News from our Global Network

We see the images repeatedly. An overcrowded boat crossing the English Channel. People attempting the dangerous journey from North Africa towards Spain.

Forty-eight nations. Three host countries. More than 6.8 million spectators, the highest attendance in World Cup history, with fans from 210 countries and territories in the stands and broadcast records falling in market after market. For nearly six weeks this summer, flags were everywhere.

SIPRI estimates that the world spent US$2,887 billion (EUR 2,540 billion) on its militaries in 2025, measured at market exchange rates. Separately, the Institute for Economics and Peace estimates that peacebuilding and peacekeeping expenditure came to US$49.2 billion, just 0.5 per cent of military expenditure when both are calculated in its purchasing-power-parity methodology.

Right now, parliaments are debating how fast to rearm. People are protesting in the streets of cities across Europe and beyond, angry at governments that simultaneously claim poverty while pledging billions more for weapons. The rhetoric of threat and counter-threat dominates every news cycle.

There is a particular kind of human encounter that gets almost no attention. It is not a friendship. It is not a romantic connection. It is not a professional relationship. It has no name in everyday language.

The US spends hundreds of billions every year teaching children how to read, write and calculate. But what about kindness? In some places, kindness is now a subject in school — and a remarkable free programme is making it possible for educators everywhere.

I have been fortunate to work in worlds where the improbable encounter is almost a professional hazard. Community building, citizen diplomacy – the art of ordinary people building trust across borders, no title required – logistics at a global scale. These are environments where the unexpected introduction is less an exception and more a feature of the landscape.

Artificial intelligence is opening extraordinary doors. From healthcare and education to science and creativity, AI has the potential to amplify human capabilities and solve problems that once seemed beyond our reach.

The first half of this year, our 70th anniversary year, has been one of steady progress across People to People International. Much of this work has already appeared on our website and social media, but this feels like a good moment to bring some of the highlights together in one place.

Sweden is a country of extraordinary contrasts. Endless forests and 95,000 lakes. Archipelagos of 220,000 islands. Midsummer evenings that never quite turn to night. A city of 14 islands that calls itself the Venice of the North. A culture shaped by Viking heritage, Lutheran pragmatism, and a quiet but fierce commitment to equality, design, and the art of taking a coffee break seriously.

In several democracies in recent years, a growing political tendency has treated culture – particularly minority culture, indigenous culture, and the cultures of newcomers – as a threat to be managed rather than a resource to be valued. The argument, roughly, is that cultural diversity weakens cohesion; that shared identity requires cultural uniformity.

People to People International is delighted to share an exciting update from one of our young leaders. Many in the PTPI family will remember Blinera Gashi, whom they met at the PTPI conference in Skopje, North Macedonia.