In 1975 The Helsinki Accords or The Helsinki Final Act was signed by heads of state or government of 35 states in an attempt to further a détente among states on both sides of the East-West divide of the day.

The world again needs cooperation, détente, and a commitment for human rights, which since 1975 and the Helsinki Accords has been connected to what is called the Helsinki spirit. The states have failed to commit themselves for this, even when humanity is facing a severe global poly-crisis. It is now necessary that people's movements and the civil society give new life to the spirit of Helsinki. 

Therefore The Helsinki +50 People's Initiative was taken by the Nordic Peace Alliance. It is supported by the International Peace Bureau and World Beyond War.

A dedicated website has been published to cover events around the 50th anniversary: https://helsinkiplus50.org/

Read here about planned activities in Helsinki, Finland from 30 July to 2 August 2025.

Peace organisations in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden from the Nordic Peace Alliance have worked together to create a new document Helsinki+50 People’s Declaration on Common Security and Human Rights inspired by the Helsinki Final Act.

Peace, human rights, migration, antiracist and environmental movements from all over the world have contributed to this declaration.

It calls for peace and cooperation in solving the social and environmental crises facing humanity.

The goal is once again to stop the arms race and find peaceful solutions.

The declaration is the first result of our collective work. It lays a grass-roots foundation for inter-national cooperation for a peaceful, just, and ecologically sustainable world.

The text of the Declaration with signatures per 28 July is found at https://helsinkiplus50.org

Background

Read  about the basics of the Helsinki Accords in this Wikipedia article.

And visit the official website of OSCE.