50th Session of the Human Rights Council Working Group | November 2025
7 April 2025
The International Centre for Civil Initiatives “Our House” (Belarus &Lithuania), International Peace Bureau (IPB), and coalitions of international peace and human rights organizations, have submitted a comprehensive report to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 50th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Belarus last 7 April 2025.
As war and militarism continue to threaten global peace and stability, voices for justice, nonviolence, and diplomacy are rising across Europe. This June, we invite you to take part in a powerful series of peace events happening in several cities—including The Hague, Brussels, Geneva, and Ramstein—where we will gather in solidarity with peace movements around the continent.
These events are more than symbolic—they are actions rooted in collective resistance, education, and community building. Whether you’re marching in a demonstration, attending a peace conference, or meeting fellow activists, your presence matters.
Over the past year, the world has witnessed an alarming escalation of violence: the genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and more than 30 other armed conflicts in the Global South (half of them in Africa) have led to millions of people being killed, injured, losing their livelihood or being forcibly displaced. Still further violent conflicts loom on the horizon as global tensions escalate and competition between nations grows while international law and conflict mediation and resolution bodies like the United Nations are sidelined or ignored.
Militarism is clearly fuelling all these wars and violence, but despite calls to move away from weapons and violence to peace negotiations and disarmament, governments are doubling down on a recipe for disaster by significantly increasing their military budgets. Instead of seeking paths toward peace by investing in diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and conflict resolution, they’ve decided to hand out more and more money to the arms industry. History has repeatedly shown that militarization brings neither peace nor security; it perpetuates cycles of destruction, suffering, and injustice and fuels climate breakdown. Militarization is therefore not a solution, but a part of the problem. How is more of the same going to give any result other than more war, violence and injustice?
All this violence is also being fuelled by increasingly aggressive and openly supremacist discourses and policies from a rising far right and a rightwards shifting center, which exacerbate a climate of fear and present further militarisation and securitisation of our societies as the only path forward, thus closing off any public debate.
Spending money in war and rearmament means diverting valuable resources away from our wellbeing. Every cent spent on arms is a cent not spent on essential public services, where it would truly improve lives, provide genuine security and build sustainable peace. At a time of climate and environmental crises that put the planet and the lives of current and future generations at risk, it is essential to reduce military budgets and use these resources to save people and the planet. Prioritizing war-related expenditures over fundamental societal needs exacerbates suffering, deepens economic insecurity and widens social inequality. Further militarization and military spending increases will necessarily entail more austerity and cuts in essential public services, while fueling repression and the loss of rights and freedoms, both home and abroad. It is also paramount to debunk the myth of the positive impacts that military investments have on national economies. Increasing military spending, in addition to reinforcing a status quo based on violence and injustice, diverts resources from more productive civil sectors, which yield higher benefits, both short and long-term, including job creation.
We demand an end to this reckless arms race. The world does not need more weapons, but rather more dialogue, cooperation, global democratic institutions, and a commitment to justice and human dignity.
We urgently call on governments to reduce military spending and instead address through cooperation and diplomacy the global challenges of our time requiring all available resources.
We call for real efforts aimed at global disarmament, stopping the arms trade and ceasing arms shipments to countries in conflict, involved in regional instability or systematically violating human rights and international law. We call on governments and companies to prioritise peace and justice over profits derived from arms manufacturing and trading.
We call on governments (especially those of the U.S. and EU countries) to cease supplying arms to and buying arms from Israel, and use all existing means, including by taking sanctions against the Israeli government, to push for a real ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Gaza.
We call for a sincere and active discussion on new and responsive international and regional security architectures based on the shared ideas of common security, disarmament and global justice. We call on governments to abide by international law and international disarmament treaties, to support the international conflict resolution framework of the United Nations, implement the commitments made in the UN Pact for the Future, and to actively prepare a fourth Special Session on Disarmament in the UNGA.
We call on governments to address the climate crisis now. Global militaries are responsible for 5.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This means that if global militaries were a country, they would be the fourth largest emitter. Increased military spending means increased GHG emissions. If millions of dollars can be made available for buying arms, there is no reason why they should not be available for climate finance to address the biggest challenge ever faced by humanity.
We call on civil society across local, national, regional, and international levels to join together in the GCOMS campaign to combat the rising trend of military spending, to strengthen the global movement for peace and justice, and to challenge decision-makers who seek to justify a never-ending militarism in the name of security.
Sign the appeal now, please click the button below:
On Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th of June, the annual NATO-summit will be held in the World Forum in The Hague. There, NATO’s members and heads of state will discuss their ongoing war plans against their geopolitical enemies, with the goal of retaining and conquering access to resources and political power worldwide. The summit will be held in the context of escalating militarisation and tensions in the west, and the ongoing western support for the Israeli genocide on the Palestinian people.
The organisation calls on all aligned international, progressive organisations to mobilise its people, resources and fellow organisations to join this protest against the NATO war summit, and to verbalise the growing international call for justice and peace. Together, we stand strong against the raging imperialist war machine. The time to act is now!
Organisation
This protest is organised by the Dutch Counter Summit Coalition for Peace and Justice, composed of several of the leading Dutch organisations on the topic of anti-imperialism, peace and social justice. Including, but not limited to: the Revolutionary Socialist Party and their youth organisation ROOD, De Nieuwe Vredesbeweging, BIJ1, and Stop Wapenhandel. Besides this protest, the coalition is also organising a counter summit (with limited capacity) on the 21st and the 22nd of June.
The Counter Summit will finish before the protest starts, so attendance at both events is compatible. The Koekamp is a 2 minute walk from the Central Station of The Hague. There are several parking garages nearby. A public toilet is available at the Central Station. It is encouraged to bring anti-imperialist and pro-justice campaign material to the protest. Other additional information, e.g. the speaker programme and duration of the protest, will be shared at a later moment. The media kit for promotion can be downloaded through this link.
For pressing matters or additional questions, please contact the coordinator of the
Help us raise awareness and mobilize for peace! Your contribution will support the international protest against the NATO war summit on June 22nd in Brussels, including outreach, logistics, and mobilization efforts.
Let’s take a stand together — No to war, yes to peace!
In mid-January, the offices of Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme (NDH), a human rights organization based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, were forcibly entered by unidentified individuals who stole essential documents and valuable equipment, including laptops, desktop computers, hard drives, projectors, and video cameras. This alarming incident underscores the increasing dangers faced by human rights defenders in the country.
(Brief statement by Dr. Enkhsaikhan of Blue Banner at Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TNPW) side event, New York, March 6, 2025)
Role of non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWSs) is increasing as a result of the studies undertaken on the effects of nuclear weapons which had lead to the conclusion of the TPNW. The commitments by the NNWSs undertaken by the NPT, NWFZ treaties and the TPNW in principle coincide, enrich and support each other.
Blue Banner, Mongolian NGO, which Dr. Enkhsaikhan‘ represent at this side event, had undertaken a study on the strengths and weaknesses of the NWFZ regime and had concluded that there are at least two dozen non-committed NNWSs (i.e. land-locked, neutral states, NNWSs that are not parties to nuclear military alliances or parties to the current NWFZs that due to current definition and concept of NWFZs cannot be part of the NWFZ regime since they would not be established “based on the arrangements arrived at among the states of the region concerned”. The reasons given by the P5 for their reluctance to accept single-State zones was that doing so might detract from establishing group-state zones, set unfavorable for them precedents and that as a principle the P5 do not provide security assurances to individual states. These are not valid reasons to exclude these non-committed NNWSs from the NWFZ regime and allow for blind spots and grey areas and knowingly establish the Achilles’ heels in the NWFZ regime. Fifty years have passed since the first NWFZ was established. In the meantime space, time and technology have become critical geopolitical factor affecting international security and stability. In the meantime nuclear arms race has intensified while the number of nuclear weapon states has increased to nine.
The International Peace Bureau (IPB) endorses “The Foundations of Peacebuilding,” an online course developed by Taylor O’Connor, founder of Everyday Peacebuilding. This comprehensive program equips participants with essential knowledge and practical skills for effective peacebuilding.
On March 19, 2025, at 12:00 PM ET, the Women in Conflict Zones webinar brought together women from various war-affected regions to share their experiences and insights. Organized by World BEYOND War, Southern Anti-Racism Network, International Peace Bureau, Convention for Pan-Africanism and Progress (CPP), and CODEPINK, the event highlighted the devastating impacts of war on women and children while exploring solutions for peace and justice.
Speakers from Belarus, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Korea, Sudan, and Syria shared firsthand testimonies of resilience and activism in conflict zones. The event also aligned with the second UN Decade for People of African Descent (2025-2034), emphasizing the need for targeted support for African women and children affected by war.
Speakers:
Belarus: Olga Karatch
Cameroon: Cyrille Rolande Bechon
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Julie Kabukanyi
Gaza/Palestine: Hanan Awwad
Lebanon: Hala Kilani & Shirine Jurdi
Mozambique: Namatama Sakabilo
Nigeria: Zullaihat Muhammad Ohiare
South Korea: Cho Young-mi
Sudan: Reem Abbas
Syria: Oula Ahmad
This webinar served as a powerful call to action, urging global solidarity in addressing the impact of war on women and fostering long-term peace.
In Turkey, conscientious objectors endure lifelong ‘civil death,’ facing persecution, fines, and imprisonment for refusing military service. Their refusal is a direct stand against militarization and war, highlighting the deeply rooted militaristic culture in the country.
The speeches below share the experiences of Turkish conscientious objectors, delivered during the Alternative Civil Death: What It Means to Be a Conscientious Objector in Turkey event in Berlin on 27 February 2025. Part of the European Speaking Tour: Conscientious Objectors from Türkiye Share Their Fight for Human Rights, the event brought together human rights and peace activists from Turkey and Berlin. They also introduced Vicdani Ret İzleme (Conscientious Objection Watch) and invited support for their efforts against war and conscription.
Read the speeches below to gain insights into their narratives and the challenges they face in their fight for human rights and right not to kill.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us for our side eventIf Not Now, When? An International Forum to Prevent Nuclear War and Secure Our Futureon March 4, 2025, at Scandinavia House in New York City.
