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GPF26

GPF26

Geneva Peace Forum 2026: Four Days of Dialogue, Diplomacy and Collective Action

Under the theme Choose Peace, the Geneva Peace Forum 2026 brought together the international peacebuilding community for four days of dialogue, exchange and collective action. Held from 12 to 15 October at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG), the Forum welcomed 4,143 registered participants and recorded 8,988 session attendances, both on-site and online. Featuring 267 speakers, 109 partner organisations and 32 institutions in the Peacebuilding Marketplace, GPF26 explored pressing peace and security challenges through high-level discussions, panels, workshops, documentary screenings, podcasts and artistic activities. Highlights included the Mediation in Focus track, high-level panels, the high-level opening, opening ceremony, the 2026 Geneva PeaceTalks, the 2026 Kofi Annan Peace Address delivered by Dr. Denis Mukwege, and the presentation of the first Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize among others. Through its diverse programme, the Forum reaffirmed Geneva's role as a hub for multilateral dialogue and cooperation, highlighting the importance of inclusive approaches, shared responsibility and collective choices in advancing sustainable peace.

GPF26

Programme

The 2026 Geneva Peace Forum featured a diverse range of more than 50 activities including panels, workshops, artistic events, and public engagements, GPF 2026 represented the most ambitious edition to date, with a new name and change of venue. 

Geneva Peace Week meets Vienna

On 3 June 2025, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform (GPP), together with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip), convened the third edition of GPF Meets in Vienna, following previous editions in New York and Addis Ababa. Held at the Park Hyatt Vienna, the event brought together diplomats, practitioners, researchers, representatives of international organisations, civil society actors and peacebuilding experts to explore pressing peace and security challenges. With 323 registrations and 401 session attendances, including 337 in-person and 64 online participants, the event provided a platform to strengthen connections between Geneva and Vienna's multilateral communities, foster knowledge exchange and build lasting partnerships. Through GPF Meets, the Forum continues to extend its mission beyond Geneva, encouraging collaboration and joint action across international policy and peacebuilding communities.

Thematic Direction: Choose Peace

Against a backdrop of escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions, growing inequalities and emerging global risks, the Geneva Peace Forum 2026 highlights the urgency of strengthening dialogue, cooperation and preventive action. Recognising the interconnected nature of today's peace and security challenges, GPF26 calls for inclusive, collaborative and multilateral approaches that reinforce trust, resilience and shared responsibility. Building on Geneva's unique role as an international hub for diplomacy and peacebuilding, the Forum brings together policymakers, practitioners, researchers and civil society actors to explore practical pathways towards sustainable peace. In a world marked by uncertainty and division, GPF26 invites the international community to move beyond words and make a collective choice: Choose Peace.

Call for applications

The Geneva Peace Forum 2026 invites organisations to apply to contribute to its official programme under the theme Choose Peace, offering a collaborative platform to engage with diverse peacebuilding actors on pressing global challenges. Applicants are encouraged to propose sessions that foster dialogue, knowledge exchange and practical approaches to advancing peace. Four formats are available: hybrid panels, in-person and online workshops, and documentary screenings, designed to encourage inclusive participation, share expertise and strengthen collaboration across the global peacebuilding community.

Art at Geneva Peace Forum 2026

Art played an important role at the Geneva Peace Forum 2026, offering a space for reflection, dialogue and connection through two exhibitions presented at the Espace Ruth Dreifuss. When the Dove Arrives, presented by Geneva's GOWEN gallery in collaboration with the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, brought together seven international contemporary artists alongside Pablo Picasso's iconic Colombe de la Paix, exploring themes of conflict, reconciliation and shared humanity. Alongside it, The Voices of Peace, developed by Everyday Peace Indicators, presented more than 20,000 community-defined indicators of peace collected across 21 countries, highlighting how people directly affected by conflict understand and experience peace in their everyday lives. Together, the exhibitions demonstrated the power of artistic expression and lived experience in broadening perspectives on peacebuilding.

Mediation in Focus

The Geneva Peace Forum 2026 introduced Mediation in Focus, a dedicated programme bringing together practitioners, policymakers, researchers and partners to explore how mediation can adapt to protracted conflicts, geopolitical fragmentation and growing pressure on multilateral action. Coordinated by Dr. Pierre Hazan, the initiative featured a series of discussions examining the political, legal and ethical dilemmas shaping mediation today, from negotiations with armed groups to the role of norms and women's engagement in peace processes. Extending beyond the Forum, the initiative also launched The Peacemakers / Les faiseurs de paix, a podcast series hosted by Pierre Hazan, offering insights from negotiators, mediators and practitioners working on conflict prevention and resolution.

The Peacebuilding Marketplace: Connecting Organisations and Initiatives

The Peacebuilding Marketplace provided an open and informal space for organisations from across the peacebuilding field to showcase their work, share resources and connect with Forum participants. Located in the Espace Ruth Dreifuss, the Forum's main networking and exhibition area, the Marketplace brought together 32 institutions over four days, with eight organisations exhibiting each day. Covering a wide range of expertise and initiatives, it offered participants opportunities to discover ongoing work, exchange experiences, engage directly with representatives and explore potential collaborations. Alongside the Forum's two art exhibitions, the Marketplace further enriched the space for networking, knowledge-sharing and connections across the global peacebuilding community.

2026 Partners

Discover the 2026 financial and media partners. 

GPF26 Videos

Watch or rewatch  some of the events held during Geneva Peace Forum 2026.

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