Global Gathering of Local Peacebuilders to Build Solidarity and Resist Militarism
Nairobi, Kenya // On Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, Peace Direct, an international NGO dedicated to supporting local people to build lasting peace, announced the upcoming global gathering of local peacebuilders, Peace Connect. The event will be held in Nairobi from October 13th to 17th, 2025, and will bring together hundreds of local peacebuilders from around the world for a week of meaningful connection, creativity, and collective action.
With peace actors from countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Palestine, Ukraine, and Sudan in attendance, the timing of this gathering is crucial. As the US Department of Defense rebrands to the Department of War and governments globally cut overseas funding, it is vital for local peacebuilders to share their expertise and build cross-border solidarity.
According to Dylan Mathews, CEO of Peace Direct, “The multiple crises facing the world right now, including 120 active armed conflicts, demand an urgent and creative response. This is what Peace Connect aims to do, bringing together some of the most pioneering, brave frontline activists and their allies to share experiences and build solidarity. The world needs more peacebuilders, and we hope that Peace Connect will help catalyze new ideas and movements for peace.”
Lina María Jaramillo, Local Peacebuilding Expert in Colombia and Peace Connect Advisory Group member, added, “It is paradoxical and tragic that just when the world needs more acts of solidarity to counteract the suffering of war, a cloak of doubt has been raised over the importance of humanitarian assistance and cooperation. Today, we must connect our ideas of peace and solidarity with action if we are to sustain humanity amid this pain, death, and fear. For peacebuilding to remain possible, we must reconfigure the system and strengthen our collective action. That’s why Peace Connect matters in this moment.”
More than 500 peacebuilders and allies are expected to attend, including global leaders in peacebuilding and representatives from Peace Direct’s local partners across 15 countries, including Afghanistan, DRC, Sudan, Syria, and Colombia. Networks like CIVICUS, MCLD, ICAN, UNOY, and Peace Starts Here will also be sharing the stage.
Shaped by local peacebuilders, Peace Connect aims to disrupt the pattern of international events that exclude local voices and serve the interests of global North power holders. With a program shaped by peacebuilders, the gathering offers space to focus on topics that truly matter to them. Sessions will cover practical peacebuilding approaches, integrating indigenous wisdom, making decolonization a reality, climate-responsive peacebuilding, and more. In addition to discussions and workshops, there will be art, poetry, and space to prioritize wellbeing and reflection.
Diana Ishaqat, Advisory Group member and Peace Starts Here campaign co-creator from Jordan, stressed the importance of Peace Connect amid the current funding crisis, saying, “It can be isolating to believe in peace. In my context, peace is a word associated with giving up on rights, with painful compromise, loss of indigenous rights, and Western interference. It’s important that peace is made local, localized, and that it speaks to local peacebuilders; those who are often the first to point out the signs of brewing conflicts and their many manifestations in everyday life.”
Peace Direct is an international NGO based in the UK that supports local peacebuilders to stop violence and build sustainable peace. They provide funding, training, and other resources to help peacebuilders do the work that they feel is most relevant in their contexts. Currently, Peace Direct supports local peacebuilding efforts in 15 countries. While the organization has been convening local peacebuilders for almost 20 years, Peace Connect is the first global gathering of peacebuilders that they have organized.
For too long, local peacebuilders’ voices have been missing from mainstream narratives about conflict resolution and peace outcomes. To address this issue, Peace Direct is offering press passes to ensure media representatives have opportunities to learn about the vital work of local peacebuilders preventing violence globally and share their stories with their readers. These passes give full access, covering the total cost of the ticket. Additionally, Peace Direct is reserving at least two press passes for local journalists in Kenya. To access a press pass and/or images to accompany coverage of Peace Connect or Peace Direct, please contact Grace Rowley, Co-Head of Fundraising and Communications, or Jennifer Venis, Senior Communications Officer.
Peace Connect has two hosting partners. The Kenya-based co-host is IPHRD-Africa, a non-profit organization with a focus on promoting a human rights approach to governance and peacebuilding for sustainable development in Africa. The official media partner for Peace Connect is The New Humanitarian, an independent, non-profit newsroom that believes in journalism as a force for good. The New Humanitarian produces fact-based journalism from the heart of conflicts and disasters to build understanding of how to improve
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.