One year ago, February 24, 2022, Russia attacked the independent country of Ukraine. This war continues today with a year-long legacy of brutality and human rights abuses. Sadly, the trajectory of this war is too familiar. The broad spread of propaganda is too familiar. The violations of human rights documented again and again are too familiar. The ongoing international, internal, and civil conflicts around the world remind us again and again of the necessity of speaking out against war, violence, and silencing of voices, and of the importance of working to promote peace. The Geneva Academy of International Law and Human Rights (https://geneva-academy.ch/galleries/today-s-armed-conflicts) follows today more than 110 armed conflicts. Peacekeeping solutions are needed that protect human lives, human dignity and that protect our environment.
The Steering Committee of the Global Network of Psychologists for Human Rights (GNPHR) calls on us all to advocate for peace and the support of human rights. We call on psychologists and those in allied professions to address growing needs to speak not only about the causes of war and conflict but also to urge their governments and all governments to address any differences between nations through conflict resolution and dialogue. We recognize the crucial need to help citizens and societies understand that supporting human rights also means taking responsibility for promoting peace among nations and states. We applaud citizens who raise their voices so that their governments can hear that they are not allowed to justify acts of war against the will of the people they represent.