Counting down to GPF26: Choose Peace
- September 2, 2026 18:47
Counting down to GPF26: Choose Peace
The countdown is on! From 12 to 15 October 2026, the Geneva Peace Forum returns for four days of dialogue, exchange and connection at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG).
In just 40 days, the Geneva Peace Forum 2026 will bring the international peacebuilding community together in Geneva for four days of dialogue, exchange, creativity and connection.
And another important date is approaching: the full GPF26 programme will be released and registration will open on 16 September 2026.
Under this year's thematic direction, CHOOSE PEACE, GPF26 asks a simple but urgent question: at a time of increasing conflict, division and uncertainty, what does it mean to actively choose peace?
The Forum will explore this question through discussions and activities spanning conflict prevention and sustaining peace; inclusive governance and political processes; social cohesion, justice and human rights; climate, environment and resource governance; economic resilience and peace dividends; and global cooperation, technology and future risks.
Participants can look forward to a rich programme of panel discussions, workshops and documentary screenings, alongside a wider range of special activities. This year's Forum will welcome PeaceTalks 2026 within the Forum, host the 2026 Kofi Annan Peace Address, feature two art exhibitions, and introduce a dedicated Mediation in Focus programme.
Beyond the sessions themselves, GPF26 will create opportunities to meet, exchange and build new connections across the Geneva and international peacebuilding communities.
Because peace is not simply an outcome, it is shaped by the decisions we make individually and collectively, this October, we invite you to Choose Peace.
Mediation in Focus at GPF26
We are delighted to collaborate with Pierre Hazan, Coordinator of Mediation in Focus at the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, for the first edition of this dedicated programme at GPF26.
A mediation practitioner, author and former journalist, Pierre Hazan specialises in the role of justice in peace processes and has worked with organisations including OHCHR, as well as being a Fellow at Harvard Law School and the United States Institute of Peace.
Throughout GPF26, Mediation in Focus will bring together a series of events exploring some of the choices, dilemmas and practical challenges shaping mediation today, creating a space for practitioners, policymakers and experts to exchange experience and perspectives.
The conversation will also continue through The Peacemakers / Les Faiseurs de paix, a new podcast hosted by Pierre Hazan and produced by Gianluca Allaria and the Omen Collective will also be featured in Le Temps. The first episode will be released in September, with further recordings taking place during GPF26.