International Day of Conscience 2026

REINVENTING PEACE WITH YOUTH

International Day of Conscience

Geneva – Palais des Nations – April 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

The UN, the City of Geneva, the youth, and civil society for Peace

On the occasion of the International Day of Conscience, the Palais des Nations in Geneva will host, on April 2, 2026, an exceptional international gathering dedicated to dialogue and action for peace. From Geneva, the event will also be broadcast online through a global network of partner foundations and NGOs.

Led by the LoveForce Foundation and AIODD, this day will bring together international figures, including the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, H.E. Ms. Valovaya, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth, H.E. Mr. Paullier, and the Mayor of Geneva, Mr. Gomes and Ms. Kitsos, alongside the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Melissa Park, and the Ambassador of the University for Peace, H.E. Mr. Fernandez Puyana.

Voices from regions deeply scarred by conflict—Palestine, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, and North and South Sudan—will engage in dialogue with academics, artists, and nearly 200 students and young people committed to peace.

A Living, Embodied Experience of Peace

Because peace cannot be proclaimed through speeches alone, the International Day of Conscience 2026 is conceived as a sensory, collective, and embodied experience. A vibrant meeting of hearts and consciences, where those who have lived through war bear witness to the strength of our shared humanity, stronger than any ideology.

Highlights of the Program

• Voices from North and South SudanFormer child soldiers who have become internationally recognized peace leaders, Emmanuel Jal and Abdul Aziz Muhammat, will share their journeys of inner transformation and the overcoming of hatred.

• The Call of Palestinian and Israeli MothersDr. Raouf Salti, President of Children’s Right to Healthcare (a Geneva-based foundation accredited with ECOSOC), representatives of the Jewish community in Geneva, and Ali Malhodji, founder of Future One, will present the Call of the Mothers—a united cry against the inevitability of violence.In video messages, Palestinian Reem Al Hajajreh and Israeli Yael Admi, initiators of this call, will affirm that their children were born neither to kill nor to be killed.

• The Children of Gaza & a Choir of Palestinian and Jewish children from Geneva

- A deeply moving moment will mark the day when, at the heart of the Palais des Nations—dedicated to the human family—the voices of children from Gaza singing for peace will resonate, accompanied by their music teacher Ahmed Muin and Geneva-based sound artist Julie Semoroz. A powerful symbol of the strength of childhood and culture as paths of resistance and hope.

-        Jewish and Palestinian children from Geneva will also join us to form a choir performing a moving song of peace.

• Voices of Women, Voices of JusticeAfghan women—lawyers, jurists, and political leaders—engaged in an international tour will speak out in defense of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on the role of women in peacebuilding.

Mobilizing Youth to Reinvent Peace

The International Day of Conscience calls for moving beyond a geopolitics of peace rooted in fear and deterrence, toward a peace built in consciousness, founded on love understood as a collective force of connection, social justice, and human evolution.

Because this day is not meant to be a one-time event, the core principles of the International Day of Conscience, expressed in the LoveForce Manifesto for Peace, have been transmitted throughout the 2025–2026 school year. Weekly workshops were led by Professor Jan Dijkstra and Sofia Stril-Rever with students from the International School of Geneva. These young participants were also trained in panel moderation and in serving as masters and mistresses of ceremony for international events, under the guidance of Sarah Noble, Curator of the UN Peace Talks.

The Manifesto was also shared with the youth branch of Amnesty International, the International Humanitarian Law NGO of the University of Geneva, and the UNIGE Neuro Center, under the direction of Professor Didier Grandjean.

A dedicated program, “Leadership, Peace, and Humanism,” led by Pascale Fressoz and Vanessa Mendez, targeting secondary schools, business schools, and universities across the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region, further strengthens the ongoing momentum

In total, nearly 200 young people from universities and educational institutions in Geneva and the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region of France will deliver a powerful message of mobilization for peace on April 2. The day will also offer a meaningful moment of intergenerational connection, in a spirit of conviviality and fraternity.

Art, Co-Creation, and Dialogue

Throughout the day, young visual artist Anima will accompany the exchanges through a participatory co-creation artwork. The public will be invited to place, with awareness and intention, crystals collected during the artist’s walks in the Haut-Jura, symbols of connection and transformation.

The day will conclude with a call to action, followed by an open dialogue between speakers and the audience, celebrating together our shared aspiration for peace.

Practical Information

Event: International Day of Conscience 2026Date: April 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.Location: Palais des Nations, GenevaFormat: In-person and online broadcastOrganizers: AIODD, Pascale Fressoz, LoveForce Foundation, Sofia Stril-Rever

OUR VOICES FOR PEACE

Because remaining silent is no longer an option.

On April 2, 2026, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and online around the world,join us in sharing our call for the awakening of consciousness and the choice of Peace—a call carried by the love of life and our shared humanity beyond all borders.

Join us in listening to the voices rising from wounded lands.

The voices of mothers from Palestine and Israel, reminding us that every life is sacred and deserves to be cherished and protected.The voices of the children of Gaza, singing louder than drones and bombs—their songs of peace and hope.The voices of North and South Sudan, where former child soldiers, now reconciled,walk hand in hand across the lines of hatred.The voices of the youth of the world, affirming their refusal of fear and their choice of reconciliation.

On this International Day of Conscience 2026,we will be the voice of Conscience for the victims of injustice, when humanity betrays its conscience.We will be the voice of Love for the victims of hatred, when humanity betrays its heart.We will be the voice of Peace for the victims of the atrocities of war, when humanity betrays what makes it human.

Together with the youth of the world, let us open new pathways of conscience and love toward fairer and happier societies.Together, let us reinvent peace and transform Planet Earth into Planet Love.

Sofia Stril-Rever & the LoveForce Foundation