Standing for peace today means far more than calling for an end to war. Peace means protecting human life, safeguarding human dignity, upholding justice and building a decent future for all.

As the International Labour Confederation (ILC), we firmly believe that peace and social justice are inseparable. The principle that has guided the International Labour Organization since its foundation remains as relevant today as ever: “Universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice.”

Because where there is no justice, peace remains fragile;

where workers and their labour are undervalued, social stability cannot endure;

and in a world where millions are left to face poverty, unemployment and insecurity, lasting peace and security cannot be achieved.

It is ordinary people who bear the heaviest burden of wars and conflicts. Civilians who lose their lives, homes and futures; workers deprived of their livelihoods; families forced from their homes and communities; children denied access to education; and young people who lose hope in the future together represent the often unseen, yet most devastating, human cost of war.

That is why we should not be asking about the cost of peace, but about the price that war imposes on humanity.

A different future is possible: one in which resources devoted to weapons are instead invested in people, jobs, education, healthcare and social protection; and one in which the right to work, freedom of association and fundamental human rights are fully protected. Investing in peace is, above all, investing in people.

We also stress that investment in peace cannot be confined to diplomacy alone. Investing in decent work is investing in peace. Investing in social protection is investing in peace. Tackling inequality is investing in peace. Strengthening trade union rights and social dialogue is investing in peace. Giving young people hope, opportunity and a future is investing in peace.

What the world needs today is not greater polarisation, but more dialogue; not greater militarisation, but stronger solidarity; not deeper exclusion, but greater social justice.

As the ILC, we call on governments, international organisations, workers’ and employers’ organisations, civil society and the international community to place conflict prevention, the protection of civilians, respect for international law and human rights, social justice and decent work at the heart of global efforts to build peace.

Because peace is not a privilege. It is a right that belongs to everyone. Peace will not be fully realised simply when the fighting stops. It becomes meaningful when people can live without fear, when justice prevails and when no one is left behind.

Let us invest in peace, not war; in trust, not fear; in solidarity, not division; and in social justice, not inequality.

For everyone. Everywhere. Every day.