PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER “Peace is not passive. It is a fight” – Speaker Farrugia calls for bold legislative action at Global Forum

“Peace is not passive. It is a fight,” stated Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, urging legislators worldwide to take responsibility for dismantling the global architecture of conflict. He was speaking during the panel “Innovating for a Peaceful Future: Crafting New Solutions for a Turbulent World” at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva. Speaker Farrugia also informed delegates that Malta will formally recognise the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September 2025 — a step he described as consistent with Malta’s commitment to justice, peace, and international law.

Speaker Farrugia stated that today’s global suffering is not the result of disorder, but of design. He cited the $2.7 trillion spent on military budgets in 2024 as a clear example of misplaced priorities, remarking that such figures are not statistics, but indictments. He warned that parliaments cannot claim neutrality while approving the budgets that sustain conflict.

Speaker Farrugia proposed the establishment of a Global Parliamentary Innovation Network to enable parliaments to cooperate in tracking arms flows, monitoring conflict trends, and drafting model legislation to prevent escalation and atrocities.

“We cannot undo the past. But we can disarm the future — not through wishful thinking, but through bold design. War is not inevitable. It is a policy choice. And so is peace,” concluded Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, underlining the urgency of legislative action.