UNICEF launches the "Colors of Peace" campaign and invites all children in Moldova to participate

Chișinău, 24 February 2026. Today marks four years since the start of the war in Ukraine - four years that have deeply affected the lives of millions of children. For many of them, this period has meant the sudden disruption of daily routines, separation from loved ones, changing schools, losing a sense of safety, and adapting to a new and often unpredictable reality.

War affects children not only through the destruction it causes around them, but also through the uncertainty it brings to their daily lives. The right to protection, education, stability, and a childhood free from fear becomes fragile in the context of conflict.

However, children's rights cannot be suspended during times of conflict. 

In the Republic of Moldova, thousands of refugee children from Ukraine have found temporary protection and support. Host communities have shown solidarity, and children - from Moldova and Ukraine - have shared classrooms, playgrounds, and experiences that have shaped their childhoods in different but profound ways.

Four years after the outbreak of war, it is essential to reaffirm a fundamental principle: every child has the right to peace, safety, and dignity. 

Through the "Colors of Peace" campaign, UNICEF invites all children in Moldova to express their thoughts and emotions about peace, solidarity, and hope through drawing. The initiative provides a safe and inclusive space for expression, where every child's voice matters - because sometimes a drawing can convey what words cannot.

The campaign aims to provide children with a safe space for expression through art, promote inclusion and empathy, and mark four years since the start of the war with a message of solidarity. The initiative will bring together children's voices in a dedicated public exhibition. 

The campaign is part of UNICEF's ongoing efforts to support the protection and well-being of children affected by conflict and to promote social cohesion in the Republic of Moldova.

In this context, children of all ages in the Republic of Moldova - including refugee children, children with special needs, and children from ethnic minority communities - are invited to create a drawing on the theme "My portrait - a child of peace."

Children can create the drawing individually or together with an adult (parent/family member/teacher/educator) based on their own imagination and what peace, safety, family, or friendship means to them.

Drawings can be created using any technique: pencil, markers, watercolor, collage or mixed tools.
There are no artistic limitations and no performance criteria.
This initiative is not a competition and there will be no “most beautiful drawing.”
Each artwork is valuable for its message and authenticity.

To participate, drawings may be submitted between 24 February – 31 May 2026 through one of the following methods:

• Online: photographed (in good quality) or scanned and sent to: [email protected]
• In person or by post: UNICEF House, 131, 31 August 1989 Street, Chișinău

Each drawing must be accompanied by the following information:

• Child’s full name
• Age
• Locality and district/city of residence
• A short description of the drawing (1–2 sentences): what it represents and the message or emotion it conveys
• Contact details of a parent/legal guardian (phone number or email), in case additional information is needed

By submitting the drawing and contact details, parents or legal guardians consent to the publication of the artwork on UNICEF channels (website and social media) and its display during exhibitions or public events.

To amplify the campaign’s message, we encourage parents, young people and communities to share drawings and their participation experience on social media. Post photos of the artworks, describe what the exercise meant for the child, and use the hashtag #CulorilePacii, tagging UNICEF Moldova’s official Facebook and/or Instagram pages. This will allow us to reshare and amplify children’s messages so their voices can reach as many people as possible.

UNICEF also encourages schools, kindergartens, community centres and organizations working with children to organize collective drawing workshops as part of the campaign.

“The Colours of Peace” Exhibition

In June, all collected drawings will be brought together in a dedicated public exhibition - a visual map of solidarity, a collection of messages about peace and friendship, and proof that beyond conflict, children continue to choose hope.

Through the campaign “The Colours of Peace,” UNICEF reaffirms a fundamental principle: every child, regardless of where they were born or the circumstances they face, has the right to safety, family, education and a childhood free from fear. In a context marked by uncertainty and conflict, children’s drawings remind us that peace is not an abstract ideal, but the foundation upon which every future is built.