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An unstoppable force: United World Week 2026 Brought Together Over 170 Events Worldwide
More than 170 events across dozens of countries brought United World Week 2026 to life through initiatives, meetings, and concrete actions dedicated to peace, fraternity, and the building of a more united world.
There are many beautiful things to say about the United World Week 2026. The global initiative promoted by the United World Project together with the Focolare Movement and the Youth for a United World (Y4UW), every year involves youth, communities, and organizations from different countries in activities dedicated to peace, dialogue, and fraternity, took place from the 1st to the 7th of May 2026.
The Run4Unity, the 2026 edition saw the participation of thousands of people across dozens of nations, united by the message #ChooseToDialogue through meetings, cultural moments and social initiatives
To speak about the United World Week (UWW), let us begin with the clear and profound words of Daphne Pearl De Souza, Operations Manager of the United World Project. She actively took part in the initiative and explained: “It was a deeply enlightening experience, a true journey into discovering what it really means to practically build a united world.”
#ChooseToDialogue: The Global Invitation of United World Week 2026
At the heart of UWW was a global invitation: #ChooseToDialogue, chosen to emphasize the importance of dialogue as a concrete tool for building bridges, overcoming divisions, and promoting peace in everyday life.
Daphne herself expressed this very well, speaking about an experience that “requires a great deal of dialogue; a meaningful and purposeful dialogue.” She added “Along the way, I often found myself in situations that led me to stop and truly choose dialogue, even when it was not easy. To be fully present with the other person so that our work could be carried out in genuine unity. Above all, it gave us the opportunity to live the theme concretely. And not just to work towards achieving it.”
The dialogue which Daphne speaks about, together with the theme of unity, embraced an experience that can also be told through numbers: around 170 events reported from the most diverse corners of the world. Listing them helps us understand what the United World Week is capable of with its endless and encouraging wave of peace, its disarming response to the weapons pointed at humanity, its sign of hope offered to the entire world, and its invitation to come together in joy.
A Circle of Countries United for Peace
Here are the countries that took part in United World Week: Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Paraguay, England, Croatia, Uganda, Brazil, Italy, Malta, France, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Slovenia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Panama, South Africa, India, Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, Burundi, Pakistan.
And also: New Caledonia, Syria, El Salvador, Japan, Jordan, Bulgaria, Senegal, China, Peru, Kenya, the Philippines, Argentina, Lebanon, Mexico, Algeria, Lithuania, Rwanda, the United States of America, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Taiwan, Ukraine, Gabon, Indonesia, Thailand, Guatemala, and the Fiji Islands.
In each of these countries, several events often took place in different cities, many of them connected to Run4Unity, a global run that brings together thousands of youth for peace.
So many languages, yet only one language for the United World Week. So many cultures, yet only one culture: that of peace, fraternity, and the building of a united world. We can summarize this shared culture which is also the culture of humanity itself through the brief descriptions of some of the many events, large and small, that shaped the UWW 2026. The sharing of these events on social media and through every modern means of communication spread enthusiasm and mutual optimism, helping the festive spirit that characterizes the global UWW event grow in every country and in every concrete action.
Corners of the World Engaged in United World Week
Here are just some of the many stories from UWW 2026: In Italy, 1,000 youth gathered in Loppiano on the 1st of May. In Montet, Switzerland, more than one hundred people of different ages and religions came together for peace and unity through Run4Unity. In the United Kingdom, in Welwyn Garden City, on Sunday, the 3rd of May, Run4Unity brought together around 40 youth and adults who experienced the Time-Out with Burundi and prayed for countries at war, creating mandalas with the flags of those nations.
In Belém, Brazil, on the 2nd of May, a very special Run4Unity moment took place among children and adults. “Like one single family,” the shared testimony reads, “we came together to build peace. We organized joyful games and there was a beautiful moment of reflection for peace. It was wonderful to see so many concrete gestures of love and unity!”
Always on the 2nd of May, in Slovenia, a mountain climb was organized to a peak on the border with Italy, an area that witnessed fierce fighting during the First World War. From Venezuela, at a school in Punto Fijo, 300 people of all ages experienced the event together: “Everyone was happy and convinced that a united world is possible.”
In a village in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on the 3rd of May, the Focolare community contributed to the building of a pavilion for survivors of an earthquake that had struck several years earlier.
In Jordan, on the 2nd of May, 139 participants, including students, teachers, and Young Peace Ambassadors from the Living Peace network, took part in the inspiring Run4Unity event. Participants shared a symbolic walk, interactive games, and a heartfelt “moment of pause” dedicated to peace. The event concluded with the planting of grapevines at the Our Lady of Peace Center, a lasting symbol of hope, growth, and unity, all within a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Among the various initiatives in Cuba, one took place at the home of the Dominike sisters during an event for teenagers entitled “Thinking the Community.” Participants shared reflections on the Art of Loving and prepared beautiful surprises and gifts. In Aleppo, Syria, the Gen3 youth of the Focolare Movement organized a charity market called “One Family.” In Colombia, students from the Guanentá School in San Gil celebrated United World Week by creating a mural. They painted the school flag alongside the words “Living Peace.”
Every Story Deserves to Be Told
One article is not enough to describe the great river of beauty carried forward by United World Week always with creativity, trust, and perseverance: there are simply too many experiences lived, too much inventiveness, and too much desire for a united world set in motion. It is impossible to tell every story, and that is unfortunate, because each one deserves attention and to be heard. Every story matters. Every story is precious. Each is part of that worldwide embrace that gives strength and courage to the world itself. It fights the evil of resignation and nourishes the good of hope.
