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The World Council of Churches (WCC) welcomes the initiative for a high-level Summit on Peace in Ukraine hosted by the Government of Switzerland, taking place at the Bürgenstock resort on 15-16 June 2024.
Ultimately, sustainable peace cannot be secured by armed force, but only through dialogue and diplomacy. Therefore, though Russia is not expected to be represented at this first summit, subsequent genuine steps towards sustainable peace cannot avoid engaging with Russia. WCC hopes that this first summit will establish a basis upon which those subsequent steps, and dialogue and diplomacy for sustainable peace, can proceed.
For its part, WCC is continuously seeking for ways in which dialogue within its own constituency can help serve the purposes of peace and justice, to bring an end to this brutal conflict and the suffering inflicted on civilians in the affected areas, and to restore stability and respect for the rule of law at the international level. Thus, we pray that a positive plan and direction would emerge from this summit to chart the way for an end to the war.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary
World Council of Churches
