The year 2024 was a paradoxical one. As global conflicts deepened and social inequalities widened, efforts towards positive peace, well-being, and collective healing gained momentum. The Global Humanity for Peace (GHfP) Institute has been at the forefront of these efforts, fostering transformative research, facilitating intergenerational dialogue, and nurturing changemakers committed to reimagining more just and harmonious societies.
Shaping the Future of Peace and Well-Being
At the core of our work is a commitment to positive peace—a concept that extends beyond the absence of conflict to embrace social justice, intergenerational healing, and ecological integrity. Through research, symposia, and policy advocacy, we have sought to bridge divides, empower communities, and reframe governance structures toward values of dignity, dialogue, and care.
1. Advancing Research on Positive Peace
One of our key research areas in 2024 focused on the Pacific’s vision of an Ocean of Peace. Working alongside colleagues from leading UK universities, we explored how peace studies can support indigenous-led efforts to nurture peace as an ethos woven into governance and daily life. This research offers critical insights for regions beyond the Pacific—where tensions and ecological crises demand fresh approaches to peacebuilding.
Our commitment to positive peace also led us to facilitate high-level discussions, such as the International Symposium on Peace in the Middle East, which we co-convened in London, and a panel on the same topic that we presented during the annual Imagine Peace Forum in Iceland. Amidst the backdrop of escalating conflict, these platforms provided rare and necessary spaces for dialogue, exploring how relational peace processes can overcome entrenched divisions.
2. Healing the Harms of Inhumanity
For over three years, the GHfP Institute has played a pivotal role in the UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative, developing intergenerational dialogue & inquiry (IDI) methodologies to address the historical and ongoing harms of structural injustice. In 2024, our Collective Healing Circles (CHCs) expanded in communities in 14 countries across 4 continents, offering a structured yet deeply transformative process of communal healing and contributing to the well-being of future generations.
Our newly launched Handbook for CHC Facilitators & Co-Creators, presented at the UNESCO 30th Anniversary of the Routes of Enslaved Peoples, is now a key resource for collective healing practitioners worldwide. The CHCs—led predominantly by women and youth—are proving to be caring spaces where communities can acknowledge past traumas, restore dignity, and co-imagine just futures.
3. Rethinking Governance for Human and Planetary Flourishing
In a world where political and economic systems often prioritize short-term gains over collective well-being, we have continued our efforts to articulate principles of well-being governance. Our latest publication, Beyond Instrumentalised Politics, proposes an alternative vision—one where governance is guided by non-antagonism, equality, and a deep commitment to the well-being of all.
These ideas underpinned our plenary session at the UNESCO Well-Being of Future Generations Forum, where we engaged policymakers, scholars, and youth leaders in co-constructing pathways for a future where governance is not merely about managing crises but about fostering societal transformation.
4. Transforming Education for Well-Being Futures
Education remains central to our vision for positive peace. In collaboration with the Fetzer Institute, we conducted research into how relational approaches in schools can enhance student well-being. Our findings are informing global efforts to integrate caring and ethics-based education into curricula, ensuring that schools nurture not only academic success but also emotional and moral resilience.
As part of this commitment, we are proud to be a research partner in the Ethics Education Fellowship Programme, working with six ministries of education in Asia and Africa. This initiative is a testament to our belief that education is not just about preparing for the future but about shaping it.
Looking Ahead: A Call to Action
The challenges we face today—from environmental degradation to erosion of democracy, and to youth disempowerment—are complex, but they are not insurmountable. The work of the GHfP Institute in 2024 has demonstrated that peace, healing, and politics of dignity are not abstract ideals but lived realities that we can co-create.
As we move into 2025, we invite partners, educators, policymakers, and communities to join us in advancing this vision. Whether through research collaborations, policy dialogues, or grassroots peace initiatives, each effort contributes to a larger movement towards a world where peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of justice, dignity, and well-being for all.
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