A united voice for a peaceful future for all people

"Naturefriends for Peace" was the motto of the 10th Annual Conference of Naturefriends International (NFI), which took place on 14th September in Heerlen, the Netherlands. "We all want peace and an end to the suffering of the civilian population – be it in Ukraine, Palestine or in the numerous other conflict spots where weapons are being used," said NFI President Manfred Pils in his opening statement, "yet the peace movement has been more divided than ever since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Differing views on who bears responsibility for the current conflicts and how they should be resolved are preventing a common, strong position in favour of peace."

However, the vicious circle of armament and armed conflict can only be broken by a broad global peace movement. A peace movement that demands that governments and institutions invest in conflict resolution measures and facilitate peaceful co-operation instead of armament. The relevant international forums and organisations exist, they can be further expanded, but above all they must be used. Without pressure from the population, little will change.

As an international network with more than 350,000 members worldwide, Naturefriends are leading by example and making a strong statement for peace with their unanimously agreed catalogue of demands. The central demand includes the immediate cessation of military action to stop the suffering of the civilian population and the immediate commencement of peace negotiations under the leadership of a neutral institution such as the United Nations.

A peace flag was hoisted at the conference venue, the Naturefriends Houses Eikhold on the outskirts of Heerlen, as a reminder of the jointly adopted resolution. A second peace flag was raised at the historic town hall of Aachen on 15 September as part of a joint excursion. "In addition to the constructive discussions on the topic of peace, the raising of the peace flags should remain in our memories for a long time to come," explains Han Verschuur from the board of the Dutch Naturefriends NIVON, which hosted the conference on the occasion of their 100th anniversary and organised the programme. "At the same time, the flags symbolise our responsibility and strength as an international civil society movement that makes its demand for peace heard through numerous actions." 

In addition to taking part in peaceful peace demonstrations and campaigning for the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by all governments, an international Naturefriends Peace Hike from the Peace City of The Hague to Bremen is planned for May 2025 under the auspices of Naturefriends Germany with numerous local actions. "Together we are strong and loud," stresses Yannick Kiesel, board member of Naturefriends Germany and responsible for coordinating the Peace Hikes. "And we won't stop until the guns fall silent." 

Naturefriends' demands in detail: 

• the immediate cessation of military and other warlike actions on all sides;
• the immediate commencement of negotiations under the leadership of a neutral mediation institution, such as the United Nations, which is accepted by the conflict parties;
• support for refugees, military resisters and the civilian population affected by military and warlike actions;
• the support of peace activists worldwide;
• the signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by all governments.

RESOLUTION: Naturefriends for peace