Faith to Action Network was honored to take part in Peace Connect 2025, held from 13–17 October at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya bringing together more than 540 peacebuilders and allies from 90 countries under the banner of “self-care, solidarity, and urgency.”

The convening, co-led by Peace Direct, offered an energising space of reflection and renewal, where participants from Gaza to Kenya, Manipur to Latin America called for courage, compassion, and collective action to end cycles of violence and rebuild trust in systems of peace.

Key themes that resonated deeply included:

• Decolonising Peacebuilding:
  Participants reflected on the need to rebuild global peace systems that truly reflect local agency and solidarity, not colonial legacies. Peace Connect itself modelled decolonisation in practice, co-created by activists, grounded in music, rest, and well-being over presentations.
• Communities Hold the Power:
  Stories from Nepal, Palestine, Kenya, and Latin America affirmed that communities already have the wisdom and tools to sustain peace, from local fundraising to ancestral water management and youth reinvestment programs.
• Solidarity Without Borders:
  Participants reaffirmed that true peace knows no borders. Voices from across continents called for justice-based solidarity that transcends selective advocacy, echoing: “Under the sun, we are all equal.”
• Art as Resistance and Healing:
  Poetry, drumming, beadwork, and song reminded everyone that art not only resists oppression but heals collective wounds “When the world forgets us, the songs remember us.”
• Balancing Urgency with Care:
  Amid today’s global crises, participants were urged to measure success through well-being, not just KPIs, centering rest, community, and sustainability as essential acts of resistance.

As Faith to Action Network, we were inspired by the gathering’s call to reimagine peacebuilding through compassion, collaboration, and shared humanity, recognizing that wherever there is conflict, there are people courageously building peace.

“It’s not only about humanitarian, development, or peace, it’s about solidarity.”