International Forum on Peace and Nonviolence in the Middle East

Washington, D.C. – May 2026

A global initiative empowering ordinary people—the “Davids of the world”—to collaborate across borders and build nonviolent responses to humanity’s most urgent challenges.

Overview

The world is entering a moment of profound and unsettling rupture. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza/Palestine, renewed threats toward Venezuela, past U.S. interest in Greenland, accelerating military budgets, rearmament, and troop mobilizations all signal the weakening of international norms that once restrained expansionist behavior. Some describe this as a regression of more than a century; others see it as a new phase of geopolitical realism. Either way, the consequences are already reshaping global stability and undermining the foundations of peace.

Most citizens experience these developments through an endless stream of shocking images, provoking brief waves of outrage or fear before daily life resumes. But fleeting emotion is not enough. What this moment requires is hope rooted in collective organization and sustained action. Over the past two centuries, progress has emerged from humanist principles—defending individual and social rights, fostering deliberative democracy, respecting peoples’ autonomy, and resolving conflicts without violence. These traditions remain our most reliable tools for confronting today’s crises.

History reminds us that meaningful change rarely comes from isolated leaders. It is driven by organized citizens who apply continuous pressure on institutions, expand public awareness, and shift political possibilities. If current trajectories are to be redirected toward justice and peace, civil society must mobilize across every available space—through public debate, classrooms, writing, assemblies, and coordinated action.

In this context, and given the United States’ central role in the Middle East alongside the recent UN peace resolution, May 2026 represents a critical moment for global civil society to step forward. Peace leaders, human rights advocates, youth organizers, scholars, diplomats, and grassroots movements will gather in Washington, D.C. for the International Forum on Peace and Nonviolence in the Middle East.

The Forum will provide a pedagogical and democratic space for shared reflection, coordinated action, and the development of nonviolent solutions to ongoing crises in the region. By engaging communities that influence U.S. decision-making and by expanding the critical mass in favor of peaceful alternatives, the Forum aims to strengthen pathways to peace, advance peace education, and reaffirm nonviolence as a practical and necessary force—small but essential steps toward outcomes that no elite can indefinitely prevent.

Purpose

Core Themes

Working Groups — Organized by Thematic Area

Focused sessions that engage participants in collaborative planning and actionable proposals.

Forum Format

Satellite Events in New York

Public discussions and workshops designed to expand the reach and impact of the Forum.

Hudson Valley Park of Study and Reflection (Upstate NY)

Retreats, strategy sessions, and reflective encounters to deepen the Forum’s outcomes and strengthen a growing regional and global movement for nonviolence.