Every day brings a new headline, one conflict follows another. All over the world we see wars and escalating violence. By now, one in five! children grows up in a war. We are shaken by the many images of war, from the Middle East and the Near East, from the war in Ukraine or the genocide in East Africa. But we do not want to fall into shock and helplessness. Instead, let us come together and make a stand for peace.
We call for respect for human rights and international law. We call on politicians to rely on diplomacy instead of rearmament.
We stand up for an Austria:
- that works for an active policy of neutrality and for peace education, especially with a view to its seat on the UN Security Council in 2027/28, instead of constantly debating mutual assistance obligations and military involvement.
- that promotes peace education, conflict resolution and an understanding of democracy and human rights in schools and throughout the education system, instead of reducing the public debate on security to military defence and leaving it to military experts in the media to shape public opinion.
- that safeguards democracy and peace by funding a functioning welfare state, instead of pushing for huge increases in arms spending and subsidising the war industry.
War brings death and destruction and accelerates the climate crisis. The scarcity of natural resources fuels conflicts. This deepens the causes that force people to flee, and new tensions arise. Peace therefore also requires protecting the natural foundations of our lives.
We do not accept that people only talk about war and no longer about peace. We stand up for peace with a public debate that puts peace education back at its centre.
Only negotiations resolve conflicts. Only dialogue leads to peace. A world of peaceful understanding is possible.
Who we are
We are the Linz Peace Network (Linzer Friedensnetzwerk): a growing alliance of organisations, initiatives and individuals who stand up for peace and against war. The appeal is supported by more than 30 organisations.