You have been Executive Director of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform (GPP) since 2022. What are its mission and purpose?
As its name indicates, the GPP serves as a “platform” that connects the critical mass of peacebuilding actors in Geneva and worldwide. Its aim is to facilitate discussions on relevant peacebuilding topics, such as the prevention of conflicts, the role of tech in peace or issues relating to climate, peace and security.
What kind of diplomacy do you practice in your role, and do you have one or two examples to share?
I like to say that the GPP practices a form of “paradiplomacy” in providing different actors with public and private peer-to-peer meetings in safe discussion settings. The GPP, as such, is neutral, as it does not have any policy interests. For instance, we received in 2024 an official Chinese delegation, with which we discussed informally the potential role of China in peacebuilding, notably in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. In 2022, we organised a closed-door meeting with representatives from a party to the conflict in Yemen. This meeting was an opportunity to discuss the advancement of the peace-process in the country.
What are the dangers and pitfalls to avoid in your practice?
The dangers and pitfalls arise from both our nature and mandate. Because of our nature as a neutral platform,
we run the risk of being used by different actors to advance their own political agendas, rather than discuss operational peacebuilding issues. As a consequence, we always screen requests for collaboration carefully, and if needed, we seek advice from our board members, who include seasoned diplomats. This danger is accentuated by the fact that our mandate demands the GPP be as inclusive as possible in the choice of topics and participants. As we cannot expect that everyone will be on the same page, some events might become politically too sensitive. So far, however, we did not experience any major problems, thanks also to the guidance of our International Advisory Council, comprised of more than 30 international organisations and NGOs.
Every year you organise the Geneva Peace Week. What is the purpose of this event and why is it important to organise it every year?
The Geneva Peace Week is a core element of our mandate and forms also a part of our paradiplomatic work. GPW has the potential to attract thousands of participants from around the world. For instance, 6,700 persons participated
in the 2024 edition. GPW has been designed to allow a vast range of discussions, that may also take place on the side or in the “corridors” of the Maison de la paix, through networking events for example. Many governments and organisations reach out to us several months in advance to be able to organise an event during GPW, which shows that it has become an instrumental annual forum for these actors in discussing and finding common solutions to contemporary contexts of armed violence.
This article was published in Globe #35, the Graduate Institute Review.
