On Wednesday 13 October 2025, Interpeace and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform were proud to present the 3rd edition of the PeaceTalks meets Geneva Peace Week, under the theme ‘Peace in Action’.
This edition marks the 28th PeaceTalks, and 13th edition of the Geneva Peace Week (GPW), proving the ongoing strength in collaboration and building spaces for learning and dialogue on bringing peace to everyday life. It also recognises Global Dignity Day, which honours the inherent worth of every person. Dignity is an integral element to upholding and protecting peace: it strengthens bonds between us, reinforces global respect, and fosters solidarity for a sustainable future.
Co-Master of Ceremonies, Speakers, and Performers at the PeaceTalks meets GPW stand for a group picture following the event. From left to right: Sarah Noble, Students from the Ashoka Group of Schools Nashrik India, Lea Baroudi, Sofia Stril-Rever, Aline Ndenzako, Pishkafti Tariq Shokri, Martin Albani, Students from the Ashoka Group of Schools, Dany Diogo. © Olivier Chamard GPP 2025
PeaceTalks are a global platform co-founded by Interpeace, the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Swiss Confederation in 2013, with the objectives of inspiring participants by sharing personal stories of peace. To date, there have been 28 editions of the PeaceTalks hosted in 8 countries—from Ethiopia, to Canada, to Côte d’Ivoire and more—and have featured over 250 speakers from more than 60 nationalities.
Part of the magic in the PeaceTalks is the nature of storytelling: when people listen to stories, they feel connected, can be inspired, and learn that peace is not just an idea—it is human, tangible, and can be achieved collectively. Choosing peace is a choice—it takes each and every one of us to choose understanding, uphold dignity, and speak up against global injustices to ensure its manifestation.
This year, PeaceTalks at GPW united 4 Speakers and 2 cultural performances, all under the manifesto of putting ‘Peace in Action’. Our Speakers ranged from artists, activists, political leaders, and change agents working to build greater peace from their corners of the world. Acting as guides through the programme were Sarah Noble, Co-Founder and Curator of the PeaceTalks at Interpeace and Dany Diogo, Geneva Peace Week lead at the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform.
‘‘… When peace is achieved for one community, it benefits everyone… If one community continues to suffer, peace remains incomplete for us all’’.
— Pishkafti Shokri
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- © Olivier Chamard GPP 2025
Ourfirst speaker, Lea Baroudi, Founder and Director of March in Lebanon, shared her personal journey of using theatre as a tool for forming bonds between Sunni Arabs and Alawite populations in Triploi. Theatre and the arts allow us to re-imagine shared realities, and express emotions that may be otherwise too challenging to speak. For Baroudi, increasing trust is an essential element to social cohesion: … ‘‘Trust isn’t built by big speeches– it’s built through small, consistent acts. And these small acts are contagious. They create a ripple effect’’.
After hearing about the power in building neutral spaces for dialogue, we heard from Pishkafti Tariq Shokri, Head of Mission in Iraq for Geneva Call: an organisation working to protect civilians in armed conflict situations, who is celebrating their 25th anniversary of crucial work in upholding humanitarian principles. Notably, his work with local Yazidi populations in Sinjar have de-escalated conflicts while mediating inclusive processes towards peace in the region. Shokri’s call to action resonated in the Auditorium, as he urged audience members that ‘silence is not the choice’….. in the face of hate speech and exclusion in power asymmetries, individuals have the agency in preventing future conflict.
A PeaceTalks tradition always includes a cultural performance, and this year, Sofia Stril-Rever, PeaceTalks alumna, treated us to her original poem ‘I am Peace’. In her spoken word, Stril-Rever encourages humanity to imagine a more peaceful world:
Imagine… Imagine a world where decisions are guided by care,
Where policies protect the vulnerable,
Where education teaches the wisdom of empathy,
And economies serve the well-being of all.
‘‘… We all need a vision… a powerful vision of a better future. One that resonates with us, inspires us, and helps keep hope alive during long and dark periods of apparent hopelessness’’ — Martin Albani
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- © Olivier Chamard GPP 2025
Holding space for memory can also be a powerful force in allowing societies to find greater peace and reconcile with shared trauma. Aline Ndenzako shares her experience of working to honour all victims of masscres and Burundi while ending cyclical, ethnic-based violence as President and Co-Founder of Burundi: Mémoires Communes, Avenir Commun.
Encouraging participants to consider reconciliation rather than condemnation, Ndenzako’s crucial work with Hutu and Tutsi populations is a strong testimony to the power that memory holds in acting as a catalyst for hope and unity.
‘‘Peace is built by people’’, as we are reminded by Martin Albani. With over 15 years of experience from the European Union—working both as Head of the Peace Mediation and Dialogue Sector for the European External Action Service and other postings with the Commission, Parliament and Geman Parliament—he described three key messages that can help to root our actions for peace and justice.
For Albani, we need a powerful vision of a peaceful future; we need fierce determination to take risks, and we need humility to ensure that sustainable peace is achieved.
The PeaceTalks closed on a colourful and uplifting note, featuring once again, the students of the Ashoka Group of Schools- Nashik, dancing to the ‘Ghoomar Song’.
As the curtains closed on the PeaceTalks meets GPW, one resounding message emerged: peace is a collective choice, and also a daily practice. It cannot be built solely in negotiation rooms or through official decision-making channels, but in the courage that we all possess in listening, understanding, and acting with empathy. The stories shared by our speakers reminded us that peace is not an abstract ideal—it is human, tangible, and within reach when each of us chooses to uphold dignity and compassion in our communities.
Finally, as Martin Albani so aptly expressed, sustainable peace requires more than hope—it calls for vision, courage, and humility. Vision to see beyond conflict, courage to take risks in pursuit of justice, and humility to listen and learn from one another. With these principles as our compass, the PeaceTalks and Geneva Peace Week continue to be essential platforms for sharing that peace is not just something to talk about, but rather, a reality that we build, together, in action.
We hope that these messages have inspired you, as part of a global community that holds the power to enact peaceful change and built a brighter future for all. What messages can you take away from the PeaceTalks to contribute to peace from the ground level up?
