The World Social Forum serves as a global platform for civil society groups, bringing together NGOs, advocacy campaigns, and grassroots movements to build international solidarity and challenge traditional globalization. By uniting these diverse groups, the gathering acts as a clear expression of global activism working toward alternative, more equitable futures. However, this year the Benin government’s decision to block the event at the last minute—including denying entry to participants and caravans—raised serious global concerns about the protection of civil society space.
Continue reading “What Happened at World Social Forum (WSF) 2026?”Author: sean
Post-2026 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs
This August, our Co-Presidents Joseph Gerson and Cora Fabros were in Japan to commemorate the 81st anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9.
Standing alongside Hibakusha and peace advocates, we are renewing our call for a nuclear-free world—through the abolition of nuclear weapons, the promotion of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), stronger nuclear-weapon-free zones, and cooperation among governments, the UN, and civil society.
Continue reading “Post-2026 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs”An Ocean of Peace
Nagasaki, August 9, 2026 — 81 Years After the Atomic Bombing
Speech by Cora Fabros, IPB Co-President
Friends, ohayo guzaimas!
81 years after the atomic bomb was dropped on this city.
We remember. We grieve.
We carry the memory of those who died— and the voices of those who survived.
The Hibakusha have told us again and again: “Never again.”
Those are not simply words from the past. They are a warning to our present.
And they are a responsibility to our future.
I come here today from the Philippines peace and justice movement and the International Peace Bureau.
I come from a country that knows what it means to live under the shadow of military power.
I come from a people who resisted foreign military bases.
I come from a movement that opposed the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant because we knew that nuclear technology is not simply about electricity or weapons. It is about what kind of future we choose for our people. And I come here remembering our own struggles under dictatorship—
when people risked their lives for freedom, democracy and peace.
Those struggles taught me something very simple: Peace does not come by itself.
Peace must be defended. Must be built. Must be chosen.
That is why today, standing here in Nagasaki, I want to make an appeal—
an appeal not only to governments, not only to political leaders, but to every one of us.
Let us build an OCEAN OF PEACE.
An ocean so vast that no bomb can cross it.
An ocean so deep that hatred cannot reach its bottom.
An ocean whose waves carry food, medicine, education, dignity— and freedom
instead of missiles, warships and nuclear weapons.
An ocean where the lives of children are valued more than military power.
An ocean where security does not mean preparing to destroy another country—
but making sure that every human being has enough to eat,
a home to live in,
clean water to drink,
a school to attend,
a planet to inherit,
and the freedom to live without fear.
Let us build an Ocean of Peace.
But an ocean is not made by one drop.
It is made by millions of drops coming together.
And we are those drops.
One person.
One community.
One movement.
One country.
One people reaching out to another.
Here in Asia and the Pacific, we know this very well.
Women everywhere who have stood up against militarization, occupation, nuclear weapons and war, know this very well.
Our histories and languages may be different.
Our countries may be separated by thousands of miles of ocean.
But our struggles are connected.
Our struggles, Our future, Our humanity is one.
And that is why Nagasaki and Hiroshima belong to all of us.
The memory of the Hibakusha belongs to all of us.
The memory of the Hibakusha and their suffering belongs to our human conscience. And their courage belongs to our future.
Today, as we look at the world around us, we cannot remain silent.
We see Wars. Occupation. Children buried beneath the rubble.
We see military budgets growing while people struggle to afford food, housing, health care and education.
We see nuclear weapons being modernized.
We see governments continue to make us believe in the myth that security requires more weapons. More bases. More nuclear weapons.
Nagasaki tells us that they can only lead to ashes. to suffering beyond imagination. Leaving wounds that continue across generations.
So today, from Nagasaki— from this city that carries one of humanity’s deepest wounds—
we say:
NO to nuclear weapons!
NO to war!
NO to injustice!
NO to imperialist wars of aggression!
And let us say something even more powerful and profound:
YES to life! Yes to peace. Yes to human dignity.
Yes to justice. To freedom. To solidarity.
Yes to a world where no mother has to bury her child because of war.
Yes to a world where nations resolve their differences without destroying human lives.
LET US CHOOSE LIFE!
My friends, We cannot leave the work of peace to the next generation only.
We are the collective generation that must do it.
We must dream— but we must also stand. We must speak— but we must also organize.
We must remember— but we must also act.
And we can only do this if we stand together.
Across borders. Across oceans. Across generations.
Not only today. But for all the days of our lives.
Let us carry the voices of the Hibakusha with us.
Let us build an Ocean of Peace.
An ocean made from our courage! our solidarity! from our resistance!
An ocean made from our love for humanity.
And when millions of us become those drops—
when we join together— no weapon can silence us.
No border can divide us. No government can make us forget.
Because the future belongs not to the bomb-makers, not to the war-mongers,
not to those who profit from destruction!
The future belongs to the people who choose life!
So from Nagasaki, let our message travel across Japan— across Asia and the Pacific—
across every continent— across every ocean!
LET US BUILD AN OCEAN OF PEACE!
LET US CHOOSE LIFE— THAT WE MAY ALL LIVE THE LIFE THAT WE DESERVE!
GAMBATTE KUDASAI!!!
Between Disaster and Foreign Interference: Lessons in Peace and Solidarity in the Wake of the Earthquake in Venezuela
Written by IPB Council Member and WBW Latin America Organizer Gabriel Aguirre – Caracas, August 5, 2026
Imagine returning home after a holiday and realizing you’ve lost everything: family, friends, acquaintances, your home, everything you once thought would be forever. This was the reality many Venezuelans faced after the double earthquake that struck the country on June 24th. According to experts, these seismic events measured 7.1 and 7.3 on the Richter scale, occurring just 39 seconds apart.
It’s impossible to describe the catastrophic consequences of this natural event. The last major earthquake in Venezuela was in 1967. Almost 60 years later, a more intense earthquake with more dramatic consequences struck. The earthquake primarily impacted three central states located in the northern coastal region of the country: La Guaira, Caracas, and Miranda. Other states were also affected, but to a lesser extent.
At the time of writing this report, more than 6,000 people have died, many are missing, and nearly 6,000 have been rescued from the rubble. Undoubtedly, in the aftermath of the earthquake in Venezuela, we must acknowledge the solidarity of the world, which immediately sent rescuers and humanitarian aid to the country. This, along with the actions of rescue teams, firefighters, and the country’s security forces, allowed for the rescue and care of a significant number of people.
Words cannot adequately express the solidarity of the Venezuelan people. From the very first day after June 24th, millions of people mobilized to help the earthquake victims with selfless, altruistic, and decisive action. Supplies, medicine, food, clothing, and all kinds of aid were provided and continue to be distributed. We, as peace activists, are mobilizing in an organized manner to provide assistance to those who need it most.
Among the countries that mobilized aid was the United States, with the peculiarity that its initial reaction was to send military troops and Southern Command personnel to the country, under the pretext of providing humanitarian assistance in response to the earthquake’s aftermath. This is undoubtedly an important point to analyze the implications of, especially since similar pretexts have been used in the past to justify military occupations, as happened in Haiti in 2010. Those of us who raise the banners of peace must always warn about the risks faced by the peoples of Latin America, because the plans for interference, subjugation, and colonialism remain intact.
The United States announced $300 billion in aid to address the emergency in Venezuela; however, it is currently withholding nearly $20 billion. Furthermore, it is responsible for the shortages faced by Venezuelan rescue teams due to over 12 years of sanctions against the country, the inability to import high-tech equipment, and the lack of funds to provide essential supplies to firefighters and other disaster relief groups.
Without a doubt, the IPB and pacifist organizations raise their voices for peace and demand the lifting of all sanctions against the country. It is time to allow the Venezuelan people the capacity and funds necessary to address this grave emergency.
No more sanctions!
Speech by Reiner Braun on Hiroshima Day, 6 August 2026, in Berlin at the Peace Bell
Translated using Deepl. Attached below is the original speech in German
Dear friends,
6 August 1945, 8.15 am, a sunny day in Hiroshima, already hot even in the morning; hundreds of thousands were on their way to work, to school, to university – tired and exhausted after all those years of war.
In the blue sky, an aeroplane – no danger, just a reconnaissance plane; no air-raid siren.
Seconds later, utter horror; for the people of Hiroshima and the surrounding area, it was the end of the world. A bomb – the first atomic bomb – was dropped from the aeroplane. We know the consequences, which can be summed up in the words: ‘The living will envy the dead.’ You will be surprised to learn who first coined this phrase – not the ‘Doctors Against the Nuclear War’, but Nikita Khrushchev.
Continue reading “Speech by Reiner Braun on Hiroshima Day, 6 August 2026, in Berlin at the Peace Bell”IPB Condemns Benin’s Cancellation of the World Social Forum and Repression of International Delegates
UPDATE August 6 – Beninese authorities have since reversed the cancellation. See more here.
The International Peace Bureau (IPB) expresses its deepest concern and regret with the sudden, unexpected, and undemocratic decision of the government of Benin to cancel the World Social Forum and to deny entry to international delegations and caravans. The last-minute decision to block the event, which expected tens of thousands of participants from across Africa and beyond, is yet another sign of the continued global trend of repression of civil society movements.
Continue reading “IPB Condemns Benin’s Cancellation of the World Social Forum and Repression of International Delegates”Appeal to the German Government and the Parliament: Nuclear Disarmament Must Not Remain an Empty Promise!
30th Anniversary of the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Illegality of Nuclear Weapons under International Law
Appeal and Press Release
Exactly thirty years ago – on 8 July 1996 – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion. Its key finding: the threat or use of nuclear weapons generally violates the rules of international humanitarian law.
‘The destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be contained in either space or time. They have the potential to destroy all civilization and the entire ecosystem of the planet.’ (Paragraph 35)
Thus, the ICJ advisory opinion reminds us of what nuclear weapons are: weapons of mass destruction whose purpose is to kill millions of people in a very short space of time. They threaten us all, every day.
Continue reading “Appeal to the German Government and the Parliament: Nuclear Disarmament Must Not Remain an Empty Promise!”Online Dialogue on Movement Convergence Towards the World Social Forum in Benin 2026
The dialogue brought together representatives of social movements, grassroots organisations, trade unions, peace groups, environmental activists, and civil society networks to exchange perspectives on strengthening alliances across struggles. Participants explored how movements can work together to respond to the interconnected social, economic, political, and environmental crises affecting communities at the local, national, and global levels.
Held in the lead-up to the World Social Forum in Benin (4–8 August 2026), the discussion highlighted the importance of movement convergence, international solidarity, and collective action in building a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
We invite you to watch the recording and share it with your networks as we continue preparing for the World Social Forum 2026.
Watch the full recording in English or Spanish below:
English
Spanish
Thailand: Court to rule in first criminal case on conscientious objection to military service
On July 20, the Samut Prakan District Court will deliver its verdict in the case of Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, Thailand’s first publicly declared conscientious objector to stand trial for refusing military conscription. If convicted under the 1954 Military Service Act, he will face up to three years in prison. Netiwit is a democracy and human rights activist, publisher, and organiser whose activism began in high school and who has publicly maintained this position for twelve years, culminating in this criminal trial.
On his eighteenth birthday, Netiwit declared he would not participate in military conscription. He did not disappear or seek quiet exemption. Every year, he reappeared before the authorities to say the same thing. On April 5, 2024, he went to the conscription centre in Samut Prakan’s Bang Pu district and read a manifesto of refusal, stating that all Thai citizens should have equal freedom to choose whether to serve, and that no one should be coerced into it, “as it is not beneficial to individuals or the nation.” He then declined to enter the lottery. He was charged under Section 45 of the Military Service Act.
During the trial, Netiwit’s lawyer asked the court to refer the question of whether the Military Service Act is constitutional or not to the Constitutional Court, marking the first time conscientious objection had been argued in this way. On May 12, 2026, the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously that the Act’s provisions do not violate constitutional protections of liberty and religious freedom. The criminal case resumed on that basis, and the verdict now falls on July 20.
Continue reading “Thailand: Court to rule in first criminal case on conscientious objection to military service”BEYOND THE JOG: WHAT THE AFRICA FORWARD SUMMIT ACTUALLY SAID ABOUT PEACE, POWER AND DISARMAMENT
This article is written by Sahlim Charles, a Council Member at the International Peace Bureau and enthusiastic about Disarmament and Militarization discourse. Sahlim is also the Founder and Executive Director of Re-Imagining New Communities.
I took time to analyze the stakes at the Africa Forward Summit 2026 co-hosted by Kenya and France in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi between 11–12 May 2026. Much of the global commentary that followed fixated on the theatre of the event that included President Emmanuel Macron’s early-morning jog with Eliud Kipchoge, the sports demonstrations and youth pavilions. That imagery did its job. Designed to signal warmth and reset after decades of a more transactional, extractive French posture on the continent.
But as peace and security practitioner interested in cross-border issues, my interest was beyond the choreography to the architecture underneath it. And underneath it, Africa Forward 2026 was not simply a trade summit that happened to include a “Peace & Security” plenary as a courtesy panel. It landed at a genuine hinge point in the security relationship between France and the continent that’s been shaped by three converging trends including the collapse of France’s military footprint in West Africa, a hesitant and underfunded new architecture for African-led peacekeeping and a quiet re-militarization of the relationship through the back door of “defense cooperation,” this time in Anglophone East Africa rather than the Francophone speaking African region.
In this article, you will read my thoughts on what the summit actually committed to in terms of peace and security, what it conspicuously avoided saying about arms and disarmament, and what that combination should mean for international organizations and bodies focusing on disarmament and militarization.
Continue reading “BEYOND THE JOG: WHAT THE AFRICA FORWARD SUMMIT ACTUALLY SAID ABOUT PEACE, POWER AND DISARMAMENT”