The urgent need to establish a global culture of peace and nonviolence

The war in Ukraine calls for exceptional mobilization. As for racism or sexual harassment, it is time to say clearly once and for all that we can’t tolerate any war on Earth, that whoever engages in war will find humanity united against him.

We urgently need to reject the culture of war and domination that is at the root of the many social, environmental and political challenges to establish a global culture of peace and nonviolence, in which all nations and individuals can express their full potential, free from oppression and discriminations. We know how to do it, in particular through children protection, education, gender equity, and deep reconciliation processes that can heal the historical traumas that hold us back, etc. So let’s make a firm commitment now to establish it! A world on the verge of a climate catastrophe simply cannot afford more wars but needs to promptly intensify international cooperation.

The reform of the United Nations, and especially of the security council, appears as an imperative to avoid the ridiculous scene of the Russian representative chairing the discussion over the war his country was waging. How is it possible to have countries producing more weapons and leading wars as they remain in this council? This war is the sole responsibility of Putin, not the Russian people. It is time for the United Nations to make space for “we the peoples” as states have not proved able to solve conflicts peacefully.

After the COVID crisis, the war in Ukraine is another signal that we have entered an era of systemic crisis. It will not end until we grow up. It is time for the great transition, a deep cultural evolution of humanity. A politics of being can facilitate it and lead us through the 21st century.