World Peace Award Conferences

WELCOME TO
World Peace Award
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
May 24-28 2025

We endorse the UN resolution to promote a Culture of Peace

Information about Culture of Peace

Information about our upcoming program

World Peace Award

Conference and a culturefestival

- Peace within us will lead to peace between us -

Theme: How to create a culture of peace

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Schedule World Peace Award Conference VI

Saturday May 24th to Wednesday 28th 2025

Stockholm, Sweden

Welcome to the 6th World Peace Award Conference

This year, we are again celebrating human fellowship and the search for peace. We invite everyone concerned about peace and human development. Today the world is facing many challenges. Despite our different interests and perspectives, solutions can only come when humans work together. For this, we need to share a common perspective and interests. We believe that central to this is the search for universally shared values. Your participation could contribute to this prospect.

We like to invite anyone and everyone regardless of their own political, social or religious views. If you are working in a field as an educator, researcher, human rights activist, religious organisation or an artist concerned about empowering people and wanting to strengthen democracy by countering violence and hatred, you are welcome to share your vision and learn from others. This is a great opportunity to network and give hope to people by sharing your experiences and knowledge.

This year’s theme: Peace, Civil Society and the Environment

Peace is something which concerns us all. We would like to emphasize that is more than a political agenda, it’s a human agenda. We believe that peace has to begin to understand each other and willingness to learn from each other.

We would like to touch on three areas regarding the concept of peace and how to understand the UN Declaration of Culture of Peace. Also, we like to talk about the importance and responsibility of civil society to contribute to peace. This includes religion, youth, and social- as well as cultural groups that have an important role in contributing to human and society's development. The environment and climate are of great concern for us and affect us all. To save the planet humanity has also to work together and share the burden in solidarity with each other. But the environment also is something we humans together create within

our society. The concept of peace has many features involving all aspects of human lives.

The importance of universally shared values

World Peace concerns all aspects of life. Even though the world is more integrated, there is also growing mistrust and division. Religion which has been the driving force in all civilizations has been increasingly marginalized in the modern world and accused of causing conflicts and wars. With or without religion, however, the conflicts continue. Within the political world, there is more polarization, increasing social confrontation, and growing nationalism.

The challenge is how to find a model for peace which transcends all religious, political, social, and national interests. Such a model can be found in the recognition of universally shared values. Through this, religious people can engage in a new level of dialogue. Politicians can be guided by a higher level of responsibility. Social activists who seek to empower people, will not only oppose what is wrong but strive for constructive solutions. A healthy society is after all the ability to work together based on mutual trust and care. Indispensable to our national, ethnic, and religious identities, we can retain our own unique characteristics and also recognize that we are part of one human family. For such dialogue to be successful we need to recognize the values that we all share. This is the focus of the conference: to explore universally shared values and how they can contribute to a world of peace and provide hope for the future of humankind.

Some of the participants from 2024

Schedule May 24th - 28 th

Day 1. Sunday, May 25th

STOCKHOLM CONCERT HALL

Grünewaldssalen

12.00 – 14.00 Interfaith

Religious leaders share

14.00 – 15.00 Break/Paus

15.00 – 17.00 (3 -5 pm) World Peace Award event

STOCKHOLM CONCERT HALL,

Day 2. Monday, May 26th

16.00 (4 pm CET) Arrival at the terminal for Cruise to Helsinki, Finland

Please arrive at the terminal at 16.30 (4.30 pm CET).

You will get your tickets at the terminal as part of the WPA group booking.

17.30 Boat departs from Silja Line terminal at Värtahamnen (Hamnpirsvägen 10) Stockholm

Day 3. Monday May 27th

10.45 am Arrival Tallinn/D-terminal (10.30 EET)

11.00 – 15.30 City Tour Tallin,, Estonia and Free Time.

18.00 Cruise departure from Tallinn/D-terminal to Stockholm

Please arrive at the terminal at latest 17.30 (5.30 pm EET)

Day 4. Tuesday May 28th

10.30 (10 am CET) Cruise arrives at Stockholm Silja Line terminal

Conference over. Participants schedule their own return from 1 pm CET.

Peace Walk

Peace Awards

Culture performances

Cruise to Helsinki

Seminare

How an interfaith agenda can lead to peace

Religion has historically had a position to reinforce good values and human cooperation and understanding. The concept of secularism has often led to the religious voice as experiences have become marginalised in society. Thus, it is often regarded as something exclusive and only of private concern. Academic theories with a materialist bias have come to play a larger role in identifying human nature and social values. However, if the religious community could find a common value base, it could then be able to offer more inclusive values that could contribute to a stronger peace agenda within society.

The topic of the nature of values has often come to play an important but also polarizing role. The question is for the religious community in what way. What are those values, how can we understand them, and what role do the religious representatives and communities have in promoting them?

The importance of interfaith

Interfaith dialogue addresses a wide range of issues that are not only significant for religious communities themselves, but also for humanity as a whole. In the pursuit of peace among people, a shared framework of understanding is essential. Interfaith dialogue provides a valuable platform for exploring topics that foster mutual respect, deepen understanding, and help overcome hate, prejudice, and bigotry. Through open and respectful exchange, such dialogue can contribute meaningfully to building more inclusive and peaceful societies.

These are some of the key topics we invite participants to reflect on and discuss during the seminar. Each one offers a pathway to deeper understanding and contributes to the broader vision of peace and cooperation:

An interfaith agenda fosters mutual understanding, shared values, and cooperation across religious boundaries. By emphasising common ground rather than differences, it helps lay a strong foundation for peaceful coexistence, reconciliation, and collective action in response to today’s global challenges.

There is a pressing need to define a common agenda for peace and security—one that is not limited to political frameworks but embraces the social and spiritual dimensions of human life. A comprehensive peace agenda must acknowledge that peace is not merely the absence of war, but a condition that affects every aspect of life: politically, socially, culturally, and spiritually.

To move forward, we need to reflect on the underlying causes of conflict, many of which are rooted in distrust, cultural disconnection, and the erosion of shared values. Understanding these causes can help guide individuals, communities, and institutions toward meaningful and lasting resolution.

Such an agenda must speak to both the spiritual and the physical, addressing not only material needs and governance, but also the inner lives and worldviews. A deeper spiritual outlook may offer tools for healing, empathy, and reconnection, helping to restore trust and build bridges across divides.

At the seminar, representatives from various religious traditions are invited to share their perspectives on peace and social development—contributions that could hopefully help to shape a collective vision for a more peaceful world.

If we understand peace as a collaborative effort grounded in a shared framework, then an important question arises:

Can religious faith, despite doctrinal differences, offer common ground in how we understand human nature and community?

Interfaith dialogue themes that support meaningful peacebuilding

• Religious perspectives on peace and reconciliation

• Common religious values on human nature and dignity

• Cultivating inner peace and a peaceful mind

• The role of faith in promoting peace and social cohesion

• Building a culture of peace in society

• Shared responsibilities for protecting the environment and future generations

The event will consist of three sessions. In each session, a speaker will give a 10-minute presentation based on their area of interest or expertise. Following each presentation, we will engage in an open discussion to reflect on what we can learn from one another. Together, we will explore how different societies can benefit from the values of interfaith dialogue, especially in the context of building a culture of peace.

Please note: Each speaker shares their personal thoughts and perspectives and should not be expected to represent the views of their entire faith tradition. The aim is to foster understanding through individual reflection and dialogue, not to generalise or speak on behalf of entire communities.