12^th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PEACE AND NONVIOLENT ACTION

Aims and Objectives

• To promote a global understanding of nonviolence as a powerful philosophy and practical method for achieving lasting peace
• To create an international platform for scholars, activists, policymakers, and community leaders to exchange insights on nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution
• To encourage collaborative action toward building cultures of peace at local, national, and global levels.

Theme

Nonviolence (Ahimsa) : A Global Imperative of Sustainable Peace

Every right thinking person in the world is deeply concerned about the rising trends of violence and hatred in all parts of the world. What worries us most is that many children and youths are being systematically indoctrinated to commit heinous crimes in the name of religion. Not a day passes when we do not hear of the incidents of the rape of minor girls, murders of women, children and senior citizens. The incidents of verbal and emotional violence are galore at school, college and family levels. Moral and spiritual values are at their lowest ebb. The prospects for peace at global level also appear quite bleak. Racial, ethnic and caste conflicts in different parts of the world are continuing unabated. The big nations are vying with one another to produce more atom bombs and weapons of mass destruction for hegemony and bullying. The UN which prevented wars and conflicts in the post world war II era has been weakened by big veto wielding nations. The prospect of war is looming large even now when most people of the world are struggling to make both ends meet.

In such dismal scenario of decadence at all levels only a culture of ahimsa, love and tolerance can save the humankind from extinction. Ahimsa does not mean mere abstinence from physical violence but it also means refraining from violence in thought and word. The seeds of violence or nonviolence first sprout in our mind so efforts should be made to nip the evil in the bud during childhood itself. We have to find out how educators can resist this trend towards nihilism, cynicysm and dictatorship. We affirm that nonviolence remains a key tool for universal peace and sustainable global civilization in which all can live in peace and non-harm with all others. It is possible only through both individual and collective efforts. As humanity transfers its unique capacity for intelligence into autonomous systems, a new moral frontier has emerged. In a world torn apart by strife, escalating wars, structural inequalities and environmental collapse Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands at a crossroads: it will either deepen our divisions or provide the tools to heal them.

The 12^th ICPNA is more than a conference; it is a global inquiry into whether the ancient value of Ahimsa (Nonviolence) can guide the design of our future. We seek to evolve a roadmap for a civilization where both human and machine intelligence are consciously aligned with ethical restraint, compassion and reverence for all forms of life.

Call for Papers

We invite proposals to speak on the sub-themes given below. There will be nine Plenary Sessions in all. The duration of each Plenary Session will be 1 hour and 45 minutes. There will be five speakers excluding the chairperson for each session. Only fifteen minutes will be given to each speaker however for publication the written paper may be longer. Thirty minutes are reserved for discussions.

Plenary Sessions and their Sub-themes

Suggested Topics for Workshops

• The Seville Statement on Violence and Machine Learning: Connecting the rejection of biological determinism to how AI "learns" peaceful or violent patterns.
• Digital Governance & Human Rights: Ethics, data justice, and democratic accountability in an AI-dominated society.
• Social Cohesion: Opposing gender, family, and racial violence in the age of screens and digital amplification.
• Preksha Meditation and Jivan Vigyan as Instruments for attitudinal changes in individuals.
• Artificial Intelligence and its inherent perils : What measures do you suggest to escape these perils?

Guidelines for Plenary Presenters

Those who want to make plenary presentations are advised to read the subtheme of a particular session minutely and stick to its spirit. The papers of those who write irrelevantly and whose language is full of errors will not be considered for presentation. If the content is good, please get it edited by an English language teacher or professor.

For a presentation at any of the above Plenary Sessions please use the suggested format and email it to icpna@anuvibha.org giving following details:

• Title of the paper or presentation
• Name of the plenary session for which it is meant
• Summary of your paper in 150 - 200 words. Please use Seperate Sheet for it. The programme committee will inform you of its decision in the 1^st week of October 2026.

Workshops

In addition to the above Plenary Sessions there will be nine parallel workshops in all but organizing more workshops or less may be considered if the need arises. The organizers will have the liberty to club together three or four proposals for a workshop. We request you to specify the topic of your workshop clearly. Each workshop will be of one and a half hours duration. The workshop will be led by the proposer and he or she will be free to choose other speakers – not more than three. Each speaker will get fifteen minutes only. Thirty minutes are reserved for interactive discussions.

To submit proposals for a workshop just write the title and a summary of what you would like to discuss in two hundred words. It should be emailed to icpna@anuvibha.org

A Round-table for Youths

Topic – The Role of Youths in Building a Peaceful Society

There will be one Round-Table for youths on the above topic. Youths from all over the world are invited to participate in this Round-Table. The youth who wants to participate in it should email to icpna@anuvibha.org his views about the topic in 100 words. The Round-Table Convener will choose nine best participants on the basis of their write-ups. The youths must register in large numbers. They can sit as observers, listen to speakers and participate in discussions at the round- table or any other session they would like to attend. The Round-Table will be of one and a half hours duration. Each youth participant will get seven minutes. The last date for the proposal will be 30^th September,2026.

For Registration

Every participant whether he or she is a presenter or a non - presenter will be required to register himself or herself before 30^th September, 2026 in the prescribed format given at the end of this brochure. There is no registration fee.

The officially confirmed presenters or non - presenters will be provided free local hospitality including accomodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner. They will be accommodated in the guest houses situated in the sprawling JVB Campus furnished with Gandhian Simplicity.

Venue and Related Information

The venue for the 12^th ICPNA is Ladnun, Dist. Didwana – Kuchaman (Rajasthan). It is the birth town of Late His Holiness Acharya Tulsi – the ninth Acharya of Jain Svetamber Terapanth. It is also the seat of the Jain University and Jain Vishva Bharati, an organization dedicated to service and traditional studies of Jainism. JVB Campus houses the Jain University, staff quarters, Jain University office, hostel, Amritayan – a residence for samanis (semi-nuns) and also a specific complex used for visiting monks, Acharya Shri or Chaturmas of Acharya Shri or any other monk. The town Ladnun is also known for some very old Jai

Travel Information for Both Overseas and Domestic Participants

For overseas friends it is advised that all should arrive in Jaipur by the evening of 3^rd or 4^th December, 2026. They can arrive in Delhi or in Mumbai from Europe or North America, South America, South Asia etc. They can fly to Jaipur by any of the several domestic airlines. If they come to Jaipur they should consult the Associate International Coordinator Mr. Jai Bohra Mobile & WhatsApp No +91- 9829216432 a week before they fly to India and he will book your room at ANUVIBHA Kendra. Participants may conveniently travel to ANUVIBHA Kendra on their own via taxi or app-based cab services (Ola/Uber). The address of Anuvibha Guest Houses at Jaipur is: B01–B02, Opp. Gaurav Tower, JNL Marg, Jaipur – 302017, India. One or two special buses depending on the number of participants will leave for Ladnun after lunch at 02.30 PM. Those who fail to reach Anuvibha Kendra before 2:00 PM on 4^th December should hire a taxi and reach ladnun at their own expenses

Visa Information

Those who have attended earlier ICPNAs are already aware that the best way to get visa for India is to apply for a tourist visa only.

Language

Those who have attended earlier ICPNAs are already aware that the best way to get visa for India is to apply for a tourist visa only.