swisspeace - the Swiss Peace Foundation is a practice and research institute located 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 ...

promoting effective

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 ...

. Partnerships with local and international actors form the basis of its work. Together with its partner organizations, swisspeace manages strategies and interventions to reduce violence and promote peace in conflict-affected contexts.

History

swisspeace was founded in 1988 as the Swiss Peace Foundation with the goal of strengthening independent peace research in Switzerland. Today swisspeace employs approximately seventy people and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. swisspeace is a member of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAHS) and is an associated Institute of the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

. Jakob Kellenberger, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), became president of swisspeace on the organization’s 25th anniversary on 10 September 2013. Professor Laurent Goetschel is the current Director of swisspeace.

Donors and clients

The most important donors and clients are the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) as well as national and international organizations, foundations and think tanks.

Fields of expertise

swisspeace operates through several thematic programs, offering support and guidance to local and international actors involved in peacebuilding. swisspeace focuses on the following subjects:

Analysis and Impact

swisspeace serves as a hub for methodological innovation focused on advancing conflict sensitivity and adaptive management in research, policy, and institutional practice. Through a blend of research and practical insights, the Foundation develops approaches to improve analysis, management and learning processes. These efforts aim to support partners and clients in their peacebuilding and development work in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Mediation

Third parties can play an important role in establishing dialogue between warring parties. swisspeace provides support for ongoing peace mediation and dialogue processes. It provides guidance to mediators and conflict parties and facilitates inclusive formats such as consultations with civil society actors. swisspeace experts also offer dialogue and mediation training, develop knowledge products based on critical reflection and lessons learned from peace mediation, negotiation and dialogue processes, and conduct research to inform academic debates and the practice of peace mediation.

Dealing with the Past

Violent conflicts, dictatorships and repressive regimes often have a lasting impact on societies. Dealing with the legacy of human rights violations and other crimes, also called

transitional justice Transitional justice is a process which responds to human rights violations through judicial redress, political reforms and cultural healing efforts and other measures in order to prevent the recurrence of human rights abuse in a region or countr ...

has thus become a central topic for swisspeace. The Foundation seeks to pursue a holistic approach that was jointly developed with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). This approach has four pillars: the right to know; the right to justice; the right to reparation; and the guarantee of non-recurrence (see Figure 1). The swisspeace Dealing with the Past program supports governmental and non-governmental institutions in dealing with the aftermath of serious human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law, with a focus on preventing their recurrence.

Climate Change, Natural Resources, Responsible Business Conduct

Private companies can play a critical role in conflict-ridden areas. Against this background, swisspeace offers companies assistance in identifying conflict-related risks of their operations and in adapting their business practices accordingly. swisspeace also focuses on the impact of changing climatic conditions and global, regional and national climate policies on tensions and conflicts over the use of natural resources.

Statehood and conflict

Whether state institutions can function properly once an armed conflict has ended often depends on the history and the dynamics of the conflict. In this field, the focus of swisspeace’s activities lies on

state-building State-building as a specific term in social sciences and humanities, refers to political and historical processes of creation, institutional consolidation, stabilization and sustainable development of states, from the earliest emergence of stateh ...

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

and traditional authorities for example in South Sudan.

Gender and Peacebuilding

Conflicts affect different genders in different ways. swisspeace analyses different gender roles, the hierarchies established between them, and their implications for conflict prevention and transformation. To take these differences into account, swisspeace has sought to promote the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Postgraduate courses

swisspeace offers

postgraduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...

programs and courses in the

field. As associated Institute of the

, swisspeace offers the following continuing education options: * Short Courses * Certificates of Advanced Studies (CAS) in "Peacebuilding Essentials", "Peace Mediation & Dialogue", "Dealing with the Past", and "Religion, Peace, and Conflict". * Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS) Peace & Conflict (30 ECTS) * Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) Peace & Conflict (60 ECTS)

Projects

Basel Peace Forum

In 2016 swisspeace launched as a new project the Basel Peace Forum. It organizes an annual conference uniting representatives from economics, politics, science and society to think about peace and to further innovation in peacebuilding.

KOFF platform

In 2001, swisspeace founded the Center for Peacebuilding (KOFF) to provide a dialogue, exchange and networking platform for Swiss state and non-state actors that are engaged in

activities. Today, KOFF is a well-established platform for exchange, dialogue and network composed of around 40 civil society organizations and 2 state organizations engaged in the fields of peace, human rights and development cooperation. Its objective is to contribute to the reinforcement, the visibility and the relevance of Swiss peacebuilding across the spectrum from fragility to peace.KOFF. https://koff.swisspeace.ch/. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

References

External links

Official Website swisspeace

Official Website KOFF

Official Website Basel Peace Forum
{{Authority control Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in Switzerland Think tanks established in 1988 Think tanks based in Switzerland Organisations based in Basel Peace organisations based in Switzerland