace in Latin America and the Caribbean through the development of a culture of peace as defined by the UN and UNESCO. Long live peace and friendship among peoples.

Le Mouvement de la Paix – 16 mai 2026

1- Excerpts from the UN website, October 2025: “It has now become a UN tradition, almost a ritual on the diplomatic calendar. As it has every year for the past 33 years, the United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution calling for the lifting of the blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States.”

2- Le Monde – AFP, May 1: Donald Trump announces strengthened sanctions against Cuba: In an executive order, the US president imposes sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the energy sector. “US President Donald Trump announced on Friday, May 1, a strengthening of US sanctions against Cuba, which ‘continues to pose an extraordinary threat’ to US national security.”

3- The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CACAC) is an intergovernmental mechanism for dialogue and political agreement link.

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Europe, Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY,

Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State. We Need to Build a Unified Resistance

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

A email message received at CPNN from the United National Antiwar Coalition

The statement below is a response to the ongoing blockade against Cuba and the propaganda derived from it.   We hope you will endorse this statement, but we also hope you will commit to emergency actions if the Trump Administration follows through with their threats to invade Cuba.



Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel lead mass march against US blockade

Sign On  to  “Cuba is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State”
Register  your Emergency  Actions

At this critical junction in world history when the Cuban Revolution is being threatened by US hegemon, it is essential to come to its defense. Cuba is the hope of humanity.

We defend Cuba by combating the intentionally negative stereotyping of a failed state. The problems Cuba faces under blockade conditions should not be portrayed in such alarmist ways that it reinforces Washington’s propaganda. We need to combat this defeatist approach.
Cuba is being sanctioned for the crime of being a good example.

That Washington continues to intensify its six-decade campaign against the Cuban Revolution testifies to the island’s resilience and strength.

Washington’s regime-change campaign has taken a heavy toll. Responsible Statecraft describes US policy as “bent on breaking the island.” The Guardian reports “an epidemic of flies, rats, waste and foul odors.”

These accounts portray Cuban hardship but intentionally overlook Cuban social achievements. Even statements from Congressional leaders advocating for an end to the blockade by focusing on the crisis it has created, can feed into Washington’s self-serving narrative that Cuba is a “failed nation.”

When descriptions of the humanitarian crisis caused by the escalated blockade do not question the ideological assumption that accepts capitalism as the natural state of humanity, they can be used to depict socialism as an abortive failed experiment.

This is why solidarity activists must take special care to highlight the incredible achievements of Cuba, even under blockade conditions, all while waging an active campaign against the sanctions and gathering supplies to take to the island in solidarity.

Doing so much with so little

The Center for Economic and Policy Research documents a dramatic increase in infant mortality from 4.9, now rising to 9.9 per 1,000 live births, attributable to deteriorating living conditions caused by the US economic war.

Yet, even under this intentional strangulation, Cuba’s infant mortality rate remains among the lowest in the region. Cuba has free public, personalized healthcare for every Cuban from birth and throughout life.

Surrounding countries that are not facing any U.S. sanctions but are forced to survive under capitalist relations have consistently higher infant mortality rates. Panama (11), Dominican Republic (16), El Salvador (12), Honduras (15), Guatemala (20), Jamaica (12), Haiti (45-50).

Most stunning is that Cuba’s infant mortality figures under a ruthless blockade are still lower than for African Americans in the U.S. (10.9).

This reflects the demonstrated success of Cuba’s social medicine model, even under the most challenging of circumstances.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can we best express solidarity with Cuba?

How can war crimes be documented, stopped, punished and prevented?

(continued from left column)

Using Cuba’s example of people-centered healthcare, Nicaragua dramatically reduced their infant mortality from 29 deaths per thousand in 2005 under a right-wing, pro U.S. government to 9 under the Sandinistas and with the assistance of Cuban doctors.

This is why the Trump administration is determined to block Cuban medical staff from providing medical care in the Caribbean. A dozen countries have acquiesced to demands from the U.S. to end medical agreements with Cuba.

Cuba’s medical staff focuses heavily on underserved areas in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. They provide more doctors and medical staff than the World Health Organization and most western nations combined. The United States calls Cuba’s medical internationalism “human trafficking” – but it’s really an internationalist lifeline for the Global South.

Cuba is not alone, as it receives significant solidarity aid from allied states. China, for example, is helping address Cuba’s fossil fuel dependency by supplying 49 solar farms (20% of all its energy needs) and fleets of electric buses, cars, and scooters. Our solidarity movement should highlight and encourage such international cooperation.

Among Cuba’s public health achievements are its international medical brigades, excellence in advanced research, response to the pandemic, service to underserved populations, south-south cooperation initiatives, and the world’s highest doctor-to-patient ratios.

The Cuban socialist model has also produced notable successes in sports and public education.

Writing from Cuba, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio defended the country’s accomplishments over the past decade despite the “intense economic war,” including:

° sustaining the national electrical system while expanding renewable energy

° strengthening telecommunications and expanding internet access

° supporting vulnerable populations through food cultivation

° improving water infrastructure in underserved communities

° developing COVID vaccines and other medicines
expanding domestic industry including the assembly of electric vehicles

For a small, natural resource-poor island, Cuba has achieved so much with so little and under such extraordinarily adverse conditions. The nation asks only that the jackboot of imperialism be lifted so that it may truly flourish.

International people’s solidarity must not allow these incredible achievements to be overlooked as we advocate for relief from the cruel blockade. We should describe this crisis the same way that the Cuban leadership describes it – acknowledging the harms of US imperialism, but always stressing the achievements of the Cuban revolution and the power of solidarity and cooperation.

¡Venceremos!

Leading Organizers from the Following Organizations support this Cuba statement and the Call to Action.

United National Antiwar Coalition, Cuba Si NY/NJ, International US-Cuba Normalization Conference, Venezuela Solidarity Network, US Peace Council, Alliance for Global Justice, SanctionsKill! Campaign, Resist U.S. Led War Movement, Black Alliance for Peace, International League of Peoples Struggles, Americas Without Sanctions, Chicago ALBA Solidarity, Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition, Task Force on the Americas, International Action Center, Veterans For Peace, Code Pink NY, National Lawyers Guild, Anti War Action Network, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Socialist Action, Bronx Antiwar, Compas de la Diaspora, Struggle for Socialism Party, Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle, Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, Workers World Party,

(This statement was initiated by the SanctionsKill Campaign.)

Add your support and help to circulate this statement.

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Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

‘A Voice That Upholds the Conscience of the World’: Spain Honors Francesca Albanese for Efforts to Stop Gaza Genocide

. HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article by Stephen Prager in Common Dreams (licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez honored  Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, on Thursday, in a display of solidarity as she faces sanctions from the United States over her outspoken advocacy against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Citing her work to document human rights violations over more than two years of conflict, Sánchez awarded Albanese the Order of Civil Merit, a knighthood granted to Spanish and foreign citizens for extraordinary services benefiting the state or society.

“Public responsibility… entails the moral obligation not to look the other way,” Sánchez said in a social media post. “It is an honor to award the Order of Civil Merit to a voice that upholds the conscience of the world: Francesca Albanese.”

Earlier this week, Sánchez petitioned  the European Commission to intervene to stop compliance with the Trump administration’s efforts to punish Albanese, as well as members of the International Criminal Court who have brought arrest warrants  against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can we best express solidarity with the people of Gaza?

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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Albanese, an Italian legal scholar, has held the role of special rapporteur since 2022, a year before Israel launched a war in Gaza in response to a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Human rights organizations  and UN experts  have described Israel’s assault as a genocide.

In March 2024, Albanese released  the UN’s first major public report, making the legal case that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe a genocide was being committed, referring to a litany of statements by Israeli officials establishing intent to destroy the Palestinian population.

In addition to documenting Israel’s actions, she has published  research demonstrating the “complicity” of nations that supply weapons and other support to Israel in what she has called a “collective crime” that they should also face responsibility for.

According to official estimates, at least 72,000 Palestinians have been killed  since October 2023, many of them women and children, while independent analyses suggest the death toll is much higher, in part due to the near-total destruction of health and other public infrastructure.

Many of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed by over two years of relentless bombings, leaving most of its 2.1 million people displaced  and living in tent cities.

Albanese told  a Spanish broadcaster that the US and other nations attempting to punish her and other international authorities for speaking out against atrocities in Gaza were “like an international mafia.”

“They want to silence everyone who demands an end to genocide, an end to the crimes,” she said.

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Europe, HUMAN RIGHTS, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Burkina Faso: An inter-institutional cultural day to celebrate social cohesion 

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from the News Agency of Burkina Faso

The youth of the commune of Kokologho celebrated, on Saturday, April 25, an inter-institutional cultural day under the banner of social cohesion. 
 
Organised around the theme “Responsible Youth, a Better Future”, this cultural immersion mobilized local, customary and school authorities in the town’s conference room.

The initiative, led by local educational stakeholders, has a clear objective: to strengthen resilience and cohesion among the people of Kokologho, the teaching staff, and the students. Beyond simply fostering interaction, it aims to stimulate civic engagement and solidarity among young people to build a peaceful future.

(Click here for the article in French.)

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

(continued from left column)

The President of the Special Delegation (PDS) of Kokologho, guest of honor at the ceremony, expressed his satisfaction with the turnout. He commended the students’ creativity and the relevance of this initiative, which promotes community spirit in a context where unity is paramount.

For the event’s patron, His Majesty Naaba Sigri, this day is a lever for safeguarding local identity.

“This is a great joy for me. I commend the leaders who took this initiative to bring together students and the entire population for the preservation of culture. I ask the authorities to support these young people in their mission to promote academic excellence and solidarity,” he pleaded.
 
Echoing this sentiment, co-sponsor Cheick Abdoul Karim Sawadogo expressed his admiration for the youth’s enthusiasm. He stated that this strong mobilization for culture sends a powerful message in favor of tolerance and a culture of peace within the community.
 
The day was marked by various artistic performances, illustrating the richness of the cultural heritage of the Boulkiemdé province, under the benevolent gaze of religious and traditional leaders.

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Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY