Caux Arts and Peace Encounters 

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters, to be held at the Caux Palace, Switzerland, from 12 - 14 May 2025, aims to inspire, connect, and equip individuals with the skills and qualities needed to foster peace through the power of art and dialogue.

The 2-day residential event is being designed to allow participants from around the world the time to gain some perspective, retreat from the bustling routine and find a space that allows for silent reflection, creative collaboration and the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Why Arts and Peace?

In a world where peace and cross-cultural understanding are increasingly challenged, creating spaces for dialogue, empathy, and connection has never been more urgent. Culture, the arts, and peacebuilding can come together to spark meaningful change—because culture and the arts help people navigate complex emotions, foster healing, bridge divides, and build understanding.

Peacebuilding pioneer John Paul Lederach emphasizes that lasting conflict resolution isn’t just about politics or technical fixes—it requires imagination, creativity, and a deeply human approach. And that’s where the arts can come in.

About the event

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters 2025 invite artists, peacebuilders, changemakers, policymakers, and academics to connect and share the skills and qualities needed to foster peace through the power of arts and dialogue.

This event is not a typical “conference.” Our theory of change rests on the belief that:

•  IF we study and integrate the values and principles of peacebuilding and the arts, and through this process begin to understand their importance to each other in bringing about transformational change
• THEN we will act individually and collectively to reveal these values and principles of relationship, vision and imagination, creativity and empathy
• RESULTING in putting them into practice in ways to enhance human flourishing.

The 2.5 day residential programme focuses on creating meaningful connections, inner reflection, and collaborative action.

Programme

The programme will include:

• Connection with self and nature through a greeting the day ceremony and inner reflection time
• Community connections: discussions in small community groups from across sectors as an opportunity for deeper connection and sharing
• Inspirational speakers who will share their personal and professional stories on arts and peace 
• Hands-on workshops, a masterclass on peacebuilding through the arts, and sessions on topics such as integrating creative approaches into peacebuilding for non-artists and using music for collective healing
• An exciting evening programme.  

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters aim to create a lasting community of individuals and organisations working at the intersection of arts and peace. To maintain the momentum from this first event, we plan to host future online gatherings for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and mutual support. Additionally, we will produce resources, including a film that highlights key moments and insights from participants, to amplify the impact of the Encounters.

We are also exploring the development of a pledge that reflects the community's shared values and goals, and aligns with global initiatives like the 2025 UNESCO MONDIACULT, promoting culture and the arts as tools for peace, dialogue, and sustainable development.

This marks the first edition of what will become an annual event, forming part of a three-year Caux Arts and Peace Encounters programme. The Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation will also host a special event and an artist-in-residence, together with the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform during the Geneva Peace Week from 13-17 October 2025.

Organisers & Partners

The Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation is part of the Initiatives of Change global movement committed to societal transformation by starting with personal change for a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

Throughout its history, Caux programming fostered a network of people who share the belief that different forms of arts can be positive and powerful forces for change in personal lives and the world at large.

Most recently Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation renewed its work in this area which included a soft launch and  benefit concert with world renowned pianist Khatia Buniatishvilli in May 2024 as well as through a Special Arts and Peace Encounters Event during the Geneva Peace Week in October 2024

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters 2025 edition is held in partnership with UNESCO Artist for Peace, Guila Kessous, the Swiss Development Cooperation, the Embassy of Colombia to Switzerland and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. Additional partnerships are being explored as well.

The Venue: the Caux Palace

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters takes place in our centre for dialogue and peacebuilding, the Caux Palace, a former Belle Epoque Hotel nestled in the mountains 1000m above sea level. With its breathtaking view over the Leman and the Alps, it provides a unique and inspiring setting.

Advisory Committee

• MICHEL ABOU KHALIL (VS, SWITZERLAND), PhD, Director of Swiss Made Culture, Crans (VS)
• CELINE YVON (SWITZERLAND/ AUSTRIA), Expert in venture philanthropy and sustainable development and Former Director of Leenaards Foundation,
• MARUEE PAHUJA (INDIA), Creative Leadership, Visual Artist, Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner and an Arts-Informed Ecotherapy Practitioner 
• BARRY HART (USA) Emeritus Professor of Trauma, Identity and Conflict Studies, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University, USA
• ANNE-CATHERINE SUTERMEISTER (SWITZERLAND), Head of Community Engagement, Arts & Training Programmes, Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation
• SARAH NOBLE (CANADA/SWITZERLAND), Head of Global Engagement - Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation
• IGNACIO PACKER (SWITZERLAND), Executive Director Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation

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Art is more than aesthetics; it’s a universal language that transcends borders and ideologies….Art brings people together by fostering empathy, offering alternative narratives, and creating spaces for dialogue. From Myanmar to Colombia, we see how art not only expresses personal stories but also builds bridges between divided communities.”

Rudi von Planta, Swiss Development Cooperation, Arts and Peace Encounters, 18 October 2024

Watch the replay of the Arts and Peace Encounters event at Geneva Peace Week 2024