On Monday, we joined the United Nations and people around the world in celebrating the 45th International Day of Peace.
At a time of surging U.S. militarism and global conflict, the International Day of Peace provides a hopeful reminder: Amid the unrelenting news of violence, countless people all across the globe are also acting each day to build peace.
This year’s Peace Day theme calls us to celebrate these “everyday architects of peace” – people who are “driving local action, laying the groundwork for stability, and building a lasting peace from the ground up.”
As FCNL’s Bridget Moix put it, “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.”
In Sudan, local volunteer peacebuilders are continuing to address the root causes of conflict despite President Trump’s aid cuts.
In Israel-Palestine, groups like Combatants for Peace are bringing together Israelis and Palestinians to “co-resist the occupation and build a future of peace, equality, and freedom for all.”
In communities around the world, youth leaders are hosting peace circles — “inclusive intergenerational dialogues” that build empathy, understanding, and trust to counter division and conflict.
In Southeast Asia, our partners at Legacies of War are working to ensure that the remnants of past wars no longer harm people into the future.
Here at home, ordinary people are standing up for their neighbors in the face of ICE violence and terror in our communities.
There are countless other stories of people taking meaningful action for peace, including all of you in our FCNL community who are bringing a persistent moral voice to Congress.
As the U.N. reminded us, “Peace is never a passive achievement. Peace is hard work.”
As we continue to work to urge Congress to invest in peace, please join us in sharing and celebrating the courageous work of everyday peacebuilders.
Elsewhere
Welcome New Foreign Policy Director!
Peter Quaranto joined FCNL on Monday as our new Legislative Director of Foreign Policy. He has extensive experience in civil society and the federal government in building peace.
Reflecting on the new role, Peter said “I’m excited to join the team to help advocate for a future U.S. foreign policy that prioritizes peacemaking and war prevention.”
We are thrilled to have his leadership to guide our work for peace. In this world of violence and war, building peace is needed more than ever.
Senate Must Demand Answers on Violence in Palestine
Congress needs to call for accountability for the human rights abuses of the Israeli government in the West Bank. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (MD) has taken an important step towards that with a new resolution which would mandate the State Department investigate the killings of nine Americans since 2022 and other West Bank violence.
FCNL joined a broad coalition of organizations in a letter supporting Sen. Van Hollen’s resolution. As that letter says, “no recipient of U.S. security assistance is exempt from congressional oversight or the human rights standards required by law.”
White South Africans Privileged in Tiny U.S. Refugee Determination
This week, the Trump administration announced that for the second year in a row, the annual U.S. refugee cap will be a historic low of 17,500 — overwhelmingly white South Africans. This is compared with an average cap of 92,000 since the program launched.
This policy denies refuge from people who desperately need it – religious minorities from Iran, families fleeing violence in Sudan, and the tens of thousands of refugees who had conditional approval at the beginning of Trump’s presidency and then lost it.
Peacekeepers at the Polls Needed
Given the threat of ICE and militarized law enforcement at polling locations in urban areas in the upcoming midterm elections, the calming and welcoming presence of people of faith is desperately needed. We need peacekeepers at the polls, and our partners at Faiths United to Save Democracy are holding a training this coming Monday, September 28 at 7 p.m. ET: sign up now!
