Peace advocates, journalists, academics, community leaders, educators, and youth activists from around the world have called for greater investment in people, dialogue, education, and inclusive communities as essential building blocks for lasting peace.
The call was made on Monday, September 21, 2026, during an international virtual event organized to commemorate the International Day of Peace under the theme "Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”
More than 50 participants joined the online gathering, creating space for an international exchange on practical steps individuals, communities, civil society organizations, and institutions can take to prevent conflict and strengthen peaceful coexistence.
The event was organized in partnership with the Rotary Peace Fellow Alumni Association – Africa and Global Peace Let’s Talk International UK.
Participants came from different professional and geographical backgrounds, but the discussions were largely centred on a shared concern about how to move from talking about peace to making deliberate and sustained investments that can address the conditions that allow conflict and social divisions to grow.
The program opened with remarks from OboteClause, one of the Coordinators of the Rotary Peace Fellow Alumni Association – Africa, before Professor Fabio Carbone delivered the keynote address.
In his presentation, Professor Carbone reflected on peacebuilding and dialogue, stressing the importance of sustained efforts to create societies where differences can be managed through peaceful engagement rather than confrontation.
The event later moved into a panel discussion moderated by Rosaline Obah, a Cameroonian-British senior journalist bringing together voices with experience in journalism, strategic communication, community development, youth work, education, and peacebuilding.
Among the panellists was Sunny Dada, a journalist, peacebuilding practitioner, and development professional whose areas of work include media, data journalism, democratic governance, elections, strategic communication, early warning, and conflict prevention.
Rosaline Obah and Nganlay LaureAlso contributing to the discussion was Laure Nganlay, a journalist and strategic communications professional from Cameroon with experience in peacebuilding. She addressed issues including responsible communication, countering hate speech and violent extremism, media, women's empowerment, youth participation, and grassroots approaches to peace.
Dr. Ramatu Abdu, community leader and CEO of the Association for the Welfare of Women and Indigenous People (ASOWWIP), brought the perspective of communities that are often at the centre of social and development challenges.
Drawing on more than 15 years of work with vulnerable communities in Cameroon, Dr. Abdu highlighted women's empowerment, Indigenous and minority rights, social inclusion, community development, and advocacy as important components of peacebuilding.
The youth perspective came from Janith Prabashwara Perera, a youth peace advocate, educator, researcher, and doctoral fellow at the University of Leeds. Her contribution focused on youth development, peace education, international development, research, peacebuilding, and youth leadership.
The panel discussion revolved around five major areas. These included the need for effective early warning and prevention mechanisms; the influence of media and information on peace and conflict; the inclusion of women, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups; the role of young people and education in peacebuilding; and the kind of investments required to sustain peaceful societies for future generations.
A key thread running through the conversation was the idea that peace should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of governments, security institutions, or international organizations.
Instead, speakers pointed to the role of ordinary citizens, families, schools, media organizations, civil society groups, and community leaders in creating environments where dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation can flourish.
Education emerged as another important area of investment. Participants stressed that equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to manage differences peacefully can contribute to long-term conflict prevention.
The discussion also turned to the changing information landscape.
With social media and other digital platforms allowing information to spread almost instantly, participants noted that communication has become an increasingly important part of both peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Information can help communities understand one another and respond to emerging tensions, but irresponsible communication can also fuel misinformation, hate speech, and division.
For the speakers, promoting responsible communication and ensuring that communities have access to reliable information are therefore increasingly important elements of peacebuilding.
The conversation further highlighted the importance of giving women, young people, Indigenous communities, and other marginalized groups meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
Rather than treating inclusion as an afterthought, participants argued that it should form part of the foundation of peacebuilding efforts. The interactive nature of the program allowed participants to contribute questions and reflections from their own countries and professional experiences, adding a broader international dimension to the discussion.
As the event drew to a close, organizers encouraged participants to carry the message of the International Day of Peace beyond the virtual meeting and into their daily lives and communities.
The gathering ended with a renewed emphasis on practical action, investing in education, people, dialogue, responsible communication, inclusion, and young leaders as part of a wider effort to build societies that are peaceful, inclusive, and resilient.
The celebration served as a reminder that peace is not only an international aspiration marked once a year but a responsibility that requires consistent effort and investment “for everyone, everywhere, every day.”
#Laarry Times
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