Call for stories: open mic session – Take the stage at the Geneva Peace Forum 2026
- September 2, 2026 11:12
Call for stories: open mic session – Take the stage at the Geneva Peace Forum 2026
Do you have a story to share ?
Peace is not only shaped by policies, negotiations and institutions. It is also lived, experienced and chosen by people every day.
For the Geneva Peace Forum 2026, we are opening the stage to participants who would like to share a personal story, lived experience or reflection connected to peace, dialogue, resilience, identity, hope or coexistence.
The Open Mic Session: Voices for Peace will bring together six selected participants to share their stories in an intimate and facilitated setting. Each speaker will have up to five minutes to take the microphone and share something meaningful to them, whether intimate, difficult, inspiring, unexpected or thought-provoking.
There is no single way to talk about peace. Your story might explore a moment that changed your perspective, an experience of dialogue or reconciliation, a challenge you have faced, an encounter that stayed with you, or what “choosing peace” means in your own life.
Following the stories, the audience will be invited to reflect and exchange, creating a space for listening, empathy and genuine human connection. The session will be facilitated by Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, who will help create a safe, respectful and engaging atmosphere for speakers and participants alike.
The Open Mic Session is jointly organised by the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform.
Share your voice: Choose Peace
If you will be attending the Geneva Peace Forum in person and have a story you would like to share, we invite you to submit a proposed speech of maximum five minutes. Your story should connect with the GPF 2026 Thematic Direction "Choose Peace" and contribute to a respectful and constructive space for dialogue.
📩 Send a Word document with your application to gpf@gpplatform.ch by 9 September 2026 :
- A proposed speech (linked to this year's thematic direction "Choose Peace")
- Your full name
- Your contact details (email address)
- A short bio
- A picture
- If you wish to be tagged, links to your social media profiles.
Selected participants will be invited to share their stories live during the Geneva Peace Forum on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 from 14:30–15:30 in Room 7, Ground Floor, CICG, Geneva.