THE YPRES DECLARATION 2026 
Think of Peace, International Peace Conference, Ypres, 9 May 2026 
 
This declaration unites organizations and individuals committed to social justice and sustainable peace. We unite to build a world on democratic values, universal human rights, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.  

The International Peace Conference Think of Peace, held in the City of Peace, Ypres, on Saturday 9 May 2026, brought together a broad coalition of civil society actors. We share a deep concern about current trends. But not all hope is gone; we have a shared conviction that another path is possible. Global surveys confirm this: a clear majority of people worldwide support international cooperation, humanitarian action, and long-term plans for peace and shared progress. That majority must find its voice in policies.  

The crisis of the 4 D's 

Since the end of the Cold War, sustainable security peace has rested on three pillars, the 3 D's: Defense (including legal frameworks and the rule of law), Diplomacy (negotiation and international cooperation, even in times of conflict), and Development (education, healthcare, infrastructure, economic development, and good governance). In recent years, a fourth D has been recognized: Democracy, ensuring that institutions and politicians are held accountable, and providing the peaceful mechanisms needed to resolve conflict, protect freedoms, and allow the other three pillars to function. Democracy is about the trust the citizens have in their governments. Democracy has declined sharply: from 12 deteriorating democracies in 2005 to 44 in 2026.  

Today this balance upheld by these pillars is under serious strain. Western governments have strongly invested in the military while cutting diplomacy and development. There is no shared long-term vision for conflict management and peace, no meaningful strategic plan for sustainable international peace developed with the broad involvement of civil society, humanitarian organizations, and engaged citizens. Without such a backbone, we move from crisis to crisis, unable to draw a clear red line or act proactively. This must change.  

The erosion of international law institutions

Making this more urgent: an increasing number of states are disregarding international law and pursuing foreign policy based purely on power, ignoring the international institutions, including the UN, built to prevent exactly this. Chronic underfunding, double standards in the application of human rights, and the disregarding of agreed frameworks, have eroded the authority and credibility of these institutions.  

Women and marginalized groups bear the heaviest consequences from this. Their rights are traded away in diplomatic compromises or ignored without consequence. Structural barriers like unpaid care work, time poverty, patriarchal institutions, etc. keep them out of peace and security processes. Radical right movements are actively rolling back gender equality. These rights are not simply at risk of neglect, in many parts of the world they are being dismantled.  
 

With The Ypres Coalition, we, the undersigned organizations and individuals, confirm our shared commitment and declare the following:  

Women, marginalized groups, and civil society as active agents of peace

We commit to the full implementation of the CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, and UN Security Council Resolution 1325. We acknowledge that the equal participation of women, marginalized groups, and civil society is essential for lasting peace. This needs to happen as a central element in political, social, and economic decision-making to eventually reach sustainable conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Governments and militaries cannot build peace alone, community-level work is indispensable.  

Democracy, law, and a culture of peace as the foundation of security  

True security cannot be built on militarization alone. The democratic institutions, international laws, and solidarity mechanisms built after two world wars are now being eroded by authoritarianism and by the unchecked concentration of power. Protecting democracy is inseparable from protecting peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is a living culture, sustained through civic institutions, education, communities, and family life. It is built on non-violence, sustainability, and justice.  

A long-term strategic vision for sustainable peace  

The core of today's crisis is the absence of an updated, coherent, long-term vision for peace. We call for a Strategic Plan for Sustainable Peace and International Security. We reject the definition of security being reduced to military power alone. We call for the restoration of the Harmel Doctrine's principle: military deterrence must always be paired with active diplomacy, negotiation, and dialogue. Conflict prevention and diplomacy require strong, sustained investment.

True human security means justice, social protection, legal defense, and freedom from poverty and discrimination. This goes beyond simple borders. The current government spendings undermine this security. We call for public debate on the new arms race in Europe, and for all decisions on militarization to be subject to the same democratic scrutiny and proportionality as funding on social sectors.  

Universal human rights, international law, and genuine multilateral cooperation  

We commit to the universal application of human rights and clear, consistent consequences for violations. We reject the steady erosion of universalism that replaces rights with exceptions made for national interest. We specifically condemn the selective application of the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention, also by EU-member states, and call for unified, consistent positions that uphold these frameworks without any exceptions.  

We call for all states within these international institutions, such as the UN, the EU and others, to treat these declarations as binding commitments, with follow-up, reporting, and accountability. This applies equally to human rights obligations, climate agreements under the Paris Agreement and the broader agenda of the UN Pact for the Future. We specifically welcome this as a framework for this renewed cooperation.  

We ask all cosigners to make their position on these commitments known publicly, and to work toward political change at the regional, national, European, and international level, each according to their own capacity.  

We invite all who share these values to sign below as individuals, as representatives of organizations, and as defenders of the world we want to build.  
  
Signatures 
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