Category Archives: Europe

The Freedom Flotilla Sails Again

. DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY .

An article from Freedom Flotilla

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) today announced that a new international mission to challenge Israel’s illegal and deadly blockade of Gaza is underway.


The violence and torture that Israel inflicted on hundreds of flotilla volunteers this past spring, including severe beatings, repeated tasering, and sexual assault, has not deterred the FFC, just as Israel’s murder of 10 flotilla activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, in 2010 did not stop the movement. If anything, action is needed now more than ever.

While much of the world has moved on from Gaza, believing a supposed “ceasefire” has ended the genocide, Israel continues to kill Palestinians in Gaza at will; use its blockade to restrict and manipulate the entry of the food, medicine, and fuel that a besieged population depends on to survive; and deny Palestinians their fundamental right to freedom.

The new mission involves a port-to-port voyage throughout Europe, bringing together human rights advocates, union activists, elected representatives, journalists, medical professionals, and other supporters of Palestinian freedom. In June and July 2026, FFC vessel, Handala II, sailed around Scandinavia, making stops at ports in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Earlier this month, the vessel, Kate, launched from Bristol, UK and has made port calls in Ireland, Germany, and France.

Upcoming stops include ports in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, before the flotilla continues on to Gaza. At every stop, the flotilla will stand with local communities to press their own governments to end their complicity in genocide by blocking weapons and energy shipments that arm Israel’s aggression, ending diplomatic and military cooperation, and imposing real sanctions. The journey will build public support and international pressure ahead of the flotilla’s planned attempt to reach Gaza in October 2026.

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

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“The Freedom Flotilla sails again because our governments continue to fail to uphold their obligations,” said Zohar Chamberlain Regev, FFC Steering Committee member. “At every port, we will carry the demand that Palestinians be free to live with dignity. In October, we intend to carry that demand and the solidarity of people around the world to Gaza’s shores.”


Throughout the port-to-port journey, FFC and its local partners will organize public welcomes, community gatherings, media events, and opportunities for supporters to visit the vessels. Details of port calls and public events will be released as arrangements are confirmed.


Since 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has brought together civil-society organizations and grassroots campaigns from around the world to challenge the blockade by sea. Its work continues the precedent established by the Free Gaza Movement, whose vessels began sailing to Gaza in 2008.

The FFC calls on governments to:

° Demand safe, unimpeded passage of the flotilla to Gaza, including by making clear that any attack, seizure, or unlawful detention will have consequences;

° Demand immediate and unrestricted access to Gaza and an end to Israel’s obstruction of food, water, medicine, and other essential no

° Defend the freedom of navigation by declaring that any attack, boarding, seizure, diversion, or other use of force against flotilla vessels will trigger immediate diplomatic action;

° Use diplomatic, economic, legal, and other available measures to end Israel’s unlawful blockade and prevent further violations of Palestinians’ fundamental rights and international humanitarian law; and Commit publicly to holding accountable any state or actor responsible for attacking, unlawfully detaining, or otherwise endangering flotilla participants.

“We know that sailing toward Gaza carries serious risks,” said Edward Digilio, an engineer from Maryland, United States. “But silence and inaction carry a much greater cost for Palestinians and the world. This mission is an expression of shared humanity and a refusal to accept the destruction of an entire people as normal.”

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DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, Mideast,

France: The National Collective for Peace Marches; Declaration for September 21, 2026

. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION .

A declaration by the National Collective for Peace Marches (translation by CPNN)

International Day of Peace, September 21, 2026: “Stop wars, stop violence, stop poverty.”

The National Collective for Peace Marches calls for a multiplication of initiatives everywhere between September 19 and 26. Hope lies in our collective ability to compel choices other than the war economy and war itself.

The National Collective for Peace Marches calls upon citizens, as well as trade unions and organizations—whether civic, political, cultural, humanist, or philosophical—to multiply initiatives across France. The aim is to make the population’s and the peoples’ profound desire to live in peace heard.

The international situation is extremely grave. Wars are spreading, international law is too often flouted, military spending is rising massively, and nuclear arsenals are being modernized; furthermore, the risk of the conflict expanding globally—including the potential use of nuclear weapons—cannot be ignored.

Against this backdrop, the Collective reaffirms its refusal to succumb to resignation or to the normalization of war. Since 2015, it has brought together nearly 200 national and local organizations around a clear call: “For peace: stop war, stop violence, stop poverty. Let us express our desire to live in peace in a world of solidarity, justice, and fraternity.”

War is always a failure. It destroys lives, drives civilian populations into exile, exacerbates inequalities, fuels human rights violations and crimes against humanity, and diverts vast resources that should be dedicated to jobs, wages, healthcare, education, housing, public services, and the ecological transition.

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(Click here for the original article in French.)

Question for this article:

Will you participate in the International Day of Peace?

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We refuse to see social rights, freedoms, human dignity, the security of peoples, and the future of coming generations sacrificed to the logic of war, domination, and militarization. International law must take precedence over force. Negotiated political solutions must prevail over war and violence. Lasting peace cannot be built without social justice, ecological justice, cooperation among peoples, respect for state sovereignty, and the concrete realization of all human rights.

Through this mobilization, the Collective calls for action to achieve human security—both nationally and globally—built upon the principles of the UN Charter, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the implementation of the eight areas of a culture of peace defined by the United Nations, and the realization of IPCC recommendations to combat global warming.

In the face of the spiral of war, hope lies in citizen action and in the unity of social, trade union, civic, environmental, feminist, humanist, cultural, and political forces that reject war as an inevitability.

On September 21, 2026—and throughout the week of September 19–26—the National Peace March Collective therefore invites people everywhere to organize marches and rallies, Public debates, forums, concerts, exhibitions, cultural initiatives, meetings with elected officials, and activities in neighborhoods, villages, workplaces, schools, and universities. Every initiative counts. Every voice raised counts. Every presence in the public sphere counts.

The Collective also calls for this momentum to be sustained around United Nations Disarmament Week (late October to early November) by organizing departmental peace forums. These events aim to raise awareness of the alternatives for global human security championed by the Collective—alternatives rooted in the tangible realization of all human rights.

Let us march! Let us debate! Let us come together! Let us take action! Together for peace, justice, social rights, and human rights.

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DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

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

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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Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

From Adoption to Action: A New Council of Europe Recommendation on Peace Education by, with and for Young People

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Phill Gittins in World Beyond War

The Recommendation offers a further policy reference point across the Council of Europe’s 46 member states. Its significance will depend on how far it contributes to work already underway to advance a culture of peace and nonviolence, challenge cultures of war and violence, deepen meaningful youth participation, and inform policy, practice, and research.

On July 8, 2026, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)11 on Peace Education by, with and for Young People  and took note of its explanatory memorandum.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Committee of Ministers recommendations set out common policy agreed by member states. They are not legally binding, but provide a policy framework and proposals for national action. This Recommendation sets out principles and measures to help member states recognize, support, and strengthen peace education by, with, and for young people across youth policy, youth work, non-formal learning, and wider educational settings. Grounded in human rights and meaningful youth participation, it can be interpreted and adapted in different national and local contexts.

Its relevance extends to peace educators and teachers; youth workers; young people and youth organizations; peacebuilding and civil society organizations; researchers, funders, policymakers and public authorities.

The Recommendation comes at a time when many young people are living with war, militarization, polarization, disinformation, hate speech, inequality, ecological crisis and declining trust in democratic institutions.

Peace education is not an optional addition to education, youth work or peacebuilding. It can help people understand conflict, challenge violence and injustice, care for relationships and communities, work across differences and create more peaceful alternatives.

Adoption matters, but the real test is what follows.

The process leading to the Recommendation

The process leading to the Recommendation unfolded over more than three years through consultation, research, drafting, dialogue and negotiation. It formed part of a much longer Council of Europe youth-sector engagement with peace, human rights and youth participation.

One significant step was the Council of Europe Youth Department’s Consultative Meeting on Renewing Peace Education in Intercultural Youth Activities, held at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg on January 24-25, 2023.

The gathering brought together 35 people working across peace education, peacebuilding and conflict transformation to review and renew approaches to peace education in light of contemporary realities and young people’s concerns, including armed conflict.

The Joint Council on Youth subsequently asked the Council of Europe Secretariat to examine the need and possibilities for a Committee of Ministers recommendation.

Dr. Phill Gittins, Education Director at World BEYOND War, was then invited to research and author a Feasibility Study on a Recommendation on Peace Education in Non-formal Learning and Youth Work.

Completed in October 2024, the study drew on policy frameworks, existing research and practice, surveys, interviews and contributions from people working in different contexts. It examined the case for a Recommendation, what it might address and how it could contribute to strengthening the recognition, accessibility, quality and impact of peace education.

The study also highlighted a continuing gap between growing recognition of peace education and the political commitment, resources and accountability needed to support it nationally and locally.

In October 2024, the Joint Council on Youth endorsed the conclusions of the feasibility study and established a drafting group.

Gittins was subsequently engaged as the Council of Europe consultant responsible for preparing the initial and successive drafts of the Recommendation and its explanatory memorandum, reflecting the orientations, decisions and proposals of the drafting group.

The group brought together governmental and non-governmental youth representatives, young people, experts and Council of Europe colleagues. It held its first in-person meeting in Strasbourg in March 2025, followed by a second meeting in June 2025.

The work continued through successive drafts, consultation, feedback, legal and policy review, revision and negotiation. In March 2026, the Joint Council on Youth finalized the draft Recommendation, preparing the way for its adoption by the Committee of Ministers.

The process brought together different experiences, responsibilities and understandings of peace, education, security and youth participation. That diversity made the work demanding, but also strengthened it. The challenge was to secure intergovernmental agreement while keeping the text meaningful, ambitious and useful.

The Recommendation is therefore the product of a wider collective effort: participants in the 2023 meeting; contributors to the feasibility study; the governmental and non-governmental representatives, young people and experts in the drafting group; and colleagues who supported consultation, revision, negotiation, legal and policy review, finalization and adoption.

Building on existing work

Although the Recommendation is new, the work it brings together is not.

Within the Council of Europe, it builds on longstanding work in human rights education, education for democratic citizenship, intercultural learning, youth participation, youth work and non-formal education, alongside peace education, peacebuilding and conflict transformation.

This history includes the Youth Peace Camp, initiated in 2003; resources such as Compass; support provided through the European Youth Foundation; and the youth sector’s co-management system, through which governmental and non-governmental youth representatives participate in shared decision-making.

Beyond the Council of Europe, the Recommendation draws on decades of peace-education theory, research and practice and on the work of peace educators, teachers, youth workers, young peacebuilders, civil society organizations, researchers and communities seeking to prevent violence, transform conflict and build more peaceful and just societies.

It complements UNESCO’s 2023 Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development  and Sustainable Development Goal 4.7, which provide an important global framework for education that contributes to peace, human rights, global citizenship and sustainable development.

It also sits alongside the United Nations Youth, Peace and Security agenda, which has strengthened international recognition of young people’s agency and their roles in preventing conflict and building and sustaining peace.

The Recommendation is not a substitute for this work, but a further contribution to it. It brings these different strands together within a Council of Europe policy standard focused on peace education by, with and for young people, while offering a shared reference point for continued debate, learning and practice.

Against this wider background, two features are particularly distinctive.

1. It explicitly connects advancing a culture of peace with challenging cultures of war and violence

Peace is more than the absence of war or violence. It involves cultivating the relationships, capacities, values, cultures and institutions needed for peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

Dialogue, tolerance and interpersonal conflict management matter, but they are not enough.

Peace education must also examine the systems, narratives and practices through which war and violence are prepared, justified and normalized.

From a World BEYOND War perspective, a culture of peace cannot be credibly advanced while cultures of war and violence remain unseen or unchallenged.

War is prepared not only on battlefields, but through political choices, institutions, economic priorities, educational practices and assumptions about security and power.

Questions for this article:

How can we promote a human rights, peace based education?

The feasibility study reflected these connected purposes: education about, for and toward a culture of peace and nonviolence, based on human rights, and away from cultures of war and violence.

Building more peaceful alternatives and questioning what makes violence appear normal, necessary or inevitable are inseparable tasks.

2. It places peace education by, with and for young people at the center

Too much work involving young people is still designed without them, delivered to them or carried out for them.

Young people may be consulted only after important decisions have been made, while holding little influence over the purpose, design, implementation or evaluation of the work.

The drafting process sought to reflect the Recommendation’s commitment to youth participation. Young people and non-governmental youth representatives contributed to discussion, drafting and revision alongside governmental representatives, experts and Council of Europe colleagues.

This does not mean that differences in authority, role and institutional power disappeared. No participatory process is perfect. Nevertheless, youth participation was built into the process rather than added only after the main decisions had been made.

Young people are not merely beneficiaries of peace education. They are knowledge-holders, educators, organizers, researchers, decision-makers, co-creators and peacebuilders.

Peace education by, with and for young people therefore depends on meaningful participation, youth leadership, shared responsibility and intergenerational collaboration, with genuine opportunities to influence decisions that affect young people’s lives.

Supporting these commitments in practice

The Recommendation also considers the conditions needed to sustain these commitments.

Peace education too often depends on short-term projects, temporary grants and committed people working without adequate recognition or institutional support.

The Recommendation can support existing efforts to move beyond isolated activities by providing a basis for stronger integration into youth policy, youth work, non-formal learning and wider educational environments.

This means looking beyond curriculum content to the conditions that sustain meaningful work: professional learning, institutional recognition, coordination, adequate resources and accessible opportunities.

The Recommendation cannot create these conditions by itself. Progress will depend on political commitment, institutional follow-through and the ability to translate a shared policy framework into locally relevant practice.

Who can use the Recommendation — and how?

The Recommendation should not be treated only as a statement of principles. It can be used as a practical tool by different groups.

Peace educators, teachers and youth workers can use it to review and strengthen curricula, programs, training and learning environments, and to make the case for greater recognition, professional development and support.

Young people and youth organizations can use it to strengthen advocacy, call for meaningful participation and adequate resources, and assess whether policies and programs are genuinely being developed by, with and for young people.

Peacebuilding and civil society organizations and networks can use it to build alliances, engage governments and institutions, identify gaps between commitments and practice, and encourage stronger implementation.

Policymakers and public authorities can use it to review and develop policies, implementation plans, funding priorities, professional learning and coordination across peace education, youth and related sectors.

Funders and institutions can use it to support longer-term investment in people, organizations, partnerships and educational infrastructure.

Researchers and evaluators can use it as a reference point for examining access, quality, youth influence, institutional change and the longer-term contribution of peace education.`

Used in these ways, the Recommendation can support advocacy, policy development, program design, institutional reflection, research, evaluation and public accountability. Its value will ultimately be judged less by how often it is cited than by whether it informs decisions, resources and practice.

From policy to practice

Policies do not implement themselves.

The challenge is to turn this standard into meaningful practice without allowing implementation to become top-down, standardized or disconnected from people on the ground.

Shared principles do not require identical programs. Priorities will differ across contexts shaped by armed conflict, racism, political exclusion, community violence, ecological insecurity or deep polarization.

Implementation will therefore need to be locally interpreted, adapted and co-created.

Governments and institutions have responsibilities that cannot be transferred to young people or civil society. At the same time, implementation will be weaker if it does not draw on the knowledge of those already doing the work in communities, schools, universities, youth organizations and non-formal learning settings.

Young people must remain involved not simply as participants, but as partners in deciding what implementation should look like and how progress should be assessed.

Supporting dissemination, exchange and continued learning

The Council of Europe has indicated that the next phase will include promoting the Recommendation through social media and partner networks, alongside planning to support its translation and implementation in member states.

Gittins is also exploring two complementary possibilities, subject to the interest and agreement of others involved:

Webinars and exchanges with organizations and networks working on peace education, youth work, education policy and Youth, Peace and Security. These could explore how the Recommendation relates to other international frameworks, including UNESCO’s 2023 Recommendation, and how its principles might be interpreted and adapted in different national and local contexts.

Reflective and scholarly writing arising from the development process. Ideas include a collaborative article on co-creation, participation and negotiation involving members of the drafting group, including young people; a dialogical piece bringing together different experiences and perspectives; and a personal reflexive account of the process, including its tensions, compromises and learning.

These ideas remain at an early stage. Their purpose would not simply be to promote the Recommendation, but to encourage critical engagement, knowledge exchange and shared learning about its possibilities, limitations and practical use.

Adoption is an achievement, not the endpoint

Will peace educators, young people and youth organizations know about and use the Recommendation? Will governments support its aims through policy, programming, funding and professional development? Will progress be assessed and shortcomings addressed?

Peace education alone cannot resolve every conflict or dismantle every structure that sustains war and violence. It must form part of wider political, economic, social, institutional and cultural change.

But no credible attempt to build lasting peace can neglect how people learn to understand conflict, challenge injustice, question violence, care for relationships and communities, work across differences and create more peaceful alternatives.

Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)11 can add weight and practical direction to this wider work.

Its adoption deserves celebration, but its significance will depend on what follows: collaboration, resources, critical reflection, political commitment and continued engagement from peace educators, young people and those working on the ground.

That is the work that now begins.

Dr. Phill Gittins is Education Director at World BEYOND War. He authored the Council of Europe feasibility study and later served as the consultant responsible for preparing successive drafts of the Recommendation and its explanatory memorandum, in collaboration with the drafting group and the Council of Europe Secretariat.

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe, global, Uncategorized,

La Alpujarra, Granada, Spain: Manifest Pueblos por la Paz

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

Special to CPNN from Pepe Jesús García Aragón

La Taha Town Council has declared the seven villages of La Taha as ‘Villages for Peace’.

We present here the declaration and manifesto, unanimously approved by the full council on June 17, 2025.

From La Taha Town Council, we encourage everyone to create, TOGETHER, the opportunity to transform the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence.


MANIFEST LA TAHA TOWN COUNCIL ‘PUEBLOS POR LA PAZ’

A single stream of water comes down from Mount Mulhacén and, when it touches our irrigation ditches, it becomes life. Likewise, a single idea – peace – descends today into our hearts and makes them beat together.

From the chestnut trees of Pitres to the terraces of Atalbéitar; from the viewpoints of Capilerilla to the alleys of Ferreirola, and the tinaos of Mecina-Fondales, our land knows about hospitality and effort.

In each stone nests the memory of those who knew how to care and be cared for.

Today, in the face of the pain that devastates so many corners of the planet, we raise our voices.

PEACE AS A LIVING HERITAGE

The Alpujarra has been, over the centuries, a crossroads of cultures. Moors, settlers and travelers brought diverse customs that took root without erasing each other: that coexistence is our best legacy.

Every agricultural terrace that shapes the mountain, every tinao (porch) that protects from the midday sun, testifies to cooperation as a form of survival.

Defending peace is, therefore, defending our own history and projecting it towards tomorrow.

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(Click here for the Manifesto in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

How important is community development for a culture of peace?

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PROCLAMATION

Gathered in the heart of the Alpujarra region of Granada, we solemnly declare that the seven villages that make up our municipality—Pitres, Capilerilla, Mecina, Mecinilla, Fondales, Ferreirola, and Atalbéitar—recognize and name themselves: “Pueblos por la Paz” (Villages for Peace).

This declaration is not an empty symbol: it is a profound commitment, a daily task, a seed that we must water with the clean water of justice, freedom, and dignity.

OUR VISION

• A community where differences are celebrated as a shared asset.
• A territory that offers dignified opportunities to young people so they do not have to leave.
• Town squares that are agoras of dialogue, music, and poetry, never trenches of verbal violence.
• A municipality that participates in building peace beyond its borders, supporting those who suffer from war and exclusion.

WHY WE DO IT

• Because the world needs lighthouses that remind us that violence is not destiny.
• Because we believe that every girl and boy deserves to grow up without fear.
• Because the nature that sustains us only flourishes where there is respect.
• Because our ancestors bequeathed us the value of a given word and an extended hand.
• Because peace is not stillness, but a path that is walked together.
• Because the singing of the ditches is only possible if the channel is free of fear.

OUR COMMITMENTS

• Reject all forms of violence and actively work for non-violence in our streets, homes and schools.
• Defend the life and dignity of each person, without distinction of sex, origin, culture or faith.
• Take care of our natural environment with sustainable practices that guarantee water, air and land for future generations.
• Promote education in values ​​of empathy, dialogue and cooperation, strengthening the voice of our young people.
• Make visible and celebrate the good actions that sow peace among us, so that they inspire other people.
• Create alliances with institutions and communities around the world that share this desire, learning and sharing paths.
• Allocate our resources, creativity and effort to projects that reduce inequality and promote inclusion.
• Commemorate each year the International Day of Peace, the Day of Non-violence and any dates that remind us that peace needs to be celebrated and renewed.

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DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

London: International Conference Against War

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Counterfire

As activists from across Europe and beyond met to oppose war, Jamal Elaheebocus and Lauren Simmonds report on the determination of delegates to build a massive international movement for peace.

Over 3,000 delegates from across Europe gathered in Central Hall, Westminster for the second International Conference Against War on Saturday 20 June. Following the initial conference in Paris last year, this year’s conference organised by the Stop the War Coalition and supported by hundreds of trade unions and campaign groups marks a step forward for the international movement.


Video of Conference (starts at minute 12)

The day before, there was an excited buzz as around 200 delegates from Europe and beyond filed in to the NEU Headquarters at Hamilton House in London, for the pre-conference Action Planning Meeting. There was a short introduction to the meeting from a panel of speakers which included Daniel Kebede, NEU General Secretary, who welcomed us to the venue, and STW’s Lindsey German, who made the important point that the answer to the US imperial project does not lie with European rearmament and that the enemy for us all, is the one at home.

There was plenty of time for the duration of the meeting to hear from a wide range of speakers who had put their slips in for an opportunity to address the meeting. We heard from activists from both Ukraine and Russia, who made the case for solidarity with dissenters in both countries. Students from France and Germany, organising against conscription and Trade Unionists and organisations from multiple counties making the case for welfare not warfare, and mobilising opposition within the labour movement to the reoccurring issues of social cuts in favour of ever increasing military spending.

High on the agenda was of course the condemnation of the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the need for continued solidarity. We also heard from the chair of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Kevin Courtney, who highlighted the escalating crisis happening there as a result of the US blockade and the growing threat of US military intervention. The important issue of the situation in Sudan was also raised, and how it relates to Western imperialism.

It was a day of connection, conversation and vital networking, where people could share the important work and organising they were involved in, and where the anti-war message transcended language barriers. With the groundwork laid, the Anti-War Conference on Saturday was shaping up to be a truly historic occasion.

The main event

The Saturday morning session of the conference at Central Hall Westminster began with an assembly of trade unionists and activists from across Europe discussing the increasing militarism across their countries and how they are responding. Workers from Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Bahrain and more spoke and there was a consistent theme throughout the session: their governments were preparing for war and were doing so by decimating the living standards of working-class people.

(Article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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However, there were also stories of resistance, of huge protests in solidarity with Palestine, school students in Germany striking against conscription and the Global Sumud Flotilla which has sailed numerous times to break the siege of Gaza and attempted to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid.

Sukana Rhawani, the mother of Filton political prisoner Fatema Zainab Rajwani, who was sentenced as a terrorist by a judge the previous week, spoke movingly about the increasing authoritarianism being unleashed against an effective and powerful Palestine solidarity movement in the UK.

Anti-conscription campaigns

Students and young people met to discuss the launch of a mass campaign against conscription, with German school striker Felix Kreklow Rojas addressing the meeting and relaying his experiences in organising school strikes against conscription in Germany. Students from France, Spain, Britain and the US spoke of their campaigns. There was a consensus that a coordinated international response is needed and that days of action against conscription will be held on 21-22 November.

The first of two main sessions in the impressive main hall discussed the global drive to war. Parliamentarians from across Europe spoke of their governments’ hikes in warfare spending. Numerous British MPs, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, spoke of the need to build opposition to welfare cuts and defence spending regardless of who replaces Keir Starmer as prime minister.
Lower your guns and raise our wages

The rally also heard from trade union leaders, including the BFAWU’s Ian Hodson, UCU’s Jo Grady and Fran Heathcote of PCS. All spoke of the effect of stagnant wages and falling living standards on their members and the need to oppose further declines to fund the ruling class’s wars. Jo Grady, who moved the successful ‘Wages not Weapons’ motion at TUC Congress spoke of the need for trade unions to up their campaigning against hikes in defence spending to reflect the current policy. She also reflected on the fact that this change in policy was a big win for the anti-war movement, considering the previous policy of unconditional support for increases in defence spending.

The highlight of the session was a powerful speech by Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian physician and leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, which received a rapturous reception.

The second session discussed the drive to war in Europe. Among the speakers was La France Insoumise MP Jérôme Legavre, who had an instrumental role in organising the Paris peace conference, and spoke of the LFI’s opposition to Macron’s hikes in defence spending. French delegates, and others called for Macron to resign, chanting ‘Macron démission’. John Rees, national officer of Stop the War, gave a rousing speech calling on the working class of Europe to unite and fight back against our rulers’ class warfare.

The conference spilled out onto the roads outside Central Hall with an atmosphere of excitement and determination. Most importantly, coordinated action was agreed upon meaning that the powerful words spoken in the hall will become action in the autumn. An international day of Palestine protests will be held on 10 October in addition to a day of action in solidarity with the Genoa dockers in October (date to be confirmed), who refused to load arms bound for Israel, and the days of action – 21-22 November – against conscription.

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DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

Catholic Institute for Nonviolence: new developments

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Email received from Pace é Bene (see authors below)

We are happy to announce that Ken Butigan, a long-time Pace e Bene trainer and organizer, has been selected to be the co-director of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence. He will continue to serve as Strategy Consultant at Pace e Bene, where he has worked for many years.

With Pope Francis’ blessing, the institute was launched in 2024 with the aim of making nonviolence research, resources, and lived experience more accessible to Catholic Church leaders, communities, and institutions worldwide. It is a project of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, with which Pace e Bene has been actively involved since CNI was established after a landmark conference ten years ago this spring. [The institute is based in Rome.]


Ken Butigan and Marie Dennis in St. Peter’s Square, October 2024. Photo: Pax Christi International.

The “Nonviolence and Just Peace” conference was held at the Vatican and cosponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International in April 2016. It brought scores of theologians, scholars, Church leaders and, most significantly, practitioners from war zones and other hot spots around the world together to gather in hope of seeing this 2,000 year-old institution actively re-embrace the nonviolence proclaimed and lived by Jesus.

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Question related to this article:


How can we develop the institutional framework for a culture of peace?

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After a year of planning (which Ken Butigan and John Dear, representing Pace e Bene, were part of with so many others, including Marie Dennis of Pax Christi), the conference was a dazzling, multi-layered conversation that culminated in an assembly-wide, consensus-based document entitled, An Appeal to the Catholic Church to Re-Commit to the Centrality of Gospel Nonviolence.

CNI was formed as a project of Pax Christi not long after the conference, with leadership from around the world, including Pace e Bene. CNI has been at it ever since, building relationships at the Vatican and with partners worldwide, holding two other conferences in Rome, publishing books, papers and articles; sponsoring many webinars and seminars, and organizing countless meetings. All of this has been focused on inviting the Church to come to a richer and deeper understanding of a nonviolence that combines the power of rejecting violence, the power of refusing to harm others, and the power of love in action. We have been heartened by the prophetic call to nonviolence Pope Francis made repeatedly and that Pope Leo has continued.

The spirit of nonviolence is present in the pope’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, including its call to “disarm AI” and its declaration that “the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated. Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts.”

Ken is grateful for all the ways Pace e Bene has supported CNI and the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence. We look forward to deepening and broadening our ongoing partnership in working to advance nonviolence in the Church and the world.

Peace and all good,
Erin, Ken, Rivera, Stacie, Layal, Rosie, Mili, and the Pace e Bene Team

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DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global,

Edgar Morin deplores “the world’s silence in the face of the carnage in Gaza”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from L’Orient le Jour (translation by CPNN)

(Editor’s note: Edgar Morin passed away on May 29, 2026, at the age of 104 years.)

While Edgar Morin’s public appearances are rare, this one will undoubtedly remain one of his most striking. “I am both stunned and outraged by the fact that those who represent the descendants of a people who have been persecuted for centuries (…) can not only colonize an entire people (…) but, in addition, after the massacre of October 7, have committed a veritable, massive carnage against the people of Gaza.”


An extremely popular intellectual figure in France, Edgar Morin is the author of a transdisciplinary body of work translated into 27 languages ​​and published in 42 countries. Photo AFP)

With shining eyes and a high-pitched voice, emphasizing each word, the 102-year-old French philosopher and sociologist delivered a short plea on Saturday, February 10 [ 2024], to a packed house at the Marrakech African Book Festival, where he was the guest of honor, deploring “a horrific tragedy.” The Israeli offensive has killed more than 28,000 people in Gaza since the start of the war more than four months ago, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

(Article continued in the column on the right)

(Click here for the original version in French)

Questions related to this article:

How can we carry forward the work of the great peace and justice activists who went before us?

How can we best express solidarity with the people of Gaza?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

Jewish Resistance Fighter

The message is all the more powerful because it comes from the son of Jewish immigrants from Thessaloniki, born Edgar Nahoum, who joined the Resistance in 1943 as a lieutenant in the Free French Forces formed by General de Gaulle, later adopting his Resistance name, Morin. Influenced by Marx, this man, who studied philosophy, psychology, sociology, and the history of political science, has always aspired to become what he calls a “humanologist,” or to understand what it means to be human by combining different fields of knowledge.

The excerpt in question has been shared tens of thousands of times on X, where the intellectual’s humanity has been widely praised, including by some French political figures on the left. “Edgar Morin thinks and speaks truthfully on behalf of all those who still possess a human touch in the face of the genocide in Gaza,” lauded Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), on X. “A century and a perspective still capable of indignation, of condemning the silences,” tweeted Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the Socialist Party.

In a recent opinion piece in Le Monde, Edgar Morin had already addressed the tragedy in Gaza, while also expressing alarm at the proliferation of conflicts worldwide and climate change. “Crises feed off one another in a kind of multi-faceted ecological, economic, political, social, and civilizational crisis that is steadily intensifying,” he wrote, before calling for “fundamental resistance of the mind” against “hatred and contempt.”

In his final address, the sociologist denounced “the silence of the world, the silence of the United States, protectors of Israel, the silence of the Arab states, the silence of the European states that claim to be defenders of culture, humanity, and human rights.” He concluded: “The only thing left, if we cannot resist in a concrete way, is to bear witness.”

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Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, HUMAN RIGHTS, Mideast,

The pilot project “Yes, it is peace!” is launched in schools near the university of Barcelona

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

The Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS) and the Escola de Cultura de Pau (ECP) have launched the educational project Sí que es pau! (Yes, it is peace!), linked to the CROMA 2.0 program, with the aim of helping primary school students understand armed violence and providing them with the tools to act as agents of peace. The project ran from February to March of this year and involved six FAS volunteers who facilitated the sessions in the participating schools.

The initiative was implemented in six schools near the university—Sant Martí and Serraparera (Cerdanyola), Montessori and Pau Casals (Rubí), and Nova Electra and Sant Llorenç del Munt (Terrassa)—following a four-week program with sessions from Monday to Thursday.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the best way to teach peace to children?

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The project is based on a central idea: war has global impacts, and it is essential to equip children and young people with the tools to understand it and take action against it. Through six sessions, students have explored concepts such as direct and structural violence, International Humanitarian Law, military spending, conscientious objection, and peace initiatives, and have learned about the stories of activists from Gaza, Israel, South Africa, and Spain.

The learning process is documented audiovisually.

As part of the project, an explanatory video filmed at the Escola Montessori in Rubí has ​​been produced, capturing one of the student work sessions. The video offers a close look at the development of the educational approach and how a space for reflection is created in the classroom.

The video features Cecile Barbeito, a trainer from the Escola de Cultura de Pau (School of Peace Culture), as well as two volunteers from the FAS (Foundation for Social Action), Ivet Pomés and Alberto León, who facilitated the activities. The video includes the voices of some students, who share their reflections on issues such as conscientious objection. It also includes some impressions from UAB (Autonomous University of Barcelona) students on how this pilot program has worked.

The project has received support from the Agència Catalana de Cooperació per al Desenvolupament, Generalitat de Catalunya.

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe