As we observe the 45th International Day of Peace, the United Nations is calling on member states to “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,” honoring the “everyday architects of peace”—the grassroots organizers, community leaders, and quiet heroes who are driving local action and building the foundations of a lasting peace from the ground up. True peace is forged in the daily, courageous, and too often unrecognized choices of ordinary people who refuse to accept violence, hatred, and division as inevitable.
A Quarter Century of War
Just 10 days ago, we marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and reflected on the last quarter-century of endless war and militarism–and their failure to bring true security. The post-9/11 world has been very clear in this past year, with warmongering and escalating hostility at home and abroad. We have witnessed alarming escalations and military actions, from boat strikes that amount to government sanctioned murder in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, the invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president and his wife, and aggressive posturing toward Cuba, to war with Iran that threaten to ignite wider regional catastrophes.
Twenty-five years ago, on September 12, 2001, FCNL asserted that “war is not the answer.” This remains as true today as it did then.
At the same time, this unchecked militarism has steadily bled into our everyday life at home with the violence carried out by ICE within our neighborhoods. Congress has sought to expand the already bloated Pentagon budget that continuously prioritizes instruments of mass destruction, endless weapons procurement, and militarized dominance over urgent human needs like healthcare and climate resilience.
The weight of these aggressive, militaristic policies has left many feeling weary, anxious, and concerned for the future of our communities. Twenty-five years ago, on September 12, 2001, FCNL asserted that “war is not the answer.” This remains as true today as it did then.
Persistent Hope
Despite the heavy shadow of the past twenty-five years, hope stubbornly persists in the work of everyday peacebuilders around the world and the extraordinary good that rises up in response to fear and oppression.
Across the country, we witness local peaceful resilience against ICE violence—communities organizing mutual aid networks, defending their vulnerable neighbors, and standing firm for human dignity. We are also seeing glimmers of accountability within Congress through War Powers Resolution votes and significant debates on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that challenge unchecked military expansion. This year, House appropriators chose to support vital foreign aid, including securing increased funding for atrocity prevention programs that seek to identify early warning signs and stop mass violence before it ever starts.
These victories prove that policy is not permanently fixed, and that persistent public pressure, moral clarity, and organized love can bend the arc toward peace.
Building Peace
FCNL strives to support the everyday architects of peace that we celebrate today through our legislative and grassroots witness. Our 2026 Advocacy Teams campaign: “War is not the answer, at home or abroad” has been guiding our grassroots network as they advocate to Congress to break free from the failed paradigms of the post-9/11 world. From building local multi-faith and community coalitions, to lobbying lawmakers to rein in bloated military spending and repeal outdated authorizations for use of military force, FCNL advocates have persistently brought voices of conscience directly to Congress.
But while our neighbors, FCNL’s grassroots network, and dedicated people in communities around the world, are actively building the foundations of peace every day, we need Congress to do more. Lawmakers must match the moral clarity and courage of their constituents by enacting policies that resource diplomacy and basic human needs and dismantle militarism.
As we mark this International Day of Peace and reflect on the quarter-century past, let us not be paralyzed by global conflict and the militaristic impulses that dominate our headlines. Instead, let us look to the local peacebuilders, the courageous community advocates, the principled congressional allies, and everyday acts of peace as proof that The World We Seek is possible.
