PEACE SUMMIT
The goal of the Peace Summit is to publish an Urgent Global Appeal, called the Vienna Declaration for Peace, calling on political leaders to act in support of a ceasefire and negotiations in Ukraine.
> Invitation as pdf (draft March 2023)
The summit will have different parts:
A conference to discuss the controversial questions related to the Russian-Ukrainian war, to hear the voices of civil society representatives of the various NATO countries, as well as representatives from Russia and Ukraine who support the aims of the Peace Summit. Participants from the Global South will share the dramatic consequences this war has had for the people in their countries and emphasize how they can contribute to peace. The Conference will focus not only on critics and analysis, but also on creative solutions and ways to end the war and how to prepare negotiations. This is not only the task of states and diplomats but nowadays more and more also of global society. The conference will include a combination of lectures, working groups, expert groups, and dialogues.
After the summit a march in Vienna to the various NATO-country embassies, as well as the embassies of Russia and Ukraine and international organizations located in Vienna will take place to meet with embassy representatives and deliver the Vienna Declaration for Peace from people around the world; The summit will also be supported by a send-off for delegations to visit the capitals of various European countries with the purpose of meeting with government officials and international organizations. Also further events for late 2023 will be developed.
Registration: https://forms.gle/cFCeY62wgmXyUVaH7
There will be also an opportunity to join the conference virtually. More details including a first program will follow soon.
Place & Date: Vienna/Austria, June 10th/11th 2023
Location: ÖGB-Catamaran, Johann-Böhm-Platz 1, Vienna 1020
From the center by subway U2 (violett line) in direction Seestadt you reach station „Donaumarina / Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund“ in 8 minutes.
Note: The 9th of June is the 180th Birthday of the Austrian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bertha von Suttner, the first female Nobel Peace Prize laureate ever.
Inviting Organizations who are calling for this international civil society gathering in Vienna, Austria :
International Peace Bureau (IPB)
CODEPINK – women for peace
Assembly of the World Social Forum
Transform Europe
Europe for Peace
IFOR – International Fellowship for Reconsiliation
Peace in Ukraine
Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security (CPDCS)
Local Organizers and Supporters:
AbFaNG (Action Alliance for Peace, active Neutrality and Non-violence)
ACP – Austrian Center for Peace in Stadtschlaining
ATTAC Austria
Herbert C. Kelman Institute for Interactive Conflict Transformation
Internationaler Versöhnungsbund / IFOR Austria
IIRC – Institute for Intercultural Research and Cooperation
ÖGB – Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund
WILPF Austria – Womens International Laegue for Peace and Freedom (tbc)
Other supporters requested.
Sponsors:
CODEPINK
Transform Europe
ROsa-Luxembirg Foundation (tbc)
A call for peace
We condemn the illegal Russian invasion in Ukraine. We are fully aware of NATO’s co-responsibility for this long-term conflict as one of many examples of violations of international law. At the same time, we are affected by the consequences this war and all wars have on societies – from injuries and deaths to the long-term deprivation striking the women who are providing vital care even in times of war, fighting for livelihood and peace despite violations of human rights. It is destroying the country’s environment and infrastructure, causing rising food and energy prices around the world, exacerbating poverty and hunger – especially in the global South – and threatening the entire world with a nuclear war.
It is time for the weapons to fall silent and for diplomacy to begin to resolve the conflict. We must counter the logic of war with the logic of peace.
Let us gather to discuss the state and the wider context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the positions of our various governments, the efforts, obstacles, and opportunities of the various peace movements and most importantly, how we can work more effectively to promote a ceasefire and negotiations, and peaceful solutions as the alternative to war.
Peace is not only the task of states and diplomats but nowadays more and more also of the global civil society. What is urgently needed now is a global movement demanding that all parties stop fighting and start talking. The international support garnered by the International Peace Bureau’s Christmas ceasefire appeal, the appeals at the UN General Assembly and by many governments, even comments from some political leaders of Russia and Ukraine show that a window of opportunity may be opening.
Why Vienna?
Austria is a neutral country. It is a “UN City” and the home to the Secretariat of the OSCE (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), which had been monitoring the situation in the Donbas since the signing of the Minsk II agreement.
Join the Peace Summit!
It is the responsibility of peace movements all around the world and of all peace-loving peoples to strengthen these efforts. The Vienna Summit for Peace in Ukraine can be a powerful sign of hope and a catalyst for more and stronger peace actions globally.
The future of humanity hangs in the balance; we must seize the moment before it’s too late.
Contact: International Peace Bureau, Marienstraße 19-20, 10117 Berlin, viennaconference@ipb-office.berlin
Registration: https://forms.gle/cFCeY62wgmXyUVaH7
There will be also an opportunity to join the conference virtually.
More details including a first program will follow soon.
