Since the end of the Cold War, the United Nations, the European Union, individual states like Switzerland, as well as companies and NGOs have done a great deal to promote peace. Over the years, though, there have been repeated setbacks and previous successes keep being challenged by the latest developments. In the wake of political instabilities and violence in states such as Syria, Iraq, and Nigeria, we believe it is urgent to tackle the theme of peace in new ways.

The pioneering Basel Peace Forum, initiated by swisspeace in 2017, is the world’s first forum to address the topic of peace across sectors. Annually held, the event brings together 300 people from politics, business, diplomacy, science, civil society, and the arts who would otherwise not meet. It inspires innovative thinking and solutions and new partnerships, demonstrates the relevance of the topic, and thus strengthens the visibility of peacebuilding among the general public.

With the Basel Peace Forum, swisspeace has gained immense expertise in conceptualizing hybrid, sustainable, and innovative events, designing creative formats to interact and exchange, and creating excellent networking opportunities online and on-site to connect people and institutions from all corners of the world.