What we do – IPB – International Peace Bureau

Statement from the Second International Forum for Peace (Foro Internacional por la Paz)

25 September 2026, Madrid, Spain

Statement – For a World in Peace and Progress

The 149 participants representing 63 organizations from 35 countries who took part in this International Peace Forum share deep concern over growing global instability, rising military spending, the militarization of international relations, and the escalation of conflicts that threaten collective security, social justice, and even the survival of humanity.

In 2026, the world is experiencing one of the most dangerous periods since the end of World War II, defined by a clear dichotomy: on one side, powers that insist on preserving a unipolar order sustained by centuries of colonial domination, with NATO acting as their military arm; on the other side, those of us promoting a new multilateral order committed to the principles of the United Nations Charter, peaceful coexistence, mutually beneficial cooperation, and solidarity among peoples.

International Peace Bureau Awards 2026 Seán MacBride Peace Prize to Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Sumud Flotilla, and Nuestra América Convoy

Berlin, 2 October 2026 – The International Peace Bureau (IPB) is honored to announce that the 2026 Seán MacBride Peace Prize has been awarded jointly to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Sumud Flotilla, and Nuestra América Convoy, in recognition of their international solidarity efforts in support of the people of Palestine and Cuba.

The annual prize recognises outstanding contributions to peace, disarmament and human rights. This year’s award honours initiatives that mobilise people across borders to challenge blockades, draw attention to their humanitarian consequences, and demonstrate the power of international solidarity.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Global Sumud Flotilla have organised civilian-led initiatives seeking to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and bring humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.The Nuestra América Convoy has brought international attention to the humanitarian impact of the US blockade of Cuba through a campaign of solidarity and the delivery of essential goods and medical care.

“IPB is proud to commend these three organizations collectively for their courage, humanity and unwavering solidarity. They crossed borders and seas not with weapons, but with food, medicine, conscience and hope, reminding us that peace demands courage and action. They sailed against the tide of continuing war on the Palestinian and Cuban peoples — and proved that solidarity can become a force stronger than any blockade,” said Cora Fabros, Co-President of the International Peace Bureau.

“During the Nazi Holocaust, courageous people took great risks to end the unimaginable mass murder. At enormous risk to their lives, they opened death train cattle cars, penetrated and escaped Auschwitz so that the world could learn and stop the death camp’s horrors. Modest people risked their lives by giving Jews sanctuary in their homes. It is in this same courageous, caring, and generous tradition that the volunteers of Nuestra América Convoy, the Global Sumud Flotilla, and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have taken enormous risks, including torture in Israeli prisons. Palestinians have the right to life, to liberty, and to national self-determination. IPB is privileged to present the MacBride Prize to these courageous people as one small way that we can support and act in solidarity with the people of Gaza and Cuba.” — Joseph Gerson, Co-President of the International Peace Bureau.

Named after Seán MacBride, the Irish statesman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and former IPB Chair and President, the prize reflects his lifelong commitment to peace, disarmament, human rights and international cooperation.

By awarding the 2026 prize jointly to these three initiatives, the IPB recognises the role of grassroots mobilisation and international solidarity in advancing peace and human rights.

Media contact:

International Peace Bureau

info@ipb.org | www.ipb.org

Press Release International Peace Bureau Awards 2026 Seán MacBride Peace Prize Download

UNFOLD ZERO: Actions and events for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

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:

When Music Changes the World

Press release, Berlin, 14 September 2026, Live Peace

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.

International Disarmament Meetings and Key Dates – 2026

WG on Demilitarisation/GCOMS – International Peace Bureau (IPB)

This calendar provides an overview of key international disarmament meetings and relevant dates for the remainder of 2026. It is intended to support information-sharing within the WG on Demilitarisation/GCOMS and identify opportunities for monitoring, communication, advocacy and possible content for IPB communication channels.

What Happened at World Social Forum (WSF) 2026?

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.

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.

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.

IPB Statement on the Detention and Deportation of Executive Director Sean Conner and other Activists in Istanbul on 3 July 2026

Monday, 6 July 2026

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) unequivocally condemns the detention and deportation of its Executive Director, Sean Conner, alongside other activists from Germany, Finland, and Italy. Upon arrival at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport at 17:27 local time on Friday, 3 July, Sean had his passport and cell phone confiscated and was subjected to two hours of interrogation, including scans of his fingerprints and mugshot photographs. Turkish authorities repeatedly lied about the reasons for the interrogation and claimed that the reason for the check was a flagging by the German authorities, who denied any involvement.

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.