RI President Stephanie A. Urchick hosts members, scholars, and other peacebuilders to outline strategies
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Building peace requires thoughtful, sustained efforts and meaningful partnerships, Rotary International President Stephanie A. Urchick told attendees at a peace conference in Istanbul. The presidential conference, held 20-22 February, focused on “Healing in a Divided World.”
In her opening address, Urchick described the dedication required for true healing to take place.
“Our time together here is a testament to our shared belief in the power of peacebuilding,” she said. “But let’s acknowledge something essential: The act of ‘Healing in a Divided World’ is not something we can achieve quickly or easily. It takes an intentional commitment over time.”
Participants from various backgrounds outlined how that commitment could take shape.
At a session focused on technology and media, speakers discussed how technology can reinforce both peace and conflict. They highlighted the impact of artificial intelligence, the ways technology can bolster peacebuilding efforts, and the expansive threat of misinformation.
Sheldon Himelfarb, an award-winning filmmaker and the founder of PeaceTech Lab, called for peacebuilders to forge a global response to misinformation. The danger it poses, he argued, is comparable to that of war, pandemics, and climate change.
“Misinformation [is] a problem so serious, and so far-reaching, that I believe it is rapidly becoming (if it’s not there already) an existential threat to the planet,” he said. “Fortunately, each day there are more and more people working on this new existential threat, developing tools for fact checking, content labeling, media literacy, AI for peacebuilding, and more.”
Healing the environment and humanity
Other sessions focused on environmental issues in peacebuilding. Nada El Agizy, president of the Rotary E-Club of Egy-International and director of sustainable development and international cooperation at the League of Arab States, emphasized a particular threat in the Middle East.
“Climate change poses one of the most significant challenges the Arab States region has ever faced,” she said. “The region is considered one of the world’s foremost climate-change hotspots, and it is highly vulnerable to the negative impacts of global warming.”
Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick addresses a general session at the 2025 Rotary Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul, 20-22 February 2025.
Photo by Faid Elgziry
Attendees take a photo at the 2025 Rotary Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul, 20-22 February 2025.
Photo by Faid Elgziry
Rotary Peace Fellow Nahla ElShall speaks at the 2025 Rotary Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul, 20-22 February 2025.
Photo by Faid Elgziry
Yana Abu Taleb, the Jordan director for EcoPeace Middle East, said it will be impossible to forge a sustainable peace in the region without doing more to fight climate change. Taleb’s organization brings together environmentalists from Jordan, Palestine, and Israel to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the region.
“Peace will come, but we have to work for it,” Taleb said. “We have to understand that there will be no lasting peace between countries throughout the Middle East if the protection of our shared environment is not put at the center of conflict resolution.”
In the final session, attendees heard from a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Freddy Mutanguha was 18 when his parents, four sisters, and nearly 80 members of his extended family were murdered. After this unimaginable loss, he dedicated his life to preventing such atrocities and building a more peaceful world. Mutanguha, a member of the Rotary Club of Kigali-Mont Jali, Kigali, Rwanda, is now director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial and CEO of the Aegis Trust. He said the Kigali Genocide Memorial represents a decision to heal.
“We made a choice that in Rwanda, remembering should also mean healing,” he said. “Our generation needs to break the cycle of hate and build foundations for peace and prosperity. Peace is not a theory for us. It is real, urgent, and requires resolve.”
A new Rotary Peace Center welcomes scholars
Attendees at the conference included the first 13 Rotary Peace Fellows at the Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul. The newest of Rotary’s seven global peace centers, it offers peacebuilders based in the Middle East and North Africa the opportunity to earn professional development certificates in peace and development studies.
“Through its Peace Fellowship program, the center will equip a new generation of leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to address the root causes of conflict and to build sustainable peace in their communities and beyond,” Urchick said.
The Rotary Peace Fellows come from countries including Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen. During their fellowships, they will pursue projects such as aiding migrant single mothers, creating peacebuilding content for social media, strengthening grassroots organizations, and educating youth through sports programs.
Several of the fellows’ projects aim to empower refugees.
“Climate change and unsustainable agricultural policies contribute to the number of people involuntarily displaced,” said fellow Havva Şeyda Bodur in her biographical statement. “Humanity must find comprehensive solutions immediately. Otherwise, one day, everyone from all walks of life has the risk of being a refugee.”
In concluding the conference, Urchick called on the participants to forge partnerships to work for peace and said the new peace center reflected the essence of Rotary.
It “is more than just a physical space. It is a symbol of what we can achieve when we work together,” Urchick said. “Rotary’s success has always been rooted in partnerships, whether it’s between clubs, with local communities, or with global institutions. The challenges we face today demand nothing less than the combined efforts of governments, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and grassroots organizations. By fostering collaboration and sharing resources, we can amplify our impact and drive real progress .”
Learn more about Rotary’s commitment to promoting peace.
— February 2025