As we had stated in Madrid, at the end of the 2nd WM, that today 2/10/2022 we would announce the place for the beginning/end of the 3rd WM. Several countries such as Nepal, Canada and Costa Rica had informally expressed their interest.

In the end it will be Costa Rica as they have confirmed their application. I reproduce part of the communiqué that MSGySV Costa Rica sent: “We propose that the 3rd World March will start from the Central American Region, which will begin its journey on October 2, 2024 from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala to New York in the USA. The next world route will be defined taking into account the experience of the two previous World Marches… We add the disposition that, after passing through Argentina and crossing South America until reaching Panama, we will receive in Costa Rica the end of the 3rd WMW”.

In addition, in recent conversations with the rector of the University for Peace, Mr. Francisco Rojas Aravena, we have agreed that the 3rd WMW will start on the campus of the United Nations University for Peace on 2/10/2024. Afterwards we will walk to San José de Costa Rica ending at the Plaza de la Democracia y de la Abolición del Ejército where there will be a reception and a ceremony with the attendees where we invite everyone to participate, hopefully also from other parts of the world.

Another aspect of interest is that in a recent meeting with the Vice-Minister of Peace of Costa Rica he asked us to send a letter to the President Mr. Rodrigo Chaves Robles where we explained the 3rd WM, the possible holding of the Nobel Peace Summit in Costa Rica and the Latin American Mega Marathon project of more than 11,000 km. These are issues to be confirmed as the new variant for the Nobel Peace Summit through the presidency of CSUCA, which brings together all the public universities in Central America.

In synthesis, once the departure/arrival in Costa Rica has been defined, we are working on how to give more content and substance to this 3rd World March for Peace and Nonviolence.

What are we doing this march for?

Mainly for two big blocks of things.

Firstly, to find a way out of the dangerous world situation where there is talk of using nuclear weapons. We will continue to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which has already been ratified by 68 countries and signed by 91 countries. To curb arms spending. To divert resources to populations suffering from water shortages and famine. To create consciousness that only “peace” and “non-violence” will open the future. To make visible the positive actions that people and collectives do by applying human rights, non-discrimination, collaboration, peaceful coexistence and non-aggression. To open the future to new generations by installing the culture of nonviolence.

Secondly, to create consciousness about peace and nonviolence. Most importantly, in addition to all those tangibles mentioned above, are the intangibles. It is something more diffuse but very important.

The first thing we tried ourselves to do at the 1st WMW was to make the term Peace and the term Nonviolence stick. Today we believe that some progress has been made on this issue. Creating Consciousness. To create consciousness about Peace. To create consciousness about nonviolence. Then it will not be enough for the WM to be successful. Of course, we want it to have the widest support and to get the maximum participation, the maximum number of people and the widest dissemination. But that will not be enough. We also need to raise awareness of peace and nonviolence. We are therefore seeking to broaden that sensitivity, that preoccupation with what is happening with violence in different fields. We want violence in general to be detected: in addition to physical violence, we also want to detect violence in the economy, racial violence, religious violence and gender violence. Values, it has to do with intangibles, some call it spiritual issues, no matter what name is given. We want to create consciousness as young people are creating consciousness about the need to take care of nature.

What if we place value on exemplary actions?

If the world situation becomes more complicated, it can bring many problems, but it can also open up many possibilities for progress. This historical stage can be the opportunity to aim for broader phenomena. We believe that this is the time for exemplary actions, because meaningful actions are contagious. It has to do with being coherent and doing what you think, coinciding with what you feel and, moreover, carrying it out. We want to focus on actions that give coherence. Exemplary actions take root in people. Afterwards they can be scaled up. In social consciousness, numbers matter, both for positive and negative things. The data is placed differently if it is something that one person does, if it is done by hundreds, or millions. Hopefully exemplary actions will spread to many people.

We don’t have time here to develop issues like: The pivot is exemplary action. The intelligence in exemplary actions. How everyone can contribute their own exemplary action. What to attend to so that others join in. Conditions for the phenomena to expand. Innovative actions

In any case, we believe that the time has come for all of us to do at least one exemplary action.

I think it is worth remembering what Gandhi said: “I am not preoccupied by the actions of the violent, who are very few, but by the inaction of the peaceful, who are the great majority”. If we can get the vast majority to start demonstrating, we can turn the situation around….

Now we pass the baton to the protagonists from Costa Rica, Geovanni and other friends who have come from other places and those we have connected virtually also from other continents.

Congratulations and thank you very much.