PEN International Writers for Peace Committee
“Writers have the power to build bridges where walls divide. Through dialogue, reflection, and storytelling, the Writers for Peace Committee seeks to strengthen understanding, confront intolerance, and defend the right to free expression, to foster a world where peace prevails.” Germán Rojas, Chair of PEN International Writers for Peace Committee.
The Writers for Peace Committee (WfPC) connects literature and human rights, providing a forum for writers to address conflict and social division. Established in 1984 on the initiative of Slovene writer Miloš Mikeln, and based at Slovene PEN, the Committee was created to bridge divides during the Cold War. Today, it continues to be a platform for promoting intercultural dialogue, peace, tolerance, and freedom of expression, as well as for supporting writers in war and conflict zones. All PEN Centres are automatically part of the Committee by virtue of their affiliation with PEN International.
A history of courage and dialogue
The WfPC’s roots are linked with Slovene PEN, founded in 1926, which, from the heart of central Europe, worked to defend persecuted writers and oppose fascism in the 1930s. Following a pause during World War II, the Centre resumed activities in 1962 and in 1965 hosted PEN International Congress in the town of Bled. That Congress made it possible to start the practice of meetings in Bled from 1968 to the present day.
The Committee was officially founded at PEN International Congress in Tokyo in 1984, when the world was separated into two irreconcilable political blocks (the United States and the Soviet Union). From the start, the WfPC championed freedom of information and dialogue, providing an open space—like Bled during the 1990s Yugoslav wars, where the role of Slovenian writer Boris A. Novak was crucial—for writers of all sides to express solidarity and exchange views. It also offered humanitarian aid, including financial support, shelter, and legal help, reaching hundreds of writers and artists in conflict zones. Over the decades, it has brought together writers from all over the world and from different cultures, beliefs, religions, and political ideas.
Mission and mandate
At the heart of the WfPC’s mission is the belief that freedom of expression and peace are inseparable. By connecting writers across regions, the Committee draws attention to threats to free speech, advocates for human rights, and celebrates literature as a tool for fostering dialogue and reconciliation. Its work is in line with the United Nations’ Resolution 71/189 on the Right to Peace (2016), which recognises the right of peoples to peace.
Topics discussed by the Committee include hate speech, migration, populism, violence, and other threats to democracy, as well as the prevention of armed conflict. The Committee also emphasises the importance of cultural heritage: attacks on historical memory or artistic expression are treated as crimes against humanity, and it advocates for the protection of endangered cultural sites. In addition, it addresses gender and environmental issues across its activities and projects.
The WfPC collaborates with other PEN International Committees to ensure a coordinated response during crises.
Main statements
In recent years, the WfPC has drafted statements and declarations addressing urgent global upheavals.
In 2025, it marked Human Rights Day (10 December) with a dedicated statement, and presented the draft text of the resolution “The present international disorder and breakdown of peace – The role of writers” which was approved by PEN International at its 91st Congress in Krakow. In 2024 it addressed the conflict in the Balkans and in 2023, it issued a statement on the disputed territory of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh and the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine. Prior to this, it released statements on Gaza and other areas affected by war, conflict and unrest. In 2018, it published its Bled Manifesto, asserting peace as a universal human right. Each initiative reflects the Committee’s commitment to literature, human rights, and peacebuilding, showing how writers can play a vital role in shaping societies free from oppression.
A legacy of dialogue
From its earliest meetings across the Iron Curtain to its humanitarian campaigns during the Yugoslav wars and its work addressing global wars and conflicts today, the WfPC exemplifies the power of literature to foster dialogue, bridge divides, and defend human dignity. At a time when populism, nationalism, and violence threaten to silence voices, the Committee remains a steadfast advocate for writers and for the principles of peace, tolerance, and freedom of expression.
Note to editors:
For media queries contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International [email protected]
To find out more, visit the WfPC’s website or contact Germán Rojas, Chair of the WfPC at [email protected]