Peace as a human right: an urgent and necessary commitment

By on
Peace

In an increasingly unstable international context, where not a day goes by without the media reporting new military escalations — including increasingly explicit nuclear threats — the growing spread of conflicts highlights how urgent it is to affirm peace not only as an ethical and political value, but as a fundamental human right that must be recognized, protected and actively promoted.

Promoting a new vision of peace

With this awareness, SfC Italian member Etica Funds has conceived and promoted the research project “Peace as a fundamental right of individuals and peoples” with the collaboration of the University Human Rights Centre “Antonio Papisca” of Padua, a centre of excellence in the field of human rights and peace. The research pursues a twofold objective: on one hand, to analyze the role of local, national, and international actors in the ongoing process — initiated within the United Nations — of recognizing the right to peace as a fundamental right; on the other hand, to formulate recommendations to revive and strengthen this process. 

Affirming peace as a fundamental right poses significant challenges for States: it means both renouncing the right to wage war and committing to actively building peace. It requires concrete measures such as disarmament, recognition of the United Nations’ role in maintaining peace and international security, the reduction of military spending and the redirection of resources toward education, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Peace must become a human right

“Recognizing peace as a fundamental right of individuals and peoples means removing it from the logic of force and placing it within the sphere of rights and freedoms, founded on human dignity and the right to life”, says Luca Mattiazzi, General Manager of Etica Funds. “In this way, peace once again becomes the responsibility of the original holders of fundamental rights: people. Such recognition would imply for States the commitment to overcome the ancient ius ad bellum – the right to wage war – and to assume a positive duty towards building peace. Violating this duty could then be considered a serious breach of international law”.

In a global context where peace is increasingly under threat, responsible and courageous choices are needed. The project promoted by Etica Funds is a concrete step toward incorporating peace into the framework of human rights, helping redefine its value from legal, cultural, and political perspectives. This vision places human dignity at the center and considers peace not as an abstract aspiration but as a right to be recognized, protected, and fulfilled. 

Ethical finance has always supported peace and disarmament. In 25 years of activity, Etica’s funds have never invested in the armaments industry. In line with this commitment, Etica Sgr submitted a joint statement with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), to stop the financing of nuclear weapons.