As world leaders converge on New York for this year’s United Nations General Assembly, the voices of civil society are growing louder in their demand for decisive global action.
On Friday, in Lagos, a coalition of more than thirty-five faith-based and non-governmental organisations issued a sweeping joint statement on peace, warning that the international system risks collapse if the United Nations fails to rise to the challenge of global insecurity.
The statement, described by its signatories as a “vote for global peace,” paints a sobering picture of a world teetering on the brink of prolonged instability. It addresses conflicts stretching from the Middle East to Africa and Asia, condemns the erosion of multilateralism, and calls for the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state.
The Palestine Question at the Centre
Palestine featured prominently in the communiqué. The coalition accused Israel of unprovoked aggression against Iran earlier in the year and of intensifying what it called “apartheid policies” in Gaza and the occupied territories. It said the humanitarian blockade and attacks on aid convoys amounted to genocide and insisted that the time had come for the international community to take a firm stand.
The organisations demanded that the United Nations formally recognise the State of Palestine and restore to its people the full rights long affirmed by various UN resolutions. They went further, urging member-states to impose sanctions on Israel and consider its suspension or expulsion from the global body. Anything less, they argued, would signal the collapse of the UN’s credibility.
“Unilateralism defeats whatever pretences powerful nations have about rules-based international order,” the statement read. “A fully-fledged State of Palestine should become a reality sooner rather than later.”
In placing Palestine at the centre of their appeal, the coalition sought to connect the crisis in the Middle East with wider concerns about global governance. It insisted that selective application of international law undermines the very fabric of the system established after the Second World War.
Africa’s Neglected Conflicts
The signatories stressed, however, that the world’s attention should not be consumed by the Middle East alone. They pointed to the devastation in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Sahel, lamenting what they described as the indifference of the international community.
While Western governments continue to search for a durable resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war, the statement said, little notice is paid to the mounting toll of lives lost and communities displaced across Africa. The coalition was unsparing in its criticism of the African Union, describing it as “a shadow of its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity,” and urging it to reclaim its role as custodian of continental stability.
Nigeria’s Fragile Peace
The statement also turned inward, highlighting Nigeria’s persistent security challenges. Despite progress against armed groups and criminal networks, the coalition said the country remains unsafe, and it expressed alarm at the growing sense of resignation among ordinary Nigerians.
Perhaps most striking was its condemnation of the way Nigeria’s crisis has been framed by some foreign governments and religious groups. According to the coalition, the portrayal of the violence as a targeted war against Christians is a dangerous distortion. “In reality,” the statement insisted, “Nigerians of all faiths – Muslims, Christians, and others – have suffered from these senseless and indiscriminate killings.” Such misrepresentations, it warned, risk deepening divisions in an already fragile polity.
A Call to Save the United Nations
Beyond regional conflicts, the coalition issued a stark warning about the future of the United Nations itself. Unless urgent reforms are undertaken, it said, the global body could face the same fate as the defunct League of Nations.
It argued that the International Court of Justice must wield binding authority over all nations, regardless of power, and that peacekeeping must once again become the UN’s hallmark. Outsourcing that responsibility to powerful states, it said, has eroded trust in the institution. Furthermore, every member-state must meet its financial obligations if the UN is to be sustained as a truly multilateral platform.
“The potency of the global body has been eroded by conflicting interests of global powers,” the coalition observed. “To give meaningful effect to a consensus-driven, multilateral global order, the UN must be reformed and strengthened as a representative and equitable institution.”
Nigeria and the Global South
The coalition also placed responsibility on Nigeria to live up to its reputation as the “giant of Africa.” It urged the government to address internal security challenges decisively and to reclaim leadership within the continent and the broader Global South. The statement suggested that Nigeria’s moral authority in global affairs depends on its ability to restore order at home.
The Signatories
The joint statement was spearheaded by Tajudeen Alabede, Lead Facilitator of the Coalition for Global Peace; Disu Kamor, Executive Chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Centre in Nigeria; and Dr Ahmad Jumba, Secretary General of the Da‘wah Coordination Council of Nigeria.
It drew the endorsement of a wide range of organisations, including the Abuja Muslim Forum, the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria, the Muslim Rights Concern, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, the Conference of Islamic Organisations, Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, the Muslim Congress, Women in Da‘wah, and more than two dozen others. Together, these groups represent a cross-section of Nigeria’s religious, professional, and advocacy communities.
A Final Appeal
The statement ended on a note of solidarity, aligning itself with “all peace-loving people of conscience around the world who uphold justice, peace, and the sanctity of our shared humanity.” It expressed prayers for peace not only in Nigeria but across the globe, framing its appeal as both moral and political.
As the United Nations prepares to open its General Assembly, the Lagos communiqué serves as a reminder that the credibility of international institutions is at stake. For the coalition of African organisations, the path forward lies in justice, inclusivity, and the unwavering pursuit of peace. Whether world leaders will heed this call remains to be seen.
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