The Basel Peace Forum is a Swiss initiative to further innovation in

peacebuilding Peacebuilding is an activity that aims to resolve injustice in nonviolent ways and to transform the cultural and structural conditions that generate deadly or destructive conflict. It revolves around developing constructive personal, group, and ...

which is based in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It was founded in 2016 by the Swiss Peace Foundation (swisspeace) and holds annual meetings in January in Basel. It aims to unit representatives from the economy, science, politics and society to reflect on previous endeavors and generate new ideas for

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

and

Organization

The forum is hosted and operated by

swisspeace swisspeace - the Swiss Peace Foundation is a practice and research institute located in Basel, Switzerland promoting effective peacebuilding. Partnerships with local and international actors form the basis of its work. Together with its partner o ...

. However, it has its ow
Patron Committee
which serves to incorporate it within society and an advisory board composed by swisspeace members to take on the operative business. It is financially supported by the city of

, the Swiss Federal Departement of Foreign Affairs and by contributions from private donors.

Vision

The Basel Peace Forum intends to inspire new and unconventional ideas for peacebuilding. It aims to be pioneering in its nature, as it is the first forum in the world to address the subject of peace at the highest level and in an interdisciplinary way.

Activities

Basel Peace Forum 2017: Rethinking Peace. Innovating the Future.

From January 15 to 16 the first edition of the Basel Peace Forum took place in the Basel Messehalle and was partnered by the

European Institute of Peace The European Institute of Peace (EIP) is an independent, non-profit public foundation that contributes to shaping conflict resolution. It is a philanthropic, non-profit organisation. It provides support to negotiators, mediators and policy make ...

. It concluded that despite many international efforts, setbacks have called earlier successes of peacebuilding into question. The participants also have called on world leaders to strengthen responsive and responsible leadership for peace within the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, the G8 or the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

Basel Peace Forum 2018

The second edition of the Basel Peace Forum took place from January 14 to 15 in Basel.

Basel Peace Forum 2019

The third edition of the Basel Peace Forum was held January 13 to 14 in Basel and focused on the potential of AI and Big Data in mediation, health issues on migration routes, peacebuilding investment and architecture in a post-conflict context.

Basel Peace Forum 2020: Cities of Peace?

The fourth edition of the Basel Peace Forum took place from January 9 to 10 in Basel and dealt with the topic of cities in times of conflict and peace. Among the over 50 speakers and experts present on the event were the artists

Zehra Doğan Zehra Doğan (born 14 April 1989) is a Kurds, Kurdish artist and journalist and author from Diyarbakır, Turkey. In 2017, she was sentenced to 2 years, 9 months and 22 days in prison for "terrorist propaganda" because of her news coverage, socia ...

, Omaïd Sharifi and Yescka.

Basel Peace Forum 2021

The 2021 edition of the Basel Peace Forum focused on the impact of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic on peace and conflict in cities around the world. The event, which took place virtually on January 20 to 21 2021, brought together experts and decision-makers from a variety of fields to discuss and explore solutions to the challenges posed by the pandemic. One of the main themes of the forum was the impact of the pandemic on urban areas, including the potential for increased segmentation, division, and competition, as well as the possibility for greater collaboration and joint endeavors. The event featured a range of panels and keynote speeches from figures in politics, business, civil society, and academia, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage in discussions and workshops on these and other related topics.

Basel Peace Forum 2022

The sixth edition of the Basel Peace Forum took place from January 20 to 21st in Basel and virtually. The forum focused on the connections between peace, conflict, and two main themes: the role of cities in fostering peace and the power of emotions. On the first day of the event, attendees had the opportunity to discuss and explore how cities can address challenges such as climate change, migration, and public health while promoting peace. The second day of the forum focused on the role of emotions in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, including how to navigate between facts and fiction in a digital world, the potential for chatbots to be used in peacebuilding efforts, and the role of journalists in preventing violent conflicts.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website of the Basel Peace Forum

swisspeace
Basel