World March for Peace and Nonviolence took place in 200+ cities, pressenza.com reports

The 4th World March for Peace and Nonviolence has taken place in more than 200 cities across various continents, shifting from a continuous geographic route to localized events between the dates of September 21 and October 2, pressenza.com reported.

Global Cities Expand Simultaneous Peace Actions

Participating countries span Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines represent the Asian continent in the decentralized mobilization. In the Americas, cities across Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador have joined the initiative. European participation includes Italy, Spain, France, Denmark, and Greece, while Senegal and Benin represent African nations.

Local organizers have coordinated marches, human peace symbols, and cultural events during the designated window between the International Day of Peace and the International Day of Nonviolence. This format change replaced the physical global journeys of previous editions, which faced rising international conflicts and severe economic constraints.

Evolution From Transcontinental Marches to City Networks

The international peace effort originated in 2009 when Rafael de la Rubia proposed circling the globe with a march for peace and nonviolence. Supported by Silo and a multicultural team of a dozen people, the first 93-day journey crossed 97 countries on five continents without institutional financial backing or commercial advertising.

A decade later, the second march spanned 159 days through 51 countries and 122 cities, starting and ending in Madrid. Regional marches organized by women in Central and Latin America followed, prompting a third march in 2024 and 2025 that began and concluded in Costa Rica, a nation recognized for abolishing its army.

Peace Movement Partners with International Organizations and Schools

Throughout its history, the peace movement has established ties with international organizations. Collaborating entities include Mayors for Peace, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Summit, Peace Boat, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the United Religions Initiative, and the Earth Federation.

Educational institutions have also integrated the initiative through school workshops, theme days, and human symbol formations. In Italy, the University of Perugia hosted a gathering of more than 40 university presidents to draft a memorandum of understanding, strengthening a developing international network of universities dedicated to peace and active nonviolence alongside the United Nations University for Peace.

Organizers Target 1,000 Participating Cities by 2029

Organizers have set a target to reach 1,000 participating cities annually leading up to 2029, which will mark the 20th anniversary of the inaugural march. The current strategy relies on digital connections and replication guides, such as multilingual instructions for forming human symbols and initiatives linking choirs across different cities into broader advocacy networks.