Today, March 4th 2026, together with our co-signing partners, International Office of Catholic Studies (OIEC), Vides Internazionale, Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice (IIMA), Franciscans International, Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, Edmund Rice International and World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO), we delivered a joint statement at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

The statement was presented by Pax Christi International through Jonathan Frerichs, our main representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, during the panel discussion on human rights and a culture of peace.

In our intervention, we expressed deep concern about global conflicts and structural injustices that undermine human dignity. Too often, so-called “peace efforts” address only the symptoms of conflict rather than their root causes.

We stressed that the voices of the Global South, too often marginalised, must shape decisions affecting their lives, and that political legitimacy relies on inclusion and accountability. Situations of grave concern, such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar, show that peace must be rooted in justice, participation, and respect for international law, not unilateral or technocratic approaches.


Our statement reaffirmed the essential role of genuine multilateralism, embodied by the United Nations, in tackling global challenges. We called for renewed commitment to human rights, dialogue, solidarity, social progress, and care for our common home, for present and future generations.

We also highlighted the urgent moral challenge of rearmament, especially nuclear, and called for integral human disarmament that addresses both weapons and the structures that normalize violence. Sustained investment in peace education and nonviolence, and the engagement of women as peacebuilders and young people as agents of change, are vital to building a just and lasting peace.

Pax Christi International, together with our partners, reaffirms its commitment to this vision, advocating for a culture of peace grounded in inclusion, accountability and shared responsibility.

 

Below is the full video of Jonathan Frerichs’ intervention in Geneva:

Pax Christi International also participated, as a co-signatory, in the joint statement presented by APG23.