The Social Initiative for Peace published the final declaration of the conference titled “Opening the Path to Peace,” held in Istanbul’s Eyüpsultan district. The declaration said: “Our conference convened to raise hopes for peace and democracy at a time when our region is under fire. These ancient lands, now targeted for reordering by Israel and the United States in pursuit of imperialist interests, face the threat of total war. The massacre and occupation of Gaza marked the beginning of this process, which gained new momentum with intervention against Iran. Just twelve hours before our conference began, the United States attacked Iran. Under these conditions, ending the war immediately, ensuring nuclear disarmament across all countries in the region, including Israel, and swiftly implementing the International Criminal Court’s decisions regarding Israeli officials and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu must be urgent priorities.

The war, launched for the sake of mines, energy resources, and control over energy corridors, will bring nothing to our region but destruction, sorrow, and death. In this process, conflicts among peoples, social unrest, deepening poverty, and the oppression of women are being manipulated by global powers as convenient tools. In the face of this imminent threat, achieving peace and equality in our country and securing peace based on universal standards of democracy and justice is no longer just a necessity, it is now a matter of great urgency. Within this context, we must also emphasize that resolving the Kurdish question within Turkey would positively contribute to democratization across the region, including Iran. This peace policy must become part of a broader foreign policy rooted in dialogue and negotiation, one that ensures security, equality, and freedom for all peoples of the region, regardless of ethnicity, origin, religion, sect, gender identity, sexual orientation, or belief. This includes Kurds, Alevi communities who have faced the threat of genocide, and women whose rights and freedoms are under constant threat.”

Call to become active agents of peace

The declaration emphasized that Abdullah Öcalan’s “Peace and Democratic Society Call” on February 27, along with the decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to dissolve itself, represented a highly significant step toward peace. It continued: “But has the time not already come for administrative and legal steps to bring this valuable declaration to life? How much longer must we wait to see concrete action? There is no doubt that the success of the peace process depends on advancing democratic reforms. For this to happen, the ruling power must abandon its hegemonic and authoritarian approach to politics. The Kurdish question can only be resolved within the framework of democracy and based on human rights. The rights of the Kurdish people can only be safeguarded if the fundamental rights and freedoms of all individuals are protected by the rule of law. A participatory democracy can only be achieved by loosening the rigid centralism that suffocates local administrations. Equal citizenship can only be realized through a pluralistic democracy that respects the identities of Kurds, Alevis, Circassians, and all other communities. We are standing at the threshold of a historic opportunity, a chance to live with dignity, equality, freedom, peace, and prosperity. At this crucial moment, our conference calls on all segments of society that stand for peace, democracy, and life itself to actively engage in this dynamic period that will shape the country’s future. We urge them to become agents of peace and to raise the collective call for democracy and peace.”

Urgent steps that must be taken

The declaration listed a number of urgent steps required to advance peace and democratization:

- In accordance with the final clause of Article 90 of the Constitution, Turkey must act in line with the European Convention on Human Rights, and the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court regarding individual applications. The Istanbul Convention must be reinstated. The Anti-Terror Law, the Turkish Penal Code, and all relevant legislation must be reviewed in light of ECHR and Constitutional Court decisions, and anti-democratic provisions must be removed.

- As repeatedly stated in ECHR rulings, all unlawful orders and resulting practices, including detentions and arrests, stemming from the illegal application of the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations must be ended immediately.

- All political prisoners and detainees, including those imprisoned under the Kobanê  and Gezi Park cases, must be released, as their continued detention violates ECHR rulings.

- All operations targeting municipalities must be halted immediately. Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, as well as other mayors and municipal officials, must be released.

- Regardless of the charges or convictions, all ill and elderly prisoners must be granted their freedom.

- All cross-border military operations must come to an end.

- To facilitate negotiations and ensure public access to accurate information, the conditions under which Abdullah Öcalan, recognized by both the government and the Kurdish side as a key interlocutor, can work and communicate with representatives of various sectors of society must be restructured in accordance with ECHR principles.

- Article 34 of Law No. 6758, which gave legal status to the appointment of trustees in place of elected local officials during the State of Emergency through Decree-Law No. 674, must be repealed. Local administrations must be granted expanded administrative and financial authority through shared governance with central authorities. Public administration must be restructured based on the principle of decentralization. Reservations placed on the European Charter of Local Self-Government must be lifted, and Turkey must become a party to the additional protocol regulating the right to participation.

- A legal framework for the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question must be established by parliament. The proposed “Commission for Peace and Democratic Resolution,” responsible for monitoring the disarmament process, must be formed without delay, based on principles such as equal political party representation, gender equality, gender-sensitive perspectives, qualified majority decision-making, and the inclusion of civil society.

- Political leaders, public figures, and especially members of the media must abandon the language of hostility, domination, and confrontation. Peace cannot be built through the language of war, conflict, and division.