The Geneva Peacebuilding Platform Transitions to Foundation Status

The Geneva Peacebuilding Platform (GPP) is pleased to announce a significant transformation in its organizational structure. As of July 2024, GPP will transition from being hosted at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) within the Geneva Graduate Institute to becoming an independent foundation. This change marks a new chapter in GPP's mission to foster interaction and understanding in the peacebuilding sector. Since March 2024, GPP has been operating out of its new office in the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) building at Maison de la Paix.

Founded in 2008, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform was established as a collaborative initiative by key actors in the peacebuilding sector. Over the past 15 years, GPP has worked to provide a platform for facilitating interaction on peacebuilding and peacekeeping between various sectors and institutions, and aimed to advance understanding and generate new knowledge on peacebuilding issues.

To sustain and perpetuate this mission, DCAF -  Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)—have supported the GPP to establish the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform Foundation. The foundation will inherit all activities currently undertaken by GPP and will continue to pursue public utility purposes without any for-profit goals.

Acknowledging Our Supporters

We extend our deepest gratitude to our three founding partners, who will now become board members. Their unwavering support has been crucial in this transition:

• Amb. Thomas Greminger, President of the Board and Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)
• Amb. Nathalie Chuard, Board member and Director of DCAF -  Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance
• Prof. Marie-Laure Salles, Board member and Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

We would also like to thank our six core partners for their steadfast support during this transition. Their continued partnership and core membership to both the International Advisory Council and Geneva Peace Week Consortium, the two main committees of the GPP,  is vital to our success:

• DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance
• Geneva Center for Security Policy
• Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding
• Principles for Peace Foundation
• Interpeace
• Quaker United Nations Office
• Principles for Peace Foundation

Our sincere appreciation goes to the Geneva Graduate Institute, particularly to Prof. Keith Krause, Director of the CCDP, as well as to Prof. Achim Wennmann, for laying the robust foundations of the GPP and guiding it to where it stands today.

The GPP's Mission and aims

The Geneva Peacebuilding Platform serves as a crucial knowledge hub, connecting a diverse network of over 4,000 peacebuilding professionals globally. Our mandate is to facilitate interaction on peacebuilding across different sectors and institutions, thereby advancing new knowledge and understanding of peacebuilding issues and contexts. We play a pivotal role in building bridges between International Geneva, the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in New York, and field-based peacebuilding activities.

Our aims include:

• Adding value by generating substantive analysis and understanding at the intersection of institutions, sectors, and disciplines.
• Enabling frank and open exchanges by facilitating discussions outside official meetings and above institutional silos.
• Amplifying the voices of local peacebuilders to ensure they are heard in key policy centers like Geneva and New York.
•  Finding solutions from the bottom-up through strong partnerships tailored to specific topics or contexts.
• Networking peacebuilding resources across institutions and sectors, and synthesizing promising practices.
• Ensuring continuous exchange about peacebuilding issues through various stakeholder processes.

This new phase as a foundation will enable GPP to continue and enhance its role in the global peacebuilding community. We look forward to the ongoing support and collaboration of our partners and the broader peacebuilding community.