Category Archives: Europe

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.

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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?

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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

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,

‘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

English bulletin May 1, 2026

. PEACE IN WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN .

While the Eastern Mediterranean (Lebanon, Palestine, Israel) is torn apart by the war launched by Netanyahou and Trump, the Western Mediterranean (Spain, Morocoo, Algeria, Italy, etc.) has embarked on peace initiatives to ensure that they do not get caught up in a new World War.

Italy and Spain have announced that their air space cannot be used by the Americans for their attacks in the Middle East.

Spanish President Pedro Sánchez hosted two international meetings dedicated to peace and economic justice. Among those takiing part were Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and leading progressive elected officials from the United States. “We want to double our efforts to work for peace and for a reinforced multilateral order. While others open wounds, we want to mend them and cure them,” said Sánchez. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that “by firmly opposing the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran , “it seems to me that Spain’s position is at the forefront in Europe.”


Italy and Algeria are united in peace by the mission of Pope Leo to Algers. The President of the High Islamic Council pointed to its “prominent diplomatic dimension, which is poised to achieve harmony between two states of great religious and historical weight, establishing Algeria as a beacon of radiance for global peace”. The Pope continued on to Angola, Cameroon and Equaterial Guinea where he continued to speak for peace and dialogue. He called explicitly for “a new culture of peace“. As for Italy, it seems that the Pope’s criticism of Trump’s militarism, has led to the country’s opposition to it as well.

Algeria hosted an Arab Forum for Youth, Peace and Security. The UNDP Resident Representative in Algeria, Natasha Van Rijn, highlighted the essential role of young people in consolidating peace. The Yemeni Minister of Youth and Sports underscored the crucial role of young people in spreading a culture of peace and building a more stable future.

In Moroco, the launch of the “Nawal Ouzitane – Youth Voices for Peace” Prize was one of the highlights of an international meeting dedicated to peace and tolerance. This national prize aims to promote the creative expression of young people in various fields, reflecting their awareness of the values of peace and their responsibility in strengthening them, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness among younger generations about the importance of dialogue, openness, and cultural diversity.

Barcelona is the center for peace initiatives. In addition to the meetings hosted by the Spanish President mentioned above, Barcelona is the scene for the mobilization of the Sumud Flotilla, bound for Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. The flotilla has gathered 70 boats, many of them coming from other Mediterranean ports. The fleet carries medical supplies, food, and reconstruction materials while featuring doctors, engineers, legal experts, and activists ready to establish an unarmed protective presence if permitted. Participants include parliamentarians, journalists, and civil society leaders from every continent.

The city of Barcelona, along with the Pablo Casals Foundation has announced a new prize for peace. The Barcelona for Peace International Award  recognises the trajectory, action or project of a person, organisation or institution at an international level which has helped, in a relevant, transformational and verifiable way, to promote peace, coexistence, human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The biennial award carries 300,000 euros in prize money and is geared towards strengthening the media impact and transformational characters of the winning project or organisation.

The rest of Europe is lagging behind Spain and Italy with regard to the wars of Trump and Netanyahou, but hopefully they, too, will eventually join the opposition.

HUMAN RIGHTS


70+ Boats Launch Historic Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza in Bold Solidarity Stand

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT


Colombia: Conference on the Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels concludes with five key outcomes

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION


New Barcelona for Peace International Award

WOMEN’S EQUALITY


Lifetime premieres Peace Peace Now Now, a documentary series about women’s resistance in Latin America
  

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY


Essaouira, Morocco: Launch of the Prize for “Youth Voices for Peace”

EDUCATION FOR PEACE
<
National Autonomous University of Mexico: Encounters and Networks for Peace. Why Talk About a Culture of Peace?

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION


Sánchez, Lula Lead ‘Work for Peace’ and Equality at Gathering of Global Progressive Leaders in Spain

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY


Over 100 International Law Experts Warn: U.S. Strikes on Iran Violate UN Charter and May Be War Crimes

d-disarmament, Europe, Mideast

Sánchez, Lula Lead ‘Work for Peace’ and Equality at Gathering of Global Progressive Leaders in Spain

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

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

Arriving in Spain on Friday for a two-day visit that will center on a gathering of progressive leaders from more than 100 political parties across five continents, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized that the summit was not “an anti-Trump meeting.”

But the contrast between US President Donald Trump’s violent foreign and domestic policies and the international meeting, which will focus on wage inequality and electoral strategy for progressives, was unmistakable as Spanish President Pedro Sánchez opened  the gathering at a press conference in Barcelona on Friday.

“We want to double our efforts to work for peace and for a reinforced multilateral order. While others open wounds, we want to mend them and cure them,” said Sánchez.

Da Silva—who is commonly called Lula—and Sánchez, as well as other leaders who will be attending the weekend event, have spoken out forcefully against Trump’s policies and the rise of the far right in the US, Germany, Italy, and other European countries.

Sánchez has refused  to allow US fighter planes to use Spanish military bases for missions in the US-Israeli war on Iran and  closed  the country’s airspace to American military aircraft—plus doubled down on his condemnation of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war even after the US president threatened  Spain with a trade embargo.

Lula expressed solidarity with Pope Leo this week after the pontiff denounced  the Iran war, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who will also attend the meeting, took aim  last month at Trump’s claim that her country is the “epicenter of cartel violence”—blaming the US for the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico.

Lula emphasized that the 3,000 attendees of the summit, which will include the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy as well as a gathering called the Global Progressive Mobilization on Saturday, will “discuss the state of democracy, to see what went wrong and what we have to do to repair it.”

The Brazilian president added that “Brazil and Spain are side by side in the trenches together.”

“We are an example that it is possible to find solutions to problems without giving into the empty promises of extremism,” said Lula. “Democracy must go beyond just voting and bring real benefits to people’s lives.”

Sánchez added that “in a world that doubts and fragments, Spain and Brazil open a new chapter convinced that our countries have something the world needs: the strength to build bridges where others raise walls.”

The Global Progressive Mobilization meeting will include roundtables dedicated to discussing economic inequality and other issues at a time when, as one report showed  earlier this month, the richest 0.1% of people on the planet are stashing more than $2.8 trillion in tax havens—more than the wealth owned by the entire bottom 50% of humanity.

The economic hardships of working people have only been exacerbated by the war on Iran, which has sent global energy prices soaring.

US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is the only federal US official planning to attend the gathering, while New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani—who has swiftly taken steps toward enacting  a universal childcare program and announced  a plan to tax second homes valued at over $5 million since taking office in January, is scheduled to participate virtually.

Also on Saturday, Lula and Sánchez will host the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy, a summit first held in 2024 with the aim of combating “extremism, polarization, and misinformation.”

Question related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

(article continued from left column)

European Council President António Costa, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and leaders from Albania, Ghana, and Lithuania are among those attending the meeting on democracy.

Lula said the large number of attendees is evidence that progressive governments are winning more influence around the world despite the rise of authoritarian political parties.

“Our flock is growing. We must give hope to the world,” said Lula. “Otherwise, what happened with [Nazi leader Adolf] Hitler is going to happen.”

Economist Gabriel Zucman, who joined  Mamdani this week in publishing an op-ed calling for an end to regressive tax systems and highlighting a proposal for a 2% tax on the wealth of those with more than €100 million, or $117 million, expressed hope that the global left is amassing power by building a cooperative international movement.

“The good news is that, from Zohran Mamdani and [Congresswoman] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York to Pedro Sánchez in Spain, from Lula in Brazil to [Green Party Leader] Zack Polanski in the UK, we may be seeing the early signs of a new cross-border alliance taking shape against global oligarchy,” said Zucman. “And I have no doubt that in this fight—the defining battle of the 21st century—democracy will prevail. See you in Barcelona this weekend to press ahead!”

. . . .

(Editor’s note: It seems that there was no official press release with the results of the meetings in Barcelona on April 17 and 28, but here is some additional information about the meetings, drawn from other sources:

The summit is intended to become a regular event, aiming to “unite progressive forces from around the world.” 

The presence of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the meeting has a symbolic character, just a few weeks after King Felipe VI acknowledged, for the first time, “numerous abuses” during the Spanish conquest of America in the 16th century, a subject of tension between Madrid and Mexico for many months. Sheinbaum declared at the opening of the meeting, “”I come from a people who recognize their origin in the great indigenous cultures, those that were silenced, enslaved and plundered, but that were never defeated, because there are memories that cannot be conquered and roots that can never be uprooted,”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro told the press on Friday that “by firmly opposing the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran , “it seems to me that Spain’s position is at the forefront in Europe.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who campaigned alongside Kamala Harris in her aborted presidential bid against Donald Trump, addressed a large crowd Saturday at the first Global Progressive Mobilization, describing Trump as a “warmonger” with no real plan. Walz denounced an apparent authoritarian drift under Trump, stating that “it has to be called by its name. It’s fascism. Or at least, it’s becoming fascist, as they would say.”

 Giacomo Filibeck , Secretary-General of the Party of European Socialists (PES)., said Left-wing parties needed to show voters there was an alternative to what organisers called the “right-wing international”. No sitting prime minister of a large western European country took the stage.

A Eouropean delegation included German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Italian opposition leader Elly Schlein, and Belgian politician Paul Magnette. The President of the European Council, António Costa, cancelled his visit at the last minute.

Alexander Soros, son of financier George Soros and now chair of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) acted in practice as a third host alongside Sánchez and Lula. Writing on X at the close of the meeting, he said it had been “an honor to welcome so many incredible leaders” to Barcelona, and posted photographs of himself with the Spanish Prime Minister. Pedro Abramovay, a senior OSF programme official, appeared on the speaker list, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also took part.

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Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global,