Catholic organizations warned the United Nations that peace efforts will fail if they ignore structural injustice and exclude the voices of the Global South during a panel at the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Pax Christi International delivered the joint statement on behalf of several Catholic and faith-based organizations during a panel discussion on human rights and a culture of peace.
The intervention was presented by Jonathan Frerichs, Pax Christi’s main representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The organizations said many international initiatives labeled as peace efforts fail because they address only the visible symptoms of conflict.
“Too often, initiatives described as ‘peace efforts’ address only the symptoms of conflict rather than its underlying causes,” the groups said.
The groups stressed that communities most affected by conflict must be involved in shaping decisions that affect their future.
“The voices of the Global South, too often marginalised, must shape the decisions that affect their lives. Political legitimacy rests on inclusion and accountability,” the groups said.
The organizations also expressed concern over ongoing conflicts in several regions of the world.
“We are particularly concerned about ongoing conflicts in regions such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories, DRC, Sudan, Haiti, and Myanmar, where structural injustice, exclusion, and the denial of human rights continue to fuel suffering,” the groups said.
The groups warned against approaches to peace that rely solely on unilateral or technocratic solutions and emphasized the importance of international law and the right of peoples to self-determination.
They also raised concerns over increasing global militarization, particularly the threat posed by nuclear weapons.
Calling for what they described as “integral human disarmament,” the organizations urged governments to address both weapons and the conditions that perpetuate violence.
The groups also emphasized the importance of peace education and the role of women and young people in building lasting peace.
“Women as peacebuilders and young people as agents of change are indispensable in this work, strengthening the foundations for a just peace,” the groups said.
The joint intervention was supported by several Catholic organizations, including the International Office of Catholic Education, Vides Internazionale, the International Institute Maria Ausiliatrice, Franciscans International, Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, Edmund Rice International, and the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations.
The groups concluded by reaffirming that sustainable peace must be grounded in respect for human dignity.
“Peace grows from respect for human dignity and the rights of all,” the groups said.
