Speakers — Geneva Peace Forum 2026

Tahani Abbas

Human Rights Defender and activist in Sudan

H.E. Mrs. Hend Abdalrahman Al-Muftah

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office.

Yasmine Abdelbagi

Project Manager and MEAL Specialist at Future Generations Organization (FGO), and founder of Communities Thrive Organization (CTO)

Inclusive Peace

Nazar Abdelgadir Salih

Executive Director

Geneva Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (GIHR)

Alessandro Accorsi

Digital disinformation Advisor

Médecins Sans Frontières

A Sudanese pharmacist, climate, peace and security activist, and humanitarian leader, Mohammed has over seven years of experience working at the intersection of climate resilience, conflict response, and youth engagement.

Mohammed Adam

Chief Innovation Officer

Youth Alliance for Local Adaptation and Peace (YALAP)

Levinia Addae-Mensah is a peace and security practitioner with over 30 years experience in various themes within the field of Peace, Security, Governance and Development.

Levinia Addae-Mensah

Executive Director

WANEP, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding

Babatunde Afolabi

Director of Political Affairs

ECOWAS

Yasmine M. Ahmed is a recognized leader in climate finance, sustainable development, and public sector reform, with more than 15 years of experience working at the intersection of climate policy, economic development, and international fina…

Yasmine M. Ahmed

Senior Climate Finance Advisor

Ministry of Finance, Somalia

Linda Al Obahi

Senior Political Affairs and Mediation Adviser

Peace Track Initiative

Mohamed Al-Khulaifi

State Minister

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar

Blerta Aliko is currently Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy Director of the Crisis Bureau and Head of the UNDP Geneva Representation Office.

Blerta Aliko

Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy Director of the Crisis Bureau and Head of the Geneva Representation Office

United Nations Development Programme

Cécile Aptel

Special Adviser

International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism – Syria (IIIM)

Bertrand Baldet

Director of Programmes at SeeD

Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD)

Suayan Barón Melgarejo

Head of the Colombian Office

PeaceWomen Across the Globe

Monika Baum

Security Officer

Parliament Services, Parliament of Switzerland

Rayane Baydoun

Project Officer in Emergency Response and Youth

Adyan Foundation

Dr. Annyssa Bellal

Executive Director

Geneva Peacebuilding Platform

Will Bennett

Senior Manager; Fellow, Centre for Armed Groups

DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance

Joy Bernabe

Trainer, Facilitator, Actor, and Coordinator for Playback Theater

La Maison du Récit

Elizabeth Biniya Moga

Youth Peace Mediators’ Mentoring Programme

Foreign Ministries of Finland and South Africa

Julius Maada Bio

President

Republic of Sierra Leone and former Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government

Adam Bonaa

Executive Secretary,

National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Ghana

Ferdaous Bouhlel

Peace and Mediation Adviser

United Nations

Inês Bravo Figueiredo

Co-President

Volt Europa

Tonni Ann Brodber joined the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) as the Head of the Secretariat in October 2024.

Tonni Ann Brodber

Head of Secretariat

Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund

Elise Buckle

CEO

Climate Bridges

Maryam Bukar Hassan

Global Advocate for Peace

United Nations

Sofia Burtak is President of the Rural Women Business Network (RWBN), a Ukrainian association advancing the rights, economic opportunities, and leadership of women in rural communities.

Sofia Burtak

President

Rural Women Business Network in Ukraine

Anne-Marie Buzatu

Executive Director

ICT4Peace Foundation

Cecilia Cannon

Founder, Managing Director & Senior Policy Analyst

Polisync

Nedra Cherif is a political analyst and Associate Expert at the Mediterranean Platform with a decade of experience in the field of democracy and peacebuilding.

Nedra Cherif

Associate Expert

Mediterranean Platform

Fabian Chiquet

Director of IMAGINE PEACE

Milan Film AG

Ambassador Nathalie Chuard

Director

DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance

Guila Clara Kessous

UNESCO Artist for Peace

UNESCO

Virginie Collombier is a political scientist and practitioner with over twenty years of academic and policy experience in governance, conflict transformation, and diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa, with a particular focus on…

Virginie Collombier

President and co-founder

Mediterranean Platform

Jennifer Colville

Digital and Innovation Advisor and Facilitator of the UNDP Global Leadership Academy for Women in the Digital Era

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Chris Coulter

Executive Director

Berghof Foundation

Julie Crenn

Communication Specialist

Fondation Hirondelle

Nakmak DOUTI

Senior Expert Security Sector Governance

University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar

Nils DUQUET

Director

Flemish Peace Institute

Awa Dabo

United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

United Nations Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO)

Dr. Adam Day

Head of Office at United Nations University Centre for Policy Research Geneva (UNU CPR)

Katrien De Pauw

General Representative of the Delegation of Flanders, Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva

Élisabeth Decrey Warner

Founder of the NGO, Geneva Call

Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

Benedetta Di Donato

Junior researcher

AURORA International Study Center for Neurosciences, Diversity, Peace & Innovation

Alexandra Dienes

Senior Researcher

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

Dany Diogo

Geneva Peace Forum Lead

Geneva Peacebuilding Platform

Natalia Djandjgava

Country Manager (Moldova)

CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation

Piero Dominici

ONU Delegate and Professor

University of Perugia

Dr. Cordula Droege

Director of International Law, Movement and Partnerships

International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC

Enya Echeng is the Deputy Executive Director of the Youth Organisation for Research and Justice Advocacy (YORJA), a youth-led organisation advancing transitional justice, human rights, peacebuilding and meaningful youth participation…

Enya Echeng

Founding Trustee and the Deputy Executive Director

Youth Organisation for Research and Justice Advocacy

Dr. Kamel El Hilali works as an AI & the Rule of Law Specialist at UNESCO where he develops the training programme and tools offered to judicial operators (judges, prosecutors, court staff, lawyers and scholars) across the globe on AI, …

Kamel El Hilali

AI & the Rule of Law Specialist, Digital Policies and Digital Transformation Section, Communication and Information Sector

UNESCO

Zakari Emmanuel

UNDP winner of the Creatives4Peace Youth Online Innovation Challenge

Tim Enderlin

Head of the Peace and Human Rights Division, Federal Department for Foreign Affairs, Switzerland.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Maurice Engueleguele

Senior Adviser, Constitution-Building Processes

Africa and West Asia

Hannah Entwisle Chapuisat

Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism (CDHM)

Geneva Graduate Institute

Nicolas FLORQUIN

Head of Data and Analytics

Small Arms Survey

Ambassador Alexandre Fasel

State Secretary

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Kate Fearon

Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Ambassador David Fernandez Puyana

Ambassador and Permanent Observer University for Peace to the UN Office at Geneva and Vienna & Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris.

Caterina Ferrara

Scientific Director

AURORA International Study Center for Neurosciences, Diversity, Peace & Innovation

Paola Gaeta

Professor of International Law

Geneva Graduate Institute

Lakhdar Ghettas

Program Manager

CPI Geneva

Kate Gilmore

Former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

Ambassador Thomas Greminger

Executive Director

Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

Mariana Groba Gomes

Senior Women Peace and Security Advisor

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Hesta Groenewald

Senior International Associate

PeaceNexus Foundation

Alexey Gromyko

Director of the Institute of Europe

The Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Alessia Gualtieri

Senior Legal Officer

The Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights

Rafael José Gude is a consultant with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD)'s Programme on Organised Crime and Peacemaking, focused on the potential of peacemaking with gangs and other criminalised armed organisations.

Rafael Gude

Organised Crime and Peacemaking Consultant

Humanitarian Dialogue

Ursign HOFMANN

Senior Researcher

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

Dominique Habegger (TBC)

Chief Sustainability Officer

de Pury Pictet Turrettini & Cie SA

H.E. Major General Dr. Rashed Hamad Al Nuaimi is Major General and Director of the Strategic Studies Center (SSC) in Qatar.

Rashed Hamad Al-Naemi

Commander of the Strategic Studies Centre, Qatar

David Harland

Executive Director

Humanitarian Dialogue

Alison Harley

Director, Conservation in Fragile and Conflict-affected Setting

WWF International

Peter Harling

Founder and Director

Synaps

Najia Hashemee

Advisor, Democratic Institutions and Processes in the Digital Era

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Dr. Pierre Hazan is a senior advisor at the Center for Humanitarian Dialogues. He specializes in issues of justice, amnesty, truth commissions, and reparations. He was a fellow at Harvard Law School.

Pierre Hazan

Senior Advisor

Humanitarian Dialogue

Sarah Hellmüller

Research Professor

Geneva Graduate Institute

Sara Hellmüller

Research Professor

Geneva Graduate Institute

Alona Horova

Head

Institute for Peace and Common Ground

Christina Horváth Stenner

Head of Unit Europe

Berghof Foundation

Pamela F. Husain

Co-Director

The Centre for HDP Nexus Solutions

Genna Ingold

Head of Communications

Kofi Annan Foundation

Sulaima Ishaq Elkhalifa Sharif is a psychologist and trauma specialist who leads the Combating Violence Against Women Unit at Sudan’s Ministry of Social Development.

Sulaima Ishaq Elkhalifa Sharif

State Minister of Human Resources and Social Welfare; Former Head of the Combating Violence Against Women Unit

Fatou Jah

Chief, Peace, Recovery and Solutions Division (PRSD), Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery (DHRR)

International Organization for Migration

Callixtus Joseph

Assistant Director of Policy, Strategy and Innovation

CARICOM IMPACS

Paula Jou Fuster is a feminist researcher and activist, a member of WILPF Spain an active member of the Young WILPF Network.

Paula Jou Fuster

Young WILPF member

WILPF Spain Section

Itonde Kakoma

President of Interpeace

Interpeace

Utchang Kang

Programme Manager at Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Amrita Kapur

Secretary General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, WILPF

Walter Kemp

Senior Strategy Advisor

Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

Hichem Khadhraoui

Executive Director

Center for Civilians in Conflict

Norah Kimathi is a robotics engineer and peacebuilder whose work begins where exclusion ends.

Norah Kimathi

Robotics engineer and co-founder

Zerobionic

Nirina Kiplagat Nirina Kiplagat has over 20 years of development experience engaged in various development contexts in the fields of peacebuilding, conflict prevention and governance.

Nirina Kiplagat

Governance and Peacebuilding Coordinator for Africa

United Nations Development Programme

Dominique Koffy Kouacou is the Head of the Emergency and Resilience Team at the FAO Subregional Office for West Africa and the Sahel.

Kouacou Dominique Koffy

FAO Representative Mali (a.i.) and Head of Emergency and Resilience Team (a.i), Sub-Regional Office West Africa and the Sahel (SFW)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Stéphanie Koury

Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs

United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)

Vanja Kovac

Senior Advisor Gender, Inclusion and Child Protection

Center for Civilians in Conflict: Civic

Grâce F. Kpohazounde

Peace and Development Advisor in Nigeria

Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme

Sandra is Head of Policy, Research and Legal at Geneva Call Her research focuses on the theory and practice of international law that applies during times of armed conflict, and other situations of violence, in particular terrorism.

Sandra Krahenhamm

Head of Policy, Research and Legal unit

Geneva Call

Tetiana Kyselova

Associate Professor

National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Dr. Müge Kökten Finkel

Director, Ford Institute for Human Security; Associate Professor

University of Pittsburg

Stefanie Küng

Chief of Staff of the Peace and Human Rights Division

Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Juliette Labarthe

Directrice du service Egalité et Diversité

Université de Genève

Wendyam Hervé Lankoandé

Fellow, International Geneva Peace Fellowship

World Council of Churches

David Lanz

Deputy Director for Mediation Support and Policy

Humanitarian Dialogue

Philipp Lustenberger

Special Envoy for the Peace Process in Colombia

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Aloys Mahwa

Country Director

Living Peace Institute (LPI)

Ousmane Mamoudou

Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Head of the Digital Desk

Studio Kalangou

Elham Manea

Adjunct Professor of Political Science

University of Zurich

Miara Fatima M. Mapandi

Lead Convenor; Faculty Member, Mindanao State University

Generation Peace Youth Network

Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin is Deputy Executive Secretary of UNECE.

Dmitry Mariyasin

Deputy Executive Secretary

UN Economic Commission for Europe

Nicolas Masson is a Swiss diplomat with 20+ years (mostly field) experience in diplomacy, international cooperation, peace mediation and humanitarian affairs. His main geographical area of expertise is the Middle East.

Nicolas Masson

Senior Political and Peace Adviser

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Iacopo Matteacci

Junior researcher

AURORA International Study Center for Neurosciences, Diversity, Peace & Innovation

Haggai Mario Quissimuço Maunze is Head of ADIN’s Strategic Development, Studies and Projects Unit and a member of ADIN’s Executive Committee.

Haggai Maunze

Head of Strategic Development, Studies and Projects Unit

North Mozambique Development Agency (ADIN)

Yaroslav Minkin

Founder

STAN Ukraine

Surer Mohamed

Research Fellow, Politics and Governance

ODI Global

Kat Morse

Acting Head of Solutions Hub

Globethics

Denis Mukwege

Gynaecologist; Human Rights Activist; Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2018); Member of The Elders

Filippo Musca

Director

The Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights

Francisco Javier Múnera Correa

Archbishop of Cartagena, President of the Colombian Episcopal Conference

Colombian Episcopal Conference

Farima Nawabi

Executive Director

Afghanistan Brain Bridge

Lama Nazeeh

Advocacy Manager

7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

Jean Marie Ndihokubwayo is a peace artist, audiovisual researcher, and award-winning filmmaker from Burundi. For over two decades, he has worked at the crossroads of storytelling, civic technology, and social transformation.

Jean Marie Ndihokubwayo

Filmmaker & Audiovisual researcher

Build Up

Mr. Niokhor Ndour is an agronomist by training, with a Master in water resources management and a Master in project management. He works as the Secretary General of the Senegal Basin Development Organisation (OMVS).

Niokhor Ndour

Secretary General

Senegal Basin Development Organisation (OMVS)

Jenny Neme Neiva

Special Envoy for dialogue and political engagement

World Council of Churches

Sarah Noble

Head of Global Engagement

Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation

Sarah Noble

PeaceTalks Co-Founder

Interpeace

Nikolena Nocheva

Associate researcher, IPS, Charles University, and IRS, University of Geneva

Charles University

Bahishta Nohtani

Dentist, women's rights activist and co-founder

Afghanistan Women's Rights Association (AWRA)

Tut Kony Nyang Kon

General Secretary

South Sudan Council of Churches

Sibylle Obrist obtained a Masters in International Relations at the Institut Universitaire des Hautes Etudes Internationales (IUHEI/The Geneva Graduate Institute) in Geneva and an advanced Masters in Conflict Resolution and Sustainable…

Sibylle Obrist

Deputy Head, Peace and Human Rights Division

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Fabio works with UNDP Crisis Bureau in New York as Senior Advisor on Policy Research and Learning. Before joining the Crisis Bureau, Fabio worked as UN Peace and Development Advisor (PDA) in Tunisia, Cambodia, Guyana and Suriname.

Fabio Oliva

Senior Advisor on Policy Research and Learning

United Nations Development Programme

Rachel Olpengs is a seasoned digital literacy and public policy specialist with extensive experience in applied research, stakeholder engagement, capacity building and institutional strengthening initiatives.

Rachel Olpengs

Coordinator

National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya (FECoMo)

Ibrahim is a policy researcher at Somali Public Agenda, a Mogadishu-based think tank, where his work focuses on good governance, democratization, accountability, transparency and the role of technology in advancing that.

Ibrahim Jibril Omar

Policy Researcher

Somali Public Agenda

Kevin Osborne

Strategic Partnerships and Development Manager

Globethics

Declan O’Brien

Head of Democracy and Multilateralism Programmes

Kofi Annan Foundation

Ignacio Packer

Executive Director

Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation

Katia Papagianni is Director for Mediation Support and Policy at the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre).

Katia Papagianni

Director, Mediation Support and Policy

Humanitarian Dialogue

Melissa Parke

Executive Director

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

Alessio Pecorario

Founder and CEO

Domus Communis Foundation

Franz Perrez is Switzerland’s Legal Advisor and Head of the Directorate of International Law at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Franz Perrez

Legal Advisor and Head of the Directorate of International Law

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Guillaume Pierrehumbert was born and raised in Switzerland, where he earned a master’s degree in environmental science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne in 2000.

Guillaume Pierrehumbert

Director General

Office Cantonal de l’Eau, Département du Territoire, Etat de Genève, République et Canton de Genève

Ambassador Deike Potzel TBC

Head of the Delegation

European Union to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva

Ambassador Tobias Privitelli

Director

Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)

Hiba Qasas

Founding Executive Director

Principles for Peace

Mona Rishmawi

International human rights lawyer

Former senior UN Official

Alasdair Ross

Countries Editor

The Economist

Marie-Hélène Roux is a writer-director born in Gabon and raised across different African countries, Marie-Hélène Roux trained at the French Conservatoire and then at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles.

Marie-Hélène Roux

Writer-Director

Petites Poupées Production

Marta Ruedas

Senior Adviser

International Toledo Center for Peace (CITpax)

Serge Rumin

Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for the Promotion of Dialogue and Confidence-building

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Benoit Ruratotoye

Director of Living Peace Academy (LPA)

Living Peace Institute (LPI)

Ahmad Saidmurodzoda

Deputy Secretary General

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Bilal Salayme

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Geneva Graduate Institute

Professor Marie-Laure Salles

Director

Geneva Graduate Institute

Katie Sams

Executive Director

Kofi Annan Foundation

Dr. Lara Scarpitta

Senior Advisor on Gender Issues and Head of the Gender Issues Programme

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Deborah Schibler

Peacebuilding and leverage of women in peace processes

PeaceWomen Across the Globe

Dagmar Schmidt Tartagli

Deputy Head of Peace and Human Rights Division at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA)

Emanuel Schäublin

Deputy Head Mediation Support Team

CSS/ ETH

Ghassen Selmi

Digital Transformation Specialist

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Keleni Seruvatu

Deputy Permanent Representative

Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations and Other International Organizations, Geneva

Susann Simolin

Director

Åland Islands Peace Institute (ÅIPI)

Nicolas Sion

Head of Operations

Fight for Humanity

Anki Sjöberg

Co-Director

Fight for Humanity

Halyna Skipalska

Country Director

HealthRight International (Ukraine)

Henny Slegh

Director International programs

Living Peace Institute DRC

Ben is a Mediation Advisor with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), where he provides strategic, substantive and technical advice to mediators and conflict parties.

Benjamin Smith

Manager, Organised Crime and Peacemaking

Humanitarian Dialogue

Elizabeth Spehar

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support

Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO)

Svetlana Stefanović

Executive Director

Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society

Dan Stein

Innovation and Operations Director

Collective Intelligence for Good

Philippe Stoll

Manager of the Movement Hub on Harmful Information

Swiss Red Cross

Trude Strand

Deputy Head of MENA

DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance

Rebecca Sutton

Professor of international law

University of Glasgow

H.E. Dr. Mamadou Tangara is the Special Representative of the African Union Chairperson of the Commission in Mali and the Sahel and Head

Mamadou Tangara

High Representative and Head of MISAHEL

African Union

Kristoffer Tangri

Cluster Lead Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding, Displacement, Istanbul Regional Hub

United Nations Development Programme

Kali Taylor

Managing Director

SFG

Strategic development professional with 10+ years of experience designing and managing high-impact, multi-country programs focused on private sector development, entrepreneurship, and economic inclusion.

Dagmawit Tessema (TBC)

Lead, National Engagement, Humanitarian and Resilience Investing

World Economic Forum (WEF)

Yana Tucker

Strategic Engagements Coordinator

Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD)

Rusudan Tushuri

Project Manager

EU4Dialogue

Thomas Unger is an independent expert on transitional justice (TJ). At Impunity Watch he provides strategic advice on issues of international policy and TJ.

Thomas Unger

Expert on Transitional Justice, Director Policy and Research

Impunity Watch

Elisa Urwin

Head of Research, Centre on Conflict, Development & Peacebuilding PhD Researcher in International Relations & Political Science at the Geneva Graduate Institute

Geneva Graduate Institute

Viktoriia VORONINA

Executive Director

Centre for Security Studies, ETH Zurich

Tatiana Valovaya

Director-General

United Nations Office at Geneva

Joost van der Zwan is the Senior Conflict Advisor in the Conflict Policy & Partnerships Department in FCDO.

Joost Van Der Zwan

Senior Policy Advisor, Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding Hub Institutional affiliation at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iryna Venediktova

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Swiss Confederation and to the Principality of Liechtenstein

Nicole Venezia

Undergraduate researcher

AURORA International Study Center for Neurosciences, Diversity, Peace & Innovation

Ms. Agi Veres has 24 years of experience in international development cooperation, UN leadership in the field, as well as at regional and global levels, including in middle-income countries, LDCs and crisis countries. Prior to her UN career…