Vienna Final Declaration: Peace by peaceful means

More than 300 stakeholders from 32 countries participated in the International Summit for Peace in Ukraine. After great and inspiring speeches as well as fruitful discussions and workshops, it was agreed on a call for an international week of action from September 30 to October 8.

[Photo by Medea Benjamin, retrieved from Codepink]

The framing speech by Noam Chomsky in the beginning of the summit can be watched here.

Final declaration:

Peace by peaceful means. Ceasefire and negotiations now!
We, the organizers of the International Summit for Peace in Ukraine, call on leaders in all countries to act in support of an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
We are a broad and politically diverse coalition that represents peace movements and civil society, including people of faith in many countries. We are firmly united in our belief that war is a crime against humanity and there is no military solution to the current crisis.
We are deeply alarmed and saddened by the war. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded and millions have been displaced and traumatized. Cities and villages across Ukraine and the natural environment have been shattered.
Far greater death and suffering may yet ensue if the conflict escalates to the use of nuclear weapons, a risk that is higher today than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. We condemn Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.The institutions established to ensure peace and security in Europe fell short, and the failure of diplomacy led to war. Now diplomacy is urgently needed to end the war before it destroys Ukraine and endangers humanity. The path to peace must be based on the principles of common security, respect for international human rights and self determination of all communities. We support all negotiations that stand for the logic of peace instead of the illogic of war. We affirm our support for Ukrainian civil society who are defending their rights. We commit ourselves to strengthening the dialogue with those in Russia and Belarus who are putting their lives at risk opposing war and protecting democracy.
We call on civil society in all countries to join us in a week of global mobilization (Saturday 30th September – Sunday 8th October 2023) for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations to end this war.
Vienna, June 11th 2023
“We must all do our share, that we may be equal to the task of peace.” – Albert Einstein

A summary and concluding words by Medea Benjamin, a key contributor in the summit, can be found here.