IPPNW

Our Greek affiliates had a busy day last week on the International Day of Peace!

A delegation from the Observatory of International Organizations and Globalization (PADOP), including IPPNW Greece’s Maria Sotiropoulou, met with the president of the Hellenic Parliament to deliver an appeal for peace and climate justice.

Later, Sotiropoulou was honored with the Nikos Nikiforidis award for her incredible and dedicated work towards nuclear disarmament. Congratulations!🎉🎉

What do nuclear weapons, the climate crisis, and health emergencies have in common? They don’t care about borders and governments. These are global problems that require global cooperation to find solutions.

Just as smoke from wildfires spreads over long distances, so too does radiological fallout from a nuclear detonation. It will not stop at border patrol any more than a disease vector.

As medical professionals, IPPNW is working around the world to create a safer, more healthy world. The biggest thing that stands in our way is the existence of nuclear weapons which have the ability to destroy global health and climate in just a moment. This is at the heart of our work.

Today is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Why does this matter?

Nine States have the ability to alter the planet as you know it. Nuclear risk is at an all time high and nuclear rhetoric is escalating. Do you want to be in a world where one decision or mistake can lead to global catastrophe?

There is reason to be concerned. BUT!

A world without nuclear weapons is possible. 101 States have joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to say no to nuclear weapons and create a different security architecture. We are working hard to demand change. You can join us!

In April, several IPPNW members joined a statement of concern over President Trump's medical instability in office. Today, in light of recent alarming statements at the UNGA, we want to reshare these concerns.

Read the full statement: https://peaceandhealthblog.com/2026/05/05/medical-experts-declare-president-trump-too-unstable-to-remain-in-office-cite-nuclear-weapons-risks/

Are you looking to connect with Boston area health, climate, and disarmament leaders? Join IPPNW and Greater Boston PSR in Harvard Square next month for our 9th annual Global Health and Peace Awards!

This year's event will honor Archbishop Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico for his powerful leadership toward the effort to abolish nuclear weapons as a moral, spiritual, and humanitarian imperative.

Purchase your ticket now for an evening to connect over live music, local Afghani food, and a shared commitment to life. 🕊

Tickets are selling fast! Don't delay: https://gbpsr.org/get-involved/annual-event/2026-annual-global-health-and-peace-awards/

"When children are empowered to understand, reflect, communicate, and act, they become participants in building a culture that rejects unacceptable harm and values human life."

📚Read the new article on building peace through humanitarian disarmament education by Dr. Ghassan Shahrour on our Peace and Health Blog.

From child to child: building a culture of humanitarian disarmament in schools Documenting grassroots awareness sessions on the remnants of war at school in Syria. Educational magazine Bunat Al-Ajyal features article “From Hiroshima to Fukushima: Child to Child Messages…

Peace doesn’t just happen in ornate rooms behind closed doors, it happens every day when we engage conversations, build fellowship and prioritize sustainability. September 21st is the International Day of Peace, we want to recognize all peace-builders in the IPPNW community.

Peace is a social determinant of health. Without it, public health erodes. As medical professionals, IPPNW is as dedicated to our responsibility to build peace as we are to building health.

Each one of the tens of thousands of medical professionals, medical students, and activists in the IPPNW community is building peace through advocating for a world without nuclear weapons, preventing violence, and building health both locally and globally. Thank you!

IPPNW leaders Dr. Sally Ndung'u, Dr. Dennis Opondo, and IPPNW-GLO Policy Director Chuck Johnson joined the 18th World Congress on Public Health in Cape Town, South Africa, held under the theme "Health without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability."

The Congress convened leading health professionals from around the globe to tackle some of today's most urgent public health challenges, including recovering from and preventing violent conflict.

🗣Dr. Ndung'u took part in a plenary panel on “Public Health in Conflict, War, and Peace Building,” focusing on maternal and children’s health and highlighting violence prevention as a critical and often underrecognized tool for improving public health outcomes.

🌱Dr. Opondo spoke at a side event where he emphasized the importance of educating young health workers, through programs such as Medical Peace Work, to advance peace and health advocacy, as part of health worker education.

⚕Throughout the Congress, they underscored IPPNW's continued commitment to linking public health with peacebuilding, equity, and the next generation of global health leadership.

"The seed of disarmament is planted when societies refuse to glorify violence and choose instead to honor the dignity of every person."

Read the new article by Dr. Ghassan Shahrour on our Peace and Health Blog!

Tolstoy and the moral roots of peace and disarmament At the International Sharjah Conference on Landmines and Remnants of War (8–9 December 2003, UAE), humanitarian disarmament was the main focus. [Ghassan Shahrour, AHSN] In the nineteenth century, w…