The war machines and lucrative arms industries are at the heart of our climate crisis. They are fossil fuel dependent, largely rooted in the big economies and are the manifestation of decades of colonial, neo-colonial, imperialist policy-making. It has resulted in a century and more of perpetual war waged on innocent civilians and our home planet.
To abolish war is to eliminate a major contributor to death, environmental destruction and climate chaos. To abolish war is to begin to see the end of the military-fossil fuel relationship. To abolish war is one necessary step in pursuit of the end of fossil fuels and the zero-carbon world we must achieve. This report unpacks the issue, gives an historical context and offers up ways forward.
I thank the people of Annecy first for the sun. Last year it rained so hard, I needed a lifebelt; I spoke to a few hardy souls that braved the tempest. If you are thank you for staying.
Now look at this- bravo. There are thousands of you.
September 26 is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day), a day established by the UN General Assembly to enhance public awareness and action to reduce nuclear risks and achieve the common goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
UNFOLD ZERO is part of NuclearAbolitionDay.org, an open, civil society coalition established in consultation with the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, to increase cooperation, and elevate political impact of the day.
We encourage you to participate in the NuclearAbolitionDay actions and online event:
Berlin, 21 September 2026 — The International Peace Bureau (IPB) has announced the shortlist of nominations for the 2026 Seán MacBride Peace Prize, recognising individuals and organisations whose work has made a significant contribution to peace, disarmament and human rights.
Named after Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former IPB President Seán MacBride, the prize celebrates the values at the heart of his lifelong work: international cooperation, human rights, peace and disarmament.
“In these moments of increasing global tensions, violence, militarism, and war, the nominees have all demonstrated courageous action for a more peaceful and just future,” said Sean Conner, Executive Director of IPB, “together they show the modern face of the international movement for peace – multifaceted and diverse in their actions and approaches, and united in their commitment and tireless activism across borders.”
The 2026 nominees are:
Walden Bello, scholar, author and political activist, nominated for his longstanding work on global inequality, political economy and social justice from the Philippines.
Jackson Kisangani, peace and climate justice organiser from Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, nominated for his work mobilising young people and building cooperation among movements across Central and Eastern Africa.
Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, nominated for her international human-rights advocacy and engagement with UN mechanisms and civil society.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Sumud Flotilla and Nuestra América, jointly nominated for international solidarity initiatives focused on challenging blockades and highlighting their humanitarian consequences, particularly in Gaza and Cuba.
The nominations demonstrate the breadth of today’s global peace movement—from youth mobilisation and scholarship to peace and human rights advocacy and international solidarity.
The 2026 shortlist and is selected by the IPB Board. The final decision on this year’s award will be made by the Board later this month, following consideration of the nominations.
The Seán MacBride Peace Prize honours the legacy of a statesman and peace campaigner who devoted his life to human rights, disarmament and international peace, including through his leadership of the IPB and his contribution to the movement for global disarmament.
Media contact: International Peace Bureau info@ipb.org | www.ipb.org
Italian citizens who are eligible to vote can support this citizens’ initiative by signing it online through the official Ministry of Justice portal using SPID or an Electronic Identity Card (CIE). Find out how to sign.
Coordinamento Campagne Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo September 14, 2026
A crucial turning point for the peace and nonviolence movement: yesterday, the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign surpassed the 50,000 signatures required to submit its citizens’ initiative bill on unarmed and nonviolent civil defence. Signature collection will continue until 18 September and must be supported right up to the deadline: every additional signature strengthens the bill. In the coming days, the signatures will be formally submitted to the Senate, setting the parliamentary process in motion.
We did it. The “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign has reached its target of 50,000 signatures, the number required to bring before Parliament the citizens’ initiative bill establishing a Department for Unarmed and Nonviolent Civil Defence. This milestone was achieved thanks to a collective mobilisation and an extraordinary surge in signatures during the final days of the campaign.
This is a crucial, momentous and historic result. For the first time, a concrete and comprehensive proposal to build an alternative to armed defence—based on conflict prevention, mediation, grassroots diplomacy and cooperation—can be considered by Parliament, giving full effect to Articles 11 and 52 of the Italian Constitution.
Signature collection, however, is not over: the campaign officially confirms that the proposal can still be signed up to and including 18 September (until 11:59 p.m.). In the coming days, the promoting networks will formally submit the signatures. This will also provide an opportunity to assess the campaign’s collective journey and outline the “next steps”. Going well beyond the 50,000-signature threshold is important, because no additional signature is superfluous: the higher the total, the stronger the political mandate and the greater the weight of the proposal when it is debated in Parliament. Broad popular support makes it harder to ignore or set the issue aside and can demonstrate that the proposal for unarmed and nonviolent civil defence has deep roots in society. For this reason, the appeal to sign and encourage others to sign during these final five days remains more vital than ever.
This is a fundamental and transformative issue, which the more than 50,000 signatures collected have placed firmly on the political agenda, including in the run-up to 2027. This achievement gives the campaign and the entire peace movement a practical tool for bringing nonviolent civil defence into public and institutional debate. With the 2027 elections on the horizon, the proposal will be a test on which political forces will be called to take a stand: choosing to allocate resources to conflict prevention, mediation and cooperation, rather than solely to increasing military expenditure, is a fundamental choice concerning the country’s future.
This achievement—an overwhelmingly positive one—belongs to an enormously broad community. First and foremost, thanks go to grassroots organisations and the dozens of local coordinating groups that supported the campaign, as well as to everyone who made space for the proposal at countless events, festivals and camps. Thanks also go to third-sector organisations, civil service bodies and NGOs that supported the initiative; to the dozens of municipalities, mayors and local councillors who adopted resolutions in support of nonviolent popular defence and Civil Peace Corps; and to parishes, community centres, local committees and all the organisations that opened their doors to dialogue. Recognition is also due to those media professionals who showed the sensitivity and curiosity needed to give the campaign a voice, and to the many individual citizens who helped circulate its message and encouraged others to sign, whether through personal conversations or on social media.
It is important to remember that the opening months were the most difficult. Even raising awareness of the existence of the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign was no easy task, partly because much of the mainstream media devoted so little space to the issue. If today we can celebrate the wave of signatures received in the final days, it is because the patient, widespread work carried out by hundreds of activists and organisations—often out of the public eye—laid the groundwork: the signatures gathered in such a short period are the fruit of months of persistent, decentralised commitment. The promoting organisations extend their deepest gratitude to everyone involved.
Statements from the promoting networks
“The bill on unarmed and nonviolent civil defence enters Parliament backed by the strength of a grassroots mobilisation that saw an extraordinary surge in its final days—a collective determination to support institutions for peace, disarmament and nonviolence. The goal now is to place the idea of another form of defence firmly on the political agenda and at the heart of the national debate, redirecting public funds from preparing for war to building peace. We thank all the voters who added their signatures; the activists who built support in their local communities; the public figures from the arts, culture, science, politics and the media who lent their names and faces to the campaign; the associations, clubs, parishes and groups that mobilised; and every person who, through word of mouth or social media, helped fill the information vacuum surrounding our campaign.”
Mao Valpiana, President of the Nonviolent Movement and coordinator of the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign
“Reaching 50,000 signatures for unarmed defence—despite the media’s silence about this initiative over recent months—is a major achievement. It demonstrates the widespread opposition in our country to war and military expenditure. We now expect Parliament, instead of adopting further rearmament measures, to debate the bill and respond to the demand rising from citizens: an unarmed form of defence that contributes to building peace.”
Giulio Marcon, Co-spokesperson for Sbilanciamoci!
“At this moment in history, when war is increasingly normalised, society is being militarised and the arms race is presented as the only way to guarantee security, the fact that so many people chose to sign this citizens’ initiative bill sends an extraordinary signal. It is a powerful call for a change of perspective in how we understand defence and how we build genuine peace policies. For the Civil Service system, the implementation of this law would make it possible to enhance and renew the institution’s purpose—the unarmed and nonviolent civil defence of the country—in coordination with the Fire and Rescue Service, Civil Protection and the Civil Peace Corps. Through the proposed Peace and Disarmament Research Institute and the allocation of six per thousand of personal income tax, it would also finally allow us to build a defence system based on civilian, unarmed and nonviolent means, equal to the challenges of our time.”
Laura Milani, President of CNESC (National Conference of Civil Service Organisations)
“We are ready to engage with Parliament and public opinion on the model of defence our country needs. Backed by more than 50,000 signatures, our citizens’ initiative bill for civil, unarmed, popular and nonviolent defence reaches Parliament before the much-heralded ‘Crosetto reform’ of the national military apparatus. While militarism is demonstrating its failure on every front—incapable of resolving conflicts or providing security for peoples—the peace movement is proposing a genuine defence of our society and democracy, faithful to the principles enshrined in Articles 11 and 52 of the Constitution. This broad and united alliance, which has made nonviolence and disarmament its political manifesto, is an important resource for our democracy. At a time when rearmament is being passed off as the only response to a ‘world war fought piecemeal’, writing a different page was no easy task. Yet we have written it, and for us it is the first step in the right direction.”
Alfio Nicotra, Executive Coordinator of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network
What the proposed law calls for
The bill presented by “Another Defence Is Possible”—a campaign promoted by the National Conference of Civil Service Organisations, Sbilanciamoci! and the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network—would establish a department within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, bringing together instruments that already exist under Italian law—the Universal Civil Service, Civil Protection and Civil Peace Corps—under a single prevention-oriented strategy. It would also establish a Peace and Disarmament Research Institute and a dedicated national fund, financed in part through proceeds from an optional allocation of six per thousand of personal income tax (IRPEF). It is a constitutionally grounded response based on a simple principle: we must stop funding war and finally begin preparing for peace through means consistent with that goal.
At a time of rising military expenditure and multiplying threats of war, the campaign has shown that security can be discussed in a different way—and that another form of defence, one that is civil, unarmed and nonviolent, is genuinely possible.
Live Peace brings together 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and more than 80 events worldwide for the 2026 International Day of Peace.
As the world marks the International Day of Peace on 21 September, celebrated annually under the auspices of the United Nations, Live Peace, in collaboration with 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates is bringing together cities, artists, organizations and civil society actors from around the world around one simple but essential message: WE WANT PEACE.
Coordinamento Campagne Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo September 10, 2026
Over 70% of the target has been reached, with around 20% of all signatures collected in the past week alone. Only a few thousand more are needed to bring the citizens’ initiative bill on unarmed and nonviolent civil defence before Parliament. The recent surge gives grounds for optimism, but the campaign must gather momentum in its final days. The appeal is simple: sign—and encourage everyone who cares about peace, disarmament and nonviolence to sign.
We are getting there. With seven days remaining before the signature drive closes, the “Another Defence Is Possible” campaign has surpassed 70% of its target of 50,000 signatures, the number required to submit a citizens’ initiative bill to Parliament establishing a Department for Unarmed and Nonviolent Civil Defence. Only a few thousand more signatures are needed, and they are now coming in at a rapidly increasing pace.
The momentum of recent days is particularly encouraging: around 20% of all signatures were collected in the past week alone, a surge that has brought the target firmly within reach. But this growth also shows that success is not yet guaranteed. We must strengthen the campaign in its final week, multiplying signatures and spreading the word throughout the days ahead. Our optimism is well founded—but everything depends on what we do now.
This progress has been driven by the mobilisation of the campaign’s promoting networks—the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network (Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo), the National Conference of Civil Service Organisations (CNESC) and Sbilanciamoci!—together with all their member organisations and the many public figures from culture, journalism, politics and civil society who have lent their faces and voices to the message: “I’ve signed—have you?” We must now step up efforts to promote this concrete, effective and achievable proposal within Italy’s constitutional framework.
The most important result has already been achieved
Over recent months, the campaign has accomplished what initially seemed most difficult: bringing an alternative form of defence into public debate and presenting both the public and political leaders with a concrete, viable alternative to rearmament. As Europe pushes for greater military spending and the winds of war intensify, “Another Defence Is Possible” has shown that security can be approached differently: through conflict prevention, mediation, grassroots diplomacy and cooperation. In doing so, it would give full effect to Articles 11 and 52 of the Italian Constitution.
This work of raising awareness has, at least in part, lifted the veil of militarisation that has dominated public discourse in recent months—a period during which the campaign did not receive the visibility and attention it deserved. Those who profit from militarism fear proposals like this because, if widely understood, they would attract broad public support. That is why the voice of nonviolence must be amplified, not silenced.
What the proposed law calls for
The bill would establish a department within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, bringing together instruments that already exist under Italian law—the Universal Civil Service, Civil Protection and Civil Peace Corps—under a single prevention-oriented strategy. It would also establish a Peace and Disarmament Research Institute and a dedicated national fund, financed in part through proceeds from an optional allocation of six per thousand of personal income tax (IRPEF). It is a constitutionally grounded response based on a simple principle: we must stop funding war in the hope of achieving peace and finally begin preparing for peace through means consistent with that goal.
The final seven days: one last push
Between now and the formal end of the signature drive in seven days, local committees and networks across Italy will organise numerous events devoted to public information, debate and signature collection.
To support this final push, the campaign has released a video, “Another Defence Is Possible | The campaign video: add your signature!”, across the social media channels of the networks promoting the campaign. In the video, representatives of several supporting organisations join together to deliver a collective appeal: Salvatore Marra (CGIL), Mao Valpiana (Movimento Nonviolento), Tonio Dell’Olio (Pax Christi), Francesca Farruggia (Archivio Disarmo) and Laura Milani (CNESC).
The message is direct: “They tell us” that we must prepare for war and that ever more weapons are needed. But another path exists: redirecting even a small portion of military expenditure towards institutions for peace, thereby building the civil, unarmed and nonviolent form of defence envisaged by the Constitution.
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On National Days of Actions, 12-21 September, people from all walks of life and communities across the country, in cities and regions, are gathering around united calls for Peace – Not War, Cancel AUKUS and End the US alliance.
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