Theme: Peace and Solidarity: Human Rights Cities Acting for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding
Host: Gwangju Metropolitan City, UN Human Rights Office, UNESCO, Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education
Organizers: Gwangju International Center, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion
CONCEPT NOTE
Background
Peaceful existence is the starting point for all human rights. The three pillars of the UN are peace, development, and human rights. Each pillar is indispensable for the realization of the other. Peace and security and development cannot be achieved without human rights. Human rights are a tool for prevention of violence, essential safeguards amidst the conduct of hostilities and a path to sustainable peace. In 1984, the UN General Assembly emphasized the importance of life without war through the “Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace”. Nevertheless, wars, civil wars, and violence continue to occur in various parts of the world.
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. However, other diverse forms of serious violent conflicts are still ongoing in many places. In some countries, Human rights are being suppressed using emergency martial laws and state violence, as was the case in Gwangju, South Korea, 45 years ago. The persistent civil wars and conflicts are taking the lives of countless people. The number of forcibly displaced people due to these conflicts across continents has passed 120 million. (Global Appeal 2025 Report)
Peace and human rights thrive in environments free from conflict and violence. Conflicts are serious challenges that destroy the foundation of human rights. Reducing conflicts and promoting peace are crucial, urgent, and shared common goals for human rights cities.
The peace that humanity desires does not mean merely the absence of war. Peace is the opposition to all forms of violence that threaten the safe life of humanity. Not only direct forms of violence, such as war and murder, but also structural violence—manifested in inequality, discrimination, and poverty, which stem from anti-human rights social structures—are challenges that must be overcome to achieve peace. True peace is a state in which all violent acts and conflicts have been eradicated and in which the safety and prosperity of individuals and communities are possible.
Human Rights Cities play a vital role in fostering peace and solidarity by actively promoting dialogue, inclusion, and social cohesion. Rather than merely responding to conflicts, they work to prevent them by building strong, resilient communities rooted in human rights values. By ensuring access to justice, protecting vulnerable groups, and cultivating a culture of mutual respect, Human Rights Cities create environments where conflicts are less likely to arise. Through education, community engagement, and collaboration, they serve as catalysts for peacebuilding efforts, demonstrating that sustainable peace begins at the local level. In an increasingly complex world, strengthening the role of Human Rights Cities in conflict prevention and peacebuilding is more important than ever.
Theme
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Peace and Solidarity: Human Rights Cities Acting for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding”. The topic seeks to reaffirm that human rights can only be guaranteed when peace prevails. Through the Forum, the active meaning of peace will be explored and ways for human rights cities and the human rights community to stand in solidarity to ensure that everyone can live in peace and safety.
Main Agenda
First, reaffirm the correlation between peace and human rights.
Peace is respect for life and dignity. The basis of all human rights is the right to a peaceful existence. The meaning of peace in the international community is expanding beyond opposition to war and violence into the realm of everyday life. Peace can be maintained on the basis of social justice, respect for human rights, mutual solidarity, and sustainability. Since peace and human rights are mutually supporting prerequisites, useful knowledge and practical measures for promoting peace from a human rights perspective must be found.
Second, assess the current situation that threatens the right to peace.
Human rights allow States, including local governments, to identify early warning signs of conflict, such as long-standing inequalities, discrimination, rising food prices and costs of living, forced evictions and unemployment. The examples of human rights violations that have occurred due to war, as well as anti-human rights and anti-peace situations caused by social, cultural, and institutional violence, will be discussed from various perspectives. By doing so, the multi-layered and multifaceted factors that threaten peace will be identified and the foundation will be laid for human rights cities’ joint practices to create a culture and environment of peace and non-violence.
Third, devise policies and programs for a human rights city to achieve peace.
Peace must be built and expanded in various ways in the operation of cities and in the daily lives of citizens for the harmonious coexistence of humans and the environment. The key roles and practices of individuals, local communities, and city governments as key actors in building peace will be explored. Various cases and experiences of promoting peace in human rights cities will be shared and human rights-based peace policies and programs will be devised.
Fourth, explore ways to build multilateral solidarity for peace.
The common goals of human rights cities and multilateral cooperation of peace building will be identified and discussed. Ways to strengthen practical cooperation among international organizations: city-to-city cooperation, building on city diplomacy practices to reinstate dialogue, as well as to uphold peace between nations and promote international security will be looked into and joint cooperation projects for individuals and communities to foster a culture of peace and human rights will be explored.
WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS CITIES FORUM 2025
SUMMARY
CONCEPT NOTE
Background
Peaceful existence is the starting point for all human rights. The three pillars of the UN are peace, development, and human rights. Each pillar is indispensable for the realization of the other. Peace and security and development cannot be achieved without human rights. Human rights are a tool for prevention of violence, essential safeguards amidst the conduct of hostilities and a path to sustainable peace. In 1984, the UN General Assembly emphasized the importance of life without war through the “Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace”. Nevertheless, wars, civil wars, and violence continue to occur in various parts of the world.
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. However, other diverse forms of serious violent conflicts are still ongoing in many places. In some countries, Human rights are being suppressed using emergency martial laws and state violence, as was the case in Gwangju, South Korea, 45 years ago. The persistent civil wars and conflicts are taking the lives of countless people. The number of forcibly displaced people due to these conflicts across continents has passed 120 million. (Global Appeal 2025 Report)
Peace and human rights thrive in environments free from conflict and violence. Conflicts are serious challenges that destroy the foundation of human rights. Reducing conflicts and promoting peace are crucial, urgent, and shared common goals for human rights cities.
The peace that humanity desires does not mean merely the absence of war. Peace is the opposition to all forms of violence that threaten the safe life of humanity. Not only direct forms of violence, such as war and murder, but also structural violence—manifested in inequality, discrimination, and poverty, which stem from anti-human rights social structures—are challenges that must be overcome to achieve peace. True peace is a state in which all violent acts and conflicts have been eradicated and in which the safety and prosperity of individuals and communities are possible.
Human Rights Cities play a vital role in fostering peace and solidarity by actively promoting dialogue, inclusion, and social cohesion. Rather than merely responding to conflicts, they work to prevent them by building strong, resilient communities rooted in human rights values. By ensuring access to justice, protecting vulnerable groups, and cultivating a culture of mutual respect, Human Rights Cities create environments where conflicts are less likely to arise. Through education, community engagement, and collaboration, they serve as catalysts for peacebuilding efforts, demonstrating that sustainable peace begins at the local level. In an increasingly complex world, strengthening the role of Human Rights Cities in conflict prevention and peacebuilding is more important than ever.
Theme
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Peace and Solidarity: Human Rights Cities Acting for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding”. The topic seeks to reaffirm that human rights can only be guaranteed when peace prevails. Through the Forum, the active meaning of peace will be explored and ways for human rights cities and the human rights community to stand in solidarity to ensure that everyone can live in peace and safety.
Main Agenda
First, reaffirm the correlation between peace and human rights.
Peace is respect for life and dignity. The basis of all human rights is the right to a peaceful existence. The meaning of peace in the international community is expanding beyond opposition to war and violence into the realm of everyday life. Peace can be maintained on the basis of social justice, respect for human rights, mutual solidarity, and sustainability. Since peace and human rights are mutually supporting prerequisites, useful knowledge and practical measures for promoting peace from a human rights perspective must be found.
Second, assess the current situation that threatens the right to peace.
Human rights allow States, including local governments, to identify early warning signs of conflict, such as long-standing inequalities, discrimination, rising food prices and costs of living, forced evictions and unemployment. The examples of human rights violations that have occurred due to war, as well as anti-human rights and anti-peace situations caused by social, cultural, and institutional violence, will be discussed from various perspectives. By doing so, the multi-layered and multifaceted factors that threaten peace will be identified and the foundation will be laid for human rights cities’ joint practices to create a culture and environment of peace and non-violence.
Third, devise policies and programs for a human rights city to achieve peace.
Peace must be built and expanded in various ways in the operation of cities and in the daily lives of citizens for the harmonious coexistence of humans and the environment. The key roles and practices of individuals, local communities, and city governments as key actors in building peace will be explored. Various cases and experiences of promoting peace in human rights cities will be shared and human rights-based peace policies and programs will be devised.
Fourth, explore ways to build multilateral solidarity for peace.
The common goals of human rights cities and multilateral cooperation of peace building will be identified and discussed. Ways to strengthen practical cooperation among international organizations: city-to-city cooperation, building on city diplomacy practices to reinstate dialogue, as well as to uphold peace between nations and promote international security will be looked into and joint cooperation projects for individuals and communities to foster a culture of peace and human rights will be explored.
PROGRAMS
- Closing Ceremony
- Welcome Dinner
Creating a Classroom Culture Where Everyone's Human Rights Are Respected through Student Autonomy
The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and Women 2025
Eugenics and Forced Sterilization: State Violence Denying the Existence of Persons with Disabilities
Spreading a Global Anti-Violence Culture: Stories from Citizens of Five Countries
PHOTOS
VIDEO
WHRCF 2025 PROGRAM BOOK
You can download the program book by clicking the attached file below.