Join the International Peace Demonstration in The Hague on June 22, with transport organized from Brussels. Subject to a registration fee.
We are less than 90 seconds to midnight.
Genocide in Gaza. War in Ukraine. Escalation in the Congo. Bombs over Yemen. Bloodshed in Sudan.
The world is drifting toward total war — if we do not act now to prevent it.
In June, the Hague will host the 2025 NATO Summit, with its members preparing commitments to boost defence spending, ‘ReArm’ the old continent, and expand NATO’s global influence.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte has vowed to make the Hague Summit “a real success,” promising US President Donald Trump that it will “project American power on the world stage.”
Trump and his NATO allies have already made clear what they hope to do with that power: pursue the dominance of “Western civilization” across the planet, and enrich themselves along the way.
So as they prepare for war, we must prepare for peace.
The rapid rise of militarism on the Atlantic calls on us to build a global movement behind a common vision of dialogue, diplomacy, and sovereign equality among nations.
That is why — on 23-24 June, exactly fifty years from the signing of the Helsinki Accords — peoples from across the world will gather in Brussels for the International Forum for Peace with an objective to:
— Develop new diplomatic strategies for conflict resolution across the world
— Forge a coalition to oppose the rise of military spending on both sides of the Atlantic.
— Agitate for the immediate closure of foreign military bases on European soil.
— Challenge the narrative of a new Cold War that seeks to divide the world into irreconcilable blocs.
— Promote the policies of welfare, not warfare to deliver social and economic justice.
— Rejuvenate the movement for nuclear disarmament among all nuclear powers.
— Renew the principles of the Helsinki Accords on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.
DRAFT PROGRAM
This draft programme will be finalised in the coming days. Numerous movements, organisations, parties and personalities that are not yet included in the current draft will also take the floor and actively participate in the Forum.
FIRST DAY – MONDAY, JUNE 23
13:00-14:00
Registration
14:00-14:30
Opening Session
Coordination: Maite Mola
• Welcome by Maite Mola
• Video message from Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico
• Video message from Lula, President of Brazil (tbc)
• Özlem Demirel, MEP Die Linke, on the Conference on Peace and Security in Europe, European Parliament, 11–12 June
• Iván Orosa, on the Peace Counter-Summit in The Hague, 21–22 June
14:30–16:30
Plenary Session: International Mobilization for Peace and Security
Coordination: Bert De Belder
With contributions from:
• Jeremy Corbyn (tbc)
• Representative of a progressive government in Latin America
• Laila Haziaineh (Palestina), Progressive International and The Hague Group
• Peter Mertens, General Secretary, PVDA-PTB
• Edelys Santana, international department, CP of Cuba
• Ludo De Brabander, No to war No to Nato, Vrede vzw, Belgium
• Jimmy Dijk, leader of the SP, MP, Netherlands
• Danilo Della Valle, MEP, M5E Italy
• Walter Baier, President of the Party of the European Left (ELP)
• Esther Lynch, General Secretary, ETUC
• Qi Wei, China Center for Contemporary World Studies
18:00–19:00
Public Action for Peace
Organized by the Belgian platform Stop Militarisation
• At Place de la Monnaie
• "Die-in" action with giant PACE flag, alarm siren, placards with slogans, music, peace songs
• Short speeches by Belgian and international activists, trade unionists, and public figures from e.g. Stop Militarisation, Intal, Stop ReArm Europe
20:00–22:30
Political-Cultural Event “Struggle for Peace!”
• At BeursSchouwBurg (BSB)
• Food and drinks, video screenings
• Messages and calls of solidarity, introduced by Marc Botenga (MEP PVDA-PTB), Giorgia Gusciglio (BDS Movement), Tings Chak (IPA, Tricontinental Institute), Peter Mertens (PVDA-PTB), Imani Umoja (PAIGC, Guinea and Cabo Verde)
• Informal meetings and exchanges
• Concert for peace with the group TURIKUMWE, Brussels-based collective that performs and teaches Afro-Colombian folklore
SECOND DAY – TUESDAY, JUNE 24
09:30–11:15 | Thematic Panels 1 and 2
Theatre Room | 1 | Against Militarization, War, and the Arms Race
Coordination: Sean Conner, IPB
With contributions from:
• Antonella Di Matteo, Centre Delàs, Catalunya
• representative of Stop Militarisation, Belgium
• Hillal Sor, General Secretary, MWB-FGTB (Belgian union)
• Katerina Anastasiou, transform!europe, Stop ReArm
1b | Migration and Refugees: Consequences and Struggles
• Forum of São Paulo or CELAC Social
• Migrant organizations in Europe and solidarity with migrants/refugees
• FDIM, Women’s International Democratic Federation
• …
Workshop Room | 2 | For the Diplomatic and Negotiated Resolution of Conflicts
Coordination: Gabriel Aguirre, WBW
With contributions from:
• Sean Conner, President, IPB – International Peace Bureau
• Transnational Institute (TNI) • Representative of Sinn Féin
• Ghassan Saliba, Lebanese Committee for Peace and Solidarity
• Giulia Bordin, Pax Christi International
• Grupo de Puebla, on the peace process in Colombia (tbc)
• Manal Taha, on the dialogue process in Sudan (tbc)
11:45–13:15 | Thematic Panels 3 and 4
Theatre Room | 3 | A Multipolar World: A Pact for the Future
Coordination: David Adler, Progressive International
With contributions from:
• Ingar Solty, RLS, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Germany
• Coll McCail, Progressive International
Carlos Ron, ALBA/TCP
• Tings Chak, IPA and Tricontinental Institute
• Brenno Almeida, Fundación Perseu Abramo, Brazil
• Austin Cole, Alianza Negra para la Paz
• WILPF, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Workshop Room | 4 | For an Autonomous and Peaceful Europe
Coordination: Marga Ferré, transform!europe
With contributions from/on:
• Gavin Rae, transform!europe
• Representatives of peace movements:
◦ In Italy: Stop the Rearmament
◦ In Belgium: Ansje Vanbeselaere, President of Intal
◦ In France: Mouvement de la Paix
◦ In Norway/Nordic countries: RED Party
• Representatives of trade unions in Europe, e.g., CGT, CCOO, ver.di, and EU trade union confederations (tbc)
14:00–15:00 | Plenary Session
For a peaceful future in Europe and the world
Coordination: Jose Luis Centella
With contributions from public figures, movements, networks, parties, etc.
Presentation of the Manifesto: For a Future of Peace in the World
Format: Presentations and testimonies will be brief to allow space for broad participation and interaction with the audience.
Languages: The event will be held in English, French, and Spanish. Opening and closing sessions, plenaries, and panels will have professional simultaneous interpretation. Workshops will not.
The International Forum for Peace is a call to action for all those who believe in a future of shared peace, progress, and prosperity.
Sign up, get involved, and help us fight the forces of war, before it is too late.
transform! europe is partially funded through a grant from the European Parliament. Sole responsibility lies with the organizers of the event; the European Parliament is not responsible for the use of the information contained in this publication.
The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation is partially funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
The views and opinions expressed during the event are solely those of the speakers. They do not necessarily represent or reflect the position of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, which further assumes no liability for any potential inaccuracies.
This event is financed using funds of the European Parliament. The responsibility for the views and content presented in the activity lies solely with the organizers (such as the Party of the European Left) and not with the European Parliament.
