The 80th anniversary of the United Nations offered the opportunity to hold an international event in Nairobi, entitled “Cities, Communities, Care-Youth in Action for Sustaining Peace”. The conference gathered many young Africans and representatives from all over the world, protagonists of a renewed momentum towards the construction of peaceful and resilient societies, capable of shaping the future of the African continent, with the vision of a united world at heart.
The high point was the presentation of the “Charter of Commitments”, a document promoting peace through intercultural dialogue, artistic initiatives and community programmes, recognising young people as key “peace influencers” and agents of change. At the heart of the vision presented is the adoption of the values of ubuntu, the African philosophy that calls for sharing and reciprocity, as the foundations of a caring society. Young people encourage the United Nations and the African Union and appreciate their role in supporting and collaborating with local governments, civil society actors, religious institutions and youth organizations, in promoting solidarity, justice and equality, both locally and globally. The Charter advocates concrete actions for more welcoming cities, sustainable development, new impetus for youth entrepreneurship and a new African vision, free from borders and barriers. It stresses the urgency of greater inclusion, training and youth participation in decision-making, at all levels.
This appeal comes at the end of the event organized by New Humanity, the NGO of the Focolare Movement. It took place in the Mariapolis Piero in Nairobi. Partners included: UN Habitat (the UN agency for urban development), UNEP (the United Nations environment agency), the Laudato Sì Movement in Africa, Greening Africa Together, Living Peace International, Africa Interfaith Youth Network, International Sociological Association, ASCES University Center of Caruarù in Brazil and all the social, political and cultural expressions of the Focolare Movement.
Peace, Urban Development, Environment and Leadership of Communion
According to the youth leaders gathered in Nairobi, this new perspective can only be achieved through the creation of permanent mechanisms of collaboration both locally and internationally – a true effort of building and consolidating networks. The event saw the participation of thirty international speakers, eight round tables, six live link-ups and eight video testimonials, from cities of five continents, with a constant focus on dialogue with young people. The topics addressed touched on peace, urban development, care for the environment and new forms of leadership of communion.
Greetings
The conference was opened by video messages from Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs and Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement. Paullier, after recalling that Nairobi is one of the three main headquarters of the United Nations, said that “every war is a defeat for humanity, a failure of dialogue. Young people are not only victims of today’s crises: they are creators, leaders and builders of peace”. And, he added, there are more than 2 billion young people “ready to be equal partners in the construction of our common future”. A clear message for everyone: relying on a generation that “resists hatred, rejects indifference and chooses peace as a daily responsibility”, it is possible to start from cities and communities, because it is “in neighbourhoods, schools, places of worship and local communities that cooperation becomes tangible”.
Margaret Karram recalled the decade-long initiative to form a leadership of communion that was initiated by the Sophia University Institute and the Political Movement for Unity with the “Together for a New Africa” program. In its most recent 3-year cycle, the course, involved 140 young people from 14 African countries, together with tutors and teachers, who in the days leading up to the Conference held their annual Summer School in hybrid mode, to collect and discuss the results of their local actions. Another program mentioned by the President of Focolare, which has involved 150 young people from 60 countries of the world, active in the political field and in civil society, is “One Humanity, One Planet: Synodal Leadership”. Young people “who train and work to implement good policies and generate social impact, with a vision inspired by the culture of unity.”
These are perspectives that define the commitment of the entire Focolare Movement, already “culminated in the document ‘Together To Care’ delivered to the UN a year ago”, explained the President, drawing on “initiatives such as Living Peace, which involves over 2 million young people worldwide”; together with “AMU with almost 900 cooperation projects, they testify to a concrete and widespread commitment”. In this context, she welcomed the effort to “shape a common path with which to redefine urban life, enhancing and strengthening social ties” adding: “African cultures have a lot to teach us about this important aspect”. Her invitation to rediscover in the heart of cities “communities of solidarity and reconciliation not perceptible to the human eye”: “‘invisible cities’ that in their smallness, day after day, contribute to building a world network of peace and that show that another world is possible” was striking. She concluded by emphasizing reciprocity as the key to change, which Chiara Lubich had already highlighted in 1997 at the UN Glass Palace: “reciprocity is a goal that can bring us closer, help us grow, that can become a reality when we take the first step towards the other, whoever they may be and whatever their beliefs, to understand their reasons, to seek a connection and to establish a relationship.”
Africa’s Challenges and UN Habitat’s contribution
Among the guests, Christelle Lahoud of UN-Habitat stressed that Africa, the continent with the youngest and fastest urbanizing population, represents both a crisis and an opportunity. Peacebuilding is strengthened when young people can actively participate in decision-making processes, contributing to the creation of safe and inclusive urban spaces. With an urban population estimated to reach 70% globally by 2050, cities are called upon to respond to growing challenges, including inequalities, forced migration, and climate emergencies, which put pressure on social cohesion and resources.
Lahoud highlighted how young people are already playing a leading role in the co-creation of more resilient urban spaces by assessing risks, collecting data and influencing local policies, collaborating with administrations and authorities to shape cities that reflect the real needs of communities. Cities, therefore, become a reflection of how societies live together, build trust across generations and pursue collective well-being, in tune with the ubuntu philosophy.
International experiences and engagement in cities around the world
Experiences from cities such as Bethlehem, Beirut, Kinshasa, Trent, Manila, Pajule, Koper and Medellin helped give the event an international dimension, demonstrating that social and cultural transformation can come from the grassroots, through collaboration between civil society and institutions. Testimonies such as that of Agnes Aloyotoo, a candidate in the elections in Uganda and Jonathan Masuta, president of one of the youth federations of the African Union, showed how the new generations are already active in giving young people a voice in executive decision-making.
The message coming from Nairobi is clear: trust in youth leadership is the key to building more just, caring and peaceful societies, starting from cities and local communities. A strong determination to act as a network, both locally and internationally and to promote a culture of peace based on responsibility, collaboration and the inclusion of the new generations is the take away from this event.
Presentation of the 2024 Assessment of Communion in Action held in Rome (Italy) on 6 November 2025. The video is in Italian with a speech in English. I sottotitoli sono stati The subtitles were generated automatically; you need to activate them and choose the language.automaticamente, occorre attivarli e scegliere la lingua.
The first round of collecting suggestions for the election of the President, Co-President, and General Councillors from the various parts of the world was completed on the 7th of November 2025, in preparation for the upcoming Assembly. The phase of gathering ideas and proposals for topics to be addressed during the Assembly was also completed. What are the next steps? How will these proposals be organised?
Various proposals have arrived from all over the world, specifically from the 15 zones that make up the Focolare Movement. These proposals include both the results of community and individual reflection. The Zonal Commissions of certain areas have already summarised their ideas. All the proposals we have received will be read carefully, grouped by topic and summarised to make them easier to read. As the Preparatory Commission of the Assembly (CPA), we are already working on this. Certain subject areas will group together their proposals that have been examined and summarised so that they can then be presented to the Assembly. This is a path of real discernment, in which communion among us will be essential in the process of making operational choices. In receiving the fruit of this work, the Assembly will have the task of examining the ideas, considering new ones if it deems necessary, and voting to outline the guidelines for the next five years of the Movement’s activity. Of course, it is important to emphasise that all the proposals that we, as CPA, have collected will be included in a “book of proposals”, a document that the participants in the Assembly will be able to read personally or during the various meetings. Therefore, none of the contributions that have been given to us during this precious time will be lost but will be part of a handbook to help us continue walking together.
During this time, proposals for amendments to the General Statutes were also collected. Can you explain the criteria used to carry out this work?
Regarding this consultation, we must first of all take into account the need that has arisen to study our General Statutes in greater depth, in order to better understand what is more closely linked to the historical moment in which they were written and what is instead linked to the charism. For this reason, following the indications of Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, we are currently focusing on certain topics that are guiding us in gathering proposals for amendments to the General Statutes. For example, the application of the provisions of the Decree of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, dated the 3rd of June 2021, which reduces terms of office to a maximum of 5 years. Another element that should not be overlooked are certain needs that have emerged in the life of the Movement, for example, bearing in mind the major local reorganisation that has taken place in recent years in various geographical areas, which leads to a greater sense of responsibility among all those belonging to the Movement, the possibility of further reducing the number of councillors elected during the Assembly, and the consideration of certain proposals that emerged during the previous General Assembly in 2021.
How does one practically move on from the proposal to the actual amendment of the Statutes?
As already mentioned, we are aware that it will not be possible to address a full-scale change in the General Statutes, but we will focus on certain aspects that cannot be postponed. Therefore, through the Preparatory Commission of the Assembly, a participatory process is taking place to gather proposals from around the world and it is being carried out in the various geographical areas where the Focolare Movement is present. Margaret Karram has now entrusted the study of these proposals to a special commission, which will make the appropriate evaluations. This commission, composed of individuals with expertise in various fields, will prepare a draft, which will be added to the study conducted in previous years by another commission appointed after the 2021 Assembly. This will provide the President and the upcoming Assembly with the necessary elements to discern whether these proposals are true to the charism, to Canon Law, to the present situation of the Work of Mary, etc. Next March, the proposals will be presented to the General Assembly, which has the task to deliberate and approve them. Any amendments approved by the Assembly will then be submitted to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which we depend on as a Movement. The Dicastery may or may not approve them. Only after this approval will they be implemented.
The Preparatory Commission of the Assembly (CPA), composed of members of the Focolare Movement from different continents and vocations, at its first face-to-face meeting in April 2025. Photo Javier García – CSC Audiovisivi
The method that will be used at some stages of the General Assembly will be inspired by that of the “Conversation of the Spirit”. Can you explain what this consists of?
This method, the conversation in the Spirit, which was used during the Synod, is a way of discerning. It is a tool that we have also suggested to be used in the Zonal Assemblies, but in the light of the charism of unity. It is not merely a technique for peacefully resolving issues between people who think differently. It is something very profound that involves everyone and is implemented through several essential steps, starting specifically with personal preparation. Each person, entrusting themselves to the Father, praying in silence and listening to the Holy Spirit, prepares their own contribution to the topic they are called to discern. Next, it is necessary to make space for other people in an atmosphere of profound sharing: starting from what others have said, each person can share what has resonated most deeply within them and, at the same time, what they find most difficult to accept. Based on what has emerged, dialogue begins in order to discern and gather the fruit of the conversation in the Spirit: to recognise insights and convergences, identify disagreements and obstacles, and allow new questions to emerge. It is very important that in this dynamic, space is given to what are called “prophetic voices”, those insights capable of reading the past in depth, and that everyone, in this community dimension, can feel that their thoughts have contributed to the result of the work. For this reason, everything must be preceded by the Pact of Mutual Love, indicating the steadfast will to really walk together towards God, helping each other, forgiving each other and starting over whenever necessary. In this way, the conversation in the Spirit will make the required discernment easier. It will be useful to “recognise” God’s presence in the complexity of historical events, to “interpret” them in the light of the charism of unity, and to have the courage to believe in the possibility of “implementing” what has been decided.
In addition to the participants with voting rights, a number of guests will also be present at the meeting, but they will not be able to vote. Why is their presence important?
The actual Statutes of the Work of Mary envisage the presence of a certain number of participants at the Assembly who are invited directly by the President because their contribution is considered valuable and greatly enriching. These are people who participate in the Movement in various ways and forms: people belonging to various Churches, followers of various religions, people of no religious affiliation or of different cultures, experts in various fields. With their experience, they can help in discerning different aspects. Their presence allows us to broaden our vision and horizons. In this way, the Assembly can better represent the Movement in its diversity, making it more capable of living for “may they all be one”. These participants will be involved like the others in the plenary discussions and group work. The only difference is that they will not be able to vote, but voting is only one aspect of the Assembly. The Assembly is above all intended to be a profound experience of unity in order to reflect and discern together on the future of the Movement, by listening to the Holy Spirit.
In the early hours of the 10th of November, the Thai Buddhist monk Phra Maha Thongrattana Thavorn passed away, and the news quickly reached the Focolare communities around the world. His death makes us think of a path of dialogue between religions committed to working for a united world, mutual understanding and peace.
His story intertwines with that of the Focolare Movement in 1995, when, accompanying his disciple Somjit to Italy, he visited Loppiano, the Movement’s international little town, for the first time. It was there that he met Chiara Lubich. The spiritual closeness that the monk felt with the foundress of the Focolare Movement was so strong that he began to refer to her as “Mamma Chiara” from that moment on. In turn, Chiara recognised in him a soul of extraordinary depth, capable of illuminating the path of interreligious dialogue with authenticity and respect, hence the name ‘Luce ardente’ (Burning Light) by which he is known to many. From that moment on, the Thai monk became a faithful friend of the Movement, participating in numerous events in both Asia and Europe. His presence was discreet but intense, and his message always clear: religions must not compete with one another but collaborate for the good of humanity.
“Luce Ardente” con Chiara Lubich a Bangkok , Thailandia (1997)
Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, wrote to the communities around the world:
“He completely lived up to the name Chiara had given him. Everywhere he went, he was an instrument of light, consolation and hope. Until the very end, he loved and lived to build fraternity. Throughout his life, he spoke about unity in a unique way, with wisdom and passion, through books, magazines, radio programmes, meetings with Buddhist monks and lay people, even in the face of difficulties. One day, a monk asked him, perplexed, “Master, are you following a Christian woman?” And he replied, “I do not follow a woman, but her ideal of universal fraternity. She does not belong only to Christians, she is also ours.”
In his last message, he wrote to me: “Margaret, I am suffering, but I am hanging on, hanging on, hanging on, because my suffering is nothing compared to that of Jesus on the Cross. I am hanging on because I am the son of Mamma Chiara. Remember: we will not see each other again, but one day we will meet again. I will be with Chiara soon.”
Personally, I cherish every word he wrote to me and every piece of advice he gave me. He taught me what it means to “hang on out of love”, and his unity with me was a precious gift that I will never forget.”
Luce Ardente asked to be buried in Loppiano, where he met Chiara and discovered the spirituality of unity. In an interview given in 2021, he strongly emphasised his vision: “I would like everyone, in their own religion, to seek the profound meaning of their own doctrine. Only in this way can we live together in peace and harmony.” It is a call to live in depth, in sincerity and in sharing. An invitation that today sounds like a spiritual testament.
“We have chosen to tell stories of closeness and fraternity that are the fruit of the commitment of many people and communities around the world who are striving to generate trust every day.” With these words, Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, opened the event presenting the 2024 Assessment of Communion in Action, held on the 6th of November 2025 at the Augustinian Patristic Pontifical Institute in Rome. This document goes beyond a financial report and describes the ongoing projects in various countries linked to the Focolare Movement and their specific impact on individuals, communities and geographical areas. “It does not merely measure numbers, but speaks of relationships,” emphasised Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. “Communion is a strategic asset. It is not simply the sharing of resources, but the building of bonds that generate trust, cohesion and resilience. In economic terms, it is relational capital: it reduces exclusion costs, encourages participation and enables processes of integral human development. Where there is communion, fragility becomes an opportunity, because those who are part of networks of reciprocity have a better chance of being able to escape marginalisation. In a time of great inequality, this assessment is both a prophetic statement and good news: every single act is important.”
Margaret KarramAlessandra Smerilli – Moira Monacelli
The figures
Ruperto Battiston, co-responsible for the Focolare Movement’s finances, explains the figures: “The 2024 Assessment of Communion in Action shows an income of €8.1 million from donations, from the communion of goods given freely by those belonging to the Movement and from contributions of external institutions for training projects. Expenditure amounted to €9.6 million and was allocated to initiatives that generate long-term value: local projects, little towns, social initiatives and educational and cultural programmes, as well as to support the International Centre.
Thanks to an extraordinary communion of goods of €208,568, it was possible to help people belonging to the Movement who are in situations of particular need and also the structures that help those who are poor.
In addition, the Economy of Communion distributed 394 individual grants and supported 14 projects in 13 countries, for a total of €669,566.
Among the many figures, this year we have chosen to highlight the sums allocated to structures involved in safeguarding and formation in safeguarding, as recommended in the recent report by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.”
Five projects were presented from among those illustrated in the Assessment: Fo.Co. ONLUS – Italya social cooperative that welcomes migrants and unaccompanied minors, promoting inclusion and employment. It has reopened an abandoned convent, transforming it into a reception centre; UNIRedes – Latin America: a network of 74 organisations active in 20 countries, which reaches thousands of people every year with educational, health and cultural projects. The Focolare Medical Centre –in Man, Ivory Coast: established during the civil war, today it is a 24-hour health centre offering telemedicine and hospitalisation services. Focolare Carpentry – Philippines: a vocational training centre that has restored dignity and work to over 300 young people excluded from the school system. TogetherWEconnect – Israel and Palestine: an educational project involving 500 students in courses on dialogue, self-esteem and active citizenship.
A methodology based on the Gospel
“Communion is not welfare, but protagonism and reciprocity,” explained Moira Monacelli of Caritas International. “Being present does not only mean doing for but walking with.” The activities described in the Assessment stem from a tangible love, which translates into listening, shared responsibility, education and trust in Providence. “Giving hope is not saying it with words,” concluded Monacelli, “but building communities where fraternity becomes a reality.”
The first round of collecting suggestions for the election of the President, Co-President, and General Councillors from the various parts of the world was completed on the 7th of November 2025, in preparation for the upcoming Assembly. The phase of gathering ideas and proposals for topics to be addressed during the Assembly was also completed. What are the next steps? How will these proposals be organised? 
