Over an initial pilot phase, the Programme will support a cohort of 10 Fellows selected from recent graduates and junior to mid-career professionals from around the world for a nine-month residential programme in Geneva. Combining institutional placements, mentorship, collaborative learning, and practical engagement, the Fellowship seeks both to strengthen Geneva’s peace support capacities and to reinforce International Geneva’s role as a global hub for peace and humanitarian diplomacy.
At a time of increasing geopolitical fragmentation, rising conflict, and growing pressure on international institutions, the Fellowship Programme reflects a shared commitment by the Geneva Graduate Institute and Interpeace to invest in a new generation of practitioners capable of bridging research, policy, and operational realities. The initiative builds on Geneva’s long-standing tradition of convening dialogue, fostering innovation, and connecting local action with global cooperation.
The Fellowship is structured around three core pillars: a residential programme based at the historic Domaine Barton; placements within leading institutions working on peace and humanitarian diplomacy; and a strong emphasis on co-creation, applied research, and leadership. Fellows will be embedded within partner institutions across Geneva, including organisations working on mediation, humanitarian diplomacy, civilian protection, ecumenical peacebuilding, health and peace, youth participation, and women, peace, and security. The Programme’s thematic structure reflects emerging priorities in peace and humanitarian diplomacy and aims to connect analytical expertise with operational and policy engagement.
The Fellowship also seeks to contribute to broader efforts to adapt and renew International Geneva in a rapidly changing global landscape. By bringing together an international cohort of Fellows and connecting them to Geneva’s diplomatic, academic, and operational ecosystem, the Programme aims to strengthen Geneva’s connectivity to key global centres and foster new forms of cooperation across regions and sectors.
Applications for the inaugural cohort of the International Geneva Peace Fellowship Programme are now open.