Two intense moments of discussion and sharing took place in Cecina between Saturday, February 7, and Sunday, February 8: two days that brought together reflection, political proposals, cultural dimensions, and concrete practices of nonviolence, connecting the local level with a global vision.
Saturday’s meeting in the library
Thanks to the collaboration of the Municipality of Cecina, Saturday’s meeting was held at the city library, a symbolic place of shared knowledge, accessible and open to a plurality of voices. The library proved to be a natural space for hosting a profound but inclusive discussion, capable of bringing together active citizens, associations, and the world of culture and education.
Representatives of various citizen committees promoting the World March took part (Turin, Milan, Trieste, Fiumicello, Vicenza, Verona, Florence, Rome, Rijeka–Croatia), institutional representatives (Cecina, Rosignano Marittimo, Pomarance), and numerous local and national associations, including Un Ponte Per, Campus del Cambiamento, Pax Christi, ANPI, Legambiente, Mestlžaje, Dante Alighieri, and Libera.
Among the participants were also a member of the UNESCO Chair for the Mediterranean at the Universities of Messina and Valencia and a professor from the University of San Marino. The collaboration with the University of Perugia was also mentioned, confirming the attention and involvement of the academic world in the World March. Other promoting committees (Genoa, Bologna, Palermo, Brescia, Varese), unable to attend, nevertheless sent their greetings and support for the initiative.
During the meeting, the central demands of previous World Marches were reiterated and relaunched, as they remain urgently and dramatically relevant today. In particular:
– to ask governments to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW], in order to avert a possible planetary catastrophe and free up resources to be allocated to the fundamental needs of humanity;
– Promote a reform of the United Nations, ensuring the genuine participation of civil society, the democratization of the Security Council—to be transformed into a genuine World Peace Council—and the establishment of an Environmental and Economic Security Council capable of protecting vital priorities: food, water, health, the environment, and education.
– promote the inclusion of the Earth Charter in the international Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, in order to systematically address climate change and the causes of environmental unsustainability;
– spread Active Nonviolence in all areas of social life, with particular attention to education, so that it becomes a real force for cultural transformation;
– assert the right to conscientious objection and denounce all forms of violence.
It was proposed to add some key elements to these demands in the manifesto of the Fourth World March in the cities: conventional disarmament, a return to respect for international law, an even more decisive investment in the dissemination of active nonviolence in schools and universities, and the creation – or strengthening – of permanent local centers for nonviolence.
Ample space was also devoted to the theme of communication, with the proposal of a dissemination plan capable of giving maximum visibility to the initiatives carried out in different cities, through the creation of an ad hoc working group that also involves university students.
The World March for Peace and Nonviolence, even when passing through a single city, never walks alone. Each step it takes is part of a wider network of journeys, marches, and pilgrimages that, in different parts of the world, choose nonviolence as their universal language. This happened with Jai Jagat in 2019–2020, when the World March crossed paths with a global journey of justice and dignity; and it happened on shared paths in Italy, from the monks’ journey in Milan to sections of the Via Francigena, where slow walking becomes listening, presence, and relationship.
Today, this same inspiration resurfaces in the journey of Buddhist monks in the United States, a silent peace walk that crosses territories and consciences, reminding us that peace is not an abstract idea, but a daily practice. Looking further back in time, our land is also marked by paths that speak the same language: the paths linked to St. Francis of Assisi, which combine simplicity, dialogue, and inner disarmament, or the ancient routes that, from Puglia, by sea, open our gaze towards the East and the Mediterranean as a space for encounter.
This is the context for the Peace Walk to Jerusalem, presented to the press in Trieste on January 29 and officially launched on January 31, 2026, from the Spanish town of Finisterre. The Peace Walk is a European peace march that crosses cities and territories with the aim of reaching Al-Quds/Jerusalem between 2026 and 2027, inviting anyone who wishes to participate for a day, a week, a month, or the entire route, in the name of justice, peace, and human dignity.
The project includes routes that cross the Alpe Adria area, leading walkers from Ljubljana through Trieste, Koper, Rijeka, and Sarajevo, where participants from all over Europe converge. Initiatives such as this not only denounce the conflicts that inflame the planet, but also represent a form of collective nonviolent action, a pilgrimage of peace open to all, in which every step becomes an opportunity for encounter, dialogue, and building relationships across borders, cultures, and faiths.
At the end of Saturday, participants visited the Pablo Picasso poster exhibition, focusing in particular on works dedicated to peace, which offered further symbolic and creative inspiration for the March.
Sunday at the Fuori dal Comune headquarters
The Sunday meeting, held at the Fuori dal Comune headquarters, was attended by representatives of some of the committees promoting the World March, councilors, committee chairpersons, and advisors from the Municipality of Cecina, as well as numerous local associations. It began with a brief summary of what had emerged the previous day.
The importance of local authorities and the central role of schools as fundamental places for education and training in nonviolence was strongly reiterated. Mia Bintou Diop, Vice President of the Tuscany Region, also spoke during the meeting, emphasizing how important opportunities for discussion such as these are, especially in the current context marked by highly visible conflicts and others that are too often forgotten. She also highlighted how constructive discussions can give rise to concrete projects, in which institutions are also called upon to make an active contribution.
The existence of a regional round table on nonviolence in Emilia-Romagna was also mentioned as a significant experience to be learned from, strengthened, and networked. During the discussion, the need emerged for cultural and sporting activities related to peace and nonviolence to maintain a “light but profound” style, capable of speaking to everyone without sacrificing the radical nature of the content.
The discussion focused on respect for political debate and the need to return to diplomacy as the preferred tool for conflict resolution. It was emphasized that places such as Cecina—and other municipalities of similar size—are ideal venues for bringing together different social actors and building alliances capable of having a real impact, acting both from the bottom up and from the top down, in a historical context marked by a worrying escalation of rearmament.
The discussion did not overlook small, decentralized communities, often chosen as alternative places to live, linked to the rhythms of the land and organic farming practices, which can become true laboratories for the culture of peace and nonviolence.
Murals and creativity
Due to the rain in the previous days, it was not possible to create the planned mural. However, ideas and suggestions were shared, starting with the phrase: “Bring peace within yourself and bring it to others” (Silo), drawing inspiration from the creations of schoolchildren, stimulated by Picasso’s posters dedicated to peace.
A sign postponed, but not canceled: a promise of continuity and an invitation to transform words, images, and symbols into concrete actions of nonviolence.