Written by Natalia Zelewska, UNITED Delegate
The International Conference for Climate Justice & Peace in Vilnius (24–27th April) marked a vital step toward deepening cooperation across Europe and beyond, bridging political, social, and ecological movements with a strong focus on the voices too often overheard. Bringing together activists, refugees, environmentalists, and human rights defenders, the conference moved the peace and environmental movement further East — toward a more balanced all-European perspective, enriched by a global migrants’ lens.
At the heart of the gathering were urgent, deeply moving stories of persecution, displacement, and institutional violence — particularly from Belarusian and Russian refugees living under precarious conditions in Lithuania. These ranged from being denied the right to even cross borders and seek asylum, to living without any legal protection and facing the constant threat of deportation. Arbitrary rejections by migration offices and discriminatory practices masked as “security concerns” revealed a system that criminalizes those fleeing repression. Participants called for transparent, humane asylum processes and exposed how authoritarianism, surveillance-state logic, and ethnified enemy images continue to endanger even those seeking safety.
We must act in solidarity
A member of the International Council of the World Social Forum, drew powerful parallels with worsening conditions for migrants in Central America, particularly since the U.S. completely shut its southern border. The conference strongly emphasized the need to support all refugees from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine across Europe — and to reject double standards by opposing human rights violations wherever they occur, regardless of the perpetrator.
Amid these challenges, a collective spirit of resistance emerged. The Belarusian organization Our House offered a powerful example of open-minded, intersectional organizing. Their work integrates diverse struggles without flattening them into a single narrative, instead fostering solidarity across difference while resisting pressure to conform to one unified worldview.
Simultaneously, the conference addressed shared ecological threats. With deep concern over the growing reliance on nuclear energy in the Baltic region and its militarized implications, participants advocated for a regional just energy transition rooted in sustainability and peace. Climate and environmental struggles cannot be separated from the fight for demilitarization and social justice.
Most importantly, this conference did not end in Vilnius.
We issued a Peace Appeal calling for joint, regular international days of action — a powerful tool to unite movements of all kinds under the banner:
Peace on Earth – Peace with the Earth.
In a time of unprecedented global crises — where governments escalate war and militarism instead of addressing climate collapse, social injustice, and inequality — it is up to people’s movements to build solidarity from the ground up. We must push back against nationalism, authoritarianism, and indifference with a shared vision of nonviolence, mutual care, and global cooperation.
The conference strongly endorsed the OSCE as a neglected but vital forum for peace, especially in the context of the Helsinki+50 anniversary. By reclaiming its peacebuilding potential, the OSCE can become a place where civil society, not just states, leads the way forward.
The Peace Appeal reminds us:
We, the people, must do what our rulers refuse — defend peace, dignity, and the planet together.
