Vision

Active for peace and disarmament

An inspiring project for the world

Even though we are unlikely to be able to prevent the current escalation and explosion of wars and violence in all its forms, we want to send a historic message, a historic exclamation mark, that the future belongs to the overcoming of wars and violence, that this is the only way in which humanity can continue to develop and find good answers to the current difficulties of human coexistence.

We have begun organising a global gathering of peace and active nonviolence. A gathering of all the efforts of grassroots activists, political groups and politicians, experts, academics, artists, thinkers and spiritual people and groups who are seeking to find and implement peaceful and nonviolent solutions in all spheres of human activity, in the various sectors of society, in their countries and local communities, for peace and disarmament, for real democracy, for a policy of common security and for the realisation and protection of human rights.

It is an attempt to give these positive forces in our world opportunities for networking, inspiration, ideas and great strength, and to send a signal to the world that the overcoming of wars and violence, that is, the ideas of peace and of nonviolence, is not only alive but has continued to develop since Gandhi and King, and is not standing idly by whilst so many situations escalate.

A whole week of nonviolence in Berlin. From 26 September to 3 October 2027.

What do we want? To create an experience together that we and all participants can then take back to our home countries to share there. We hope that our luggage will be full of enthusiasm, optimism and energy; full of new ideas, projects and the confirmation that we are not alone on this planet.

There are around 200 countries in the world. And if we manage to attract one, or hopefully many, participants from every country, we can send out a signal that multiplies and connects in truly diverse ways. And this will happen from person to person, regardless of whether the media reports on it. It will be important to experience that there are optimistic and fantastic people all over the world who are working with the best intentions of their hearts to make this world a more humane place.

Context

We are living in times of an accelerating multi-crisis, a growing number of wars and violent conflicts, from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Venezuela to Thailand-Cambodia, Afghanistan-Pakistan and beyond. Imperialism is revealing its new face in unprecedented ways, including by starving the Cuban population through the US blockade and by making threats of violence and coercion the new norm in international relations. Social rights of the people are reduced, even banned. Countries are reneging on their commitments to a green transition and pushing ahead with new extractive industries focused on rare earth metals.

Democracies are experiencing setbacks as far-right parties restrict the space for civil society. International law and institutions are unable to uphold justice and multilateralism; these post-World War II achievements are dissolving, whilst world leaders pursue their own interests at the expense of the common good.

In light of these and other trends, we are observing a widespread legitimisation of wars and violence and violent means within our societies. At the same time, there are magnificent examples worldwide of peace actions and nonviolent resistance and nonviolent approaches that counter these developments through peace and nonviolent means. We believe that such initiatives must be highlighted, strengthened and consolidated through international solidarity, cooperation and exchange. For it is only in overcoming violence in all its forms (physical, psychological, economic, moral, religious, racial, sexual...) that hope for a future worth living lies.

The idea

A Week of Peace and Nonviolence in Berlin from 26 September to 3 October 2027.

With thousands of participants from all over the world and, hopefully, strong support from the people of Berlin.

During the first four days of the week, decentralised events across all Berlin districts: themed films, exhibitions, symposia, ...

From Friday to Sunday, all events — parallel conferences, round tables, workshops, exhibitions, film and music — come together in one central venue in Berlin.

Finally, a public rally, possibly at or near the Brandenburg Gate, is to take place.

Initiative group

IPB (International Peace Bureau) and PRESSENZA (International Press Agency for Nonviolent Journalism) have been discussing the idea for this project since late 2025. The years of trusting cooperation and our joint work on the 2016 Peace Congress (at TU Berlin) provided an excellent foundation from which to begin.

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On the way

Since February 2026, we have been contacting and informing organisations, groups explicitly committed to nonviolence and potential partners worldwide about the more fully developed idea through face-to-face meetings and virtual conferences. So far, we have reached people and groups in more than 50 countries and have encountered not only approval but also extraordinary enthusiasm for the project. The desire for a global exclamation mark signifying the overcoming of violence and the opportunity for direct exchange and encounter is evident.

As far as possible, we want to prepare this project on the basis of horizontal equality and dialogue, and ensure that Berlin2027 addresses all the pressing social conflicts, brings together diverse approaches and forms of non-violence, and strengthens and inspires them.

So far, around 70 groups, organisations and institutions from every continent have already confirmed their support and announced their attendance. And this is only the beginning...

We approach you today to ask your organization to support the gathering through sponsorship, financial/labour support, (co-)organization of events and activities, and promotion. Ideally, we would like to co-create the event with you, that it can become a joint project not tied to any single organization or network, but open to all those who support active nonviolence. The aim is to jointly create spaces for exchange, learning, visibility and strategic cooperation. We are aware of the limited capacities and busy schedules of all but hope that you may consider this a worthwhile endeavour.

We look forward to working with you!

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