NIFEA Consultation on Economy of Peace 2026
Faith leaders, theologians, and practitioners from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe will spend three days together. They will examine how war economies and deepening inequality drive conflict today – and how churches might help reshape economic systems toward peace.
The consultation sits within NIFEA – the New International Financial and Economic Architecture, a WCC-led call to reform the global financial system for transparency, accountability, and justice ahead of profit. Six ecumenical bodies drive the initiative, working to redirect financial and economic structures away from the inequality they now often reproduce.
Global military expenditure reached 2.887 trillion US dollars in 2025, the 11th consecutive year of growth and the highest level ever recorded, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Organizers point to this trend, alongside the role of the fossil fuel economy in geopolitical instability, as context for the consultation's work.
Shalom – a Hebrew concept of peace as the flourishing of right relationships across social, economic, and ecological life, not merely the absence of conflict – will run through the gathering. From that vision, the consultation asks a direct question: how might churches build and advocate for an Economy of Peace? That means an economic system deliberately reshaped through policy, finance, and practice – built to sustain life and dignity, not fuel conflict.
The NIFEA Consultation on Economy of Peace will invite the wider ecumenical community to follow its progress. Churches and partners are working together toward a more just and peaceful economic future, and further details on participation will follow in the coming weeks.
Shalom – more than a ceasefire, shalom describes a state of flourishing where justice, dignity, and right relationship extend across social, economic, and ecological life. WCC theological reflection draws it from Hebrew scripture, including Isaiah 32:17 (“the fruit of righteousness will be peace”) and Revelation 21:4.
Economy of Peace – the term names what churches are working toward: economic systems reshaped through policy, finance, and practice, oriented to sustain life and dignity rather than fuel conflict.
NIFEA – the New International Financial and Economic Architecture is a WCC-led advocacy initiative calling for a more transparent, accountable, and justice-oriented global financial system.
