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?”2026 Activities
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”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:
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Spanish
Join Live Peace from 13th-29th September
Peace is the most important issue of our time. Yet history repeatedly shows that it was citizens’ movements that achieved major social progress: the abolition of slavery, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and many more.
Music and the arts have the extraordinary power to unite people and move them emotionally. Music knows no religion, skin color, or ideology.
Live Peace was therefore founded – supported by already 10 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates – as a tool to unite and mobilize citizens worldwide through worldwide concerts and art events – on and around every September 21st, the United Nations International Day of Peace.
Our vision is to be the first massive movement for peace – of millions of men, women and children one day standing together for peace on the same day with one uniting simple message: WE WANT PEACE
Alongside these many local events, we also aim to organize major concerts with well-known artists and televised coverage in order to reach and inspire as many people worldwide as possible. Already in 2025, Live Peace included 50 events worldwide, including one major event in France where we reached more than 8,700 people.
Citizens are the sparks that can ignite the fire of peace — by creating a global music and art movement that one day may be broadcast across all continents, with thousands, millions and perhaps eventually billions of people visibly calling for peace together through the strength of their numbers.
To build the first and largest worldwide network of peace concerts and artistic events — and to encourage cities, organizations and sponsors to join — we want to kindly ask you to make your event a Live Peace event or even organize a small event yourself. In these times, we need to stand together.
It’s very simple.
- Have you already planned a Peace event between 13th and 29th September? Or are you able to organise a small event?
- Then please register your event on our platform at https://www.live-peace.com/would-you-like-to-organise-a-concert-or-artistic-event
- Add our LOGO to your marketing material (we send it to you)
- And we list you on our website
That‘s it
We would be happy to share our vision and idea with you in a Zoom meeting on the 1st of July at 9 AM or 6 PM CEST
Or simply send us the details of your event via the form above or via mail to contact@live-peace.com
We are very much looking forward to getting in touch with you.
Together we create peace.
Invitations in English, Spanish, and French are available below—please feel free to download and share them widely with your networks.
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French
Spanish
Statement from the International Conference Against War
London, Saturday 20 June
No to militarisation and conscription. Welfare not warfare
From this International Anti-War Conference we raise our united voices: against war and genocide, and the growing nuclear threat, and for peace. We have come together to raise the alarm: to halt the drive to war, and the nationalism and racism that it breeds. Together we say no to rearmament and conscription, and yes to well-funded health, education and public services, decent jobs, and higher wages.
Continue reading “Statement from the International Conference Against War”NATO in crisis: time to overcome the war machine
NATO Peace Counter Summits – Online
As NATO faces its deepest ever crisis, this counter-summit will focus on the impact of the dramatically changing global situation, and the opportunities this presents for change. The decades-long ideological and political relationship between Europe and the USA is changing beyond all recognition. The US pursues brutal unilateral dominance with vassal status for Europe. Europe pursues greater independence based on insane levels of militarism to the point of risking a nuclear war. The situation is unsustainable and dangerous in the extreme
This new situation presents the peace movement with new challenges and new opportunities. Can NATO be dealt a death blow? What will come in its place? Can we overcome the warmongering ideology that is increasingly dominating our societies? How can we build an alternative security framework that meets people’s needs and guarantees real security for all?
This ‘No to War – No to NATO network’ counter-summit will explore these questions, develop an analysis of NATO in the rapidly changing situation, and look at the implications for our movements. Please join us.
Continue reading “NATO in crisis: time to overcome the war machine”Webinar: NATO: Still Going Global?
Overview
As NATO in Europe faces a crisis, how is this impacting NATO actions and expansion elsewhere in the world? What is the current status of NATO’s bases and military footprint? How are NATO’s bilateral alliances impacting globally?
Continue reading “Webinar: NATO: Still Going Global?”From Helsingborg to Ankara: Global Voices on NATO, Militarization, and Welfare
Overview
This online gathering takes place alongside the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden (May 21–22), which is expected to emphasize increased defence spending. Such commitments risk undermining efforts toward peace, social justice, and effective responses to the climate and environmental crisis. There is an urgent need to critically examine NATO’s expanding role, as it increasingly extends its influence beyond the military into areas such as natural resources, technology, finance, and media. This raises concerns about global power imbalances, growing militarization, and the diversion of resources from urgent social and environmental needs. The gathering will bring together diverse perspectives, creating space for critical discussion and constructive alternatives, while fostering intergenerational dialogue and amplifying younger voices.
Continue reading “From Helsingborg to Ankara: Global Voices on NATO, Militarization, and Welfare”