PeaceCon@10: COVID, Climate, and Conflict

Organized by the Alliance for Peacebuilding in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), PeaceCon@10 comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, displacement, disinformation and democratic backsliding are just a few of the disruptions facing the peacebuilding field and peacebuilders are rising to meet these challenges. The impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt across the world. Mass distribution of the vaccine has not been made widely available to vulnerable communities. Meanwhile, sources like disinformation have caused vaccine hesitancy among populations globally.

At the same time, the world is grappling with the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures, a melting Arctic, worsening droughts, and wildfires present a danger to human life and the future of our planet as climate impacts drive conflict and insecurity. This all comes at a time when the world is experiencing a 30-year high in violent conflict. Today, more than 80 million people are displaced globally, and an estimated 235 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection – the highest numbers in modern history. We hope you will join us as we gather and examine these challenges and strategize a path forward.

PeaceCon@10 will feature 50+ outstanding panel conversations, interactive workshops, and keynote addresses on how to #RiseToBuildPeace. Together at PeaceCon@10, we will explore how to address the 30-year high in violent conflict and COVID-19’s “stabilization in reverse,” as well as the compounding impact of climate change and conflict. Keynote speakers include international bestselling science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, award-winning author, peacebuilder, and researcher Séverine Autesserre, USAID Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization Robert Jenkins, and more! 

Initiatives of Change Switzerland will be represented on January 28 by Co-Director General Nick Foster, for the 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM EST (6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CET) session - The Role of Peace Fora in Peacebuilding.

Throughout the year, organizations worldwide convene different peace fora, or conferences, to create space for exchange between actors and institutions on how we might build peace. This year, the organizers of PeaceCon, the Caux Forum, Geneva Peace Week, and the FriEnt Peacebuilding Forum are coming together for a conversation about why peace fora matter, and how we contribute to peace.

In what ways do peace fora foster peace? What are the essential ingredients? Where do we struggle? And how might we harness collective action across the annual calendar in order to strengthen our work?