This report summarizes the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform’s activities in 2019 and concludes its 2018-2019 Programme. The report is structured along the four work streams of the programme which are:

1. Incubating new ideas and practice for peacebuilding;
2. Networking peacebuilding resources;
3. Convening on peacebuilding issues and contexts; and
4. Knowledge capture and management.

The report also highlights several key items in dedicated boxes, including the 2019 evaluation, the main substantive achievements of the 2018-2019 Programme (Box 2), the new publications series “The Pulse of Peacebuilding 2020” (Box 3), the LATAM Breakfast Series, and the piloting of a new management design (Box 5). Overall, the report highlights the following points.

Strategic developments

• Evaluation: An external evaluation recognised that the Platform has “succeeded to put Geneva on the peacebuilding map” and “strengthened International Geneva in the domain of peace and security”. It also highlighted the Platform as “a cost-effective mechanism to convene and nurture networking, and incubate and test ideas to advance knowledge and understanding around peacebuilding issues and contexts”.
• Scoping Study: A scoping study built a common vision to progressively consolidate and grow Geneva Peace Week in the coming years. Not only did the study strengthen the strategic framework of Geneva Peace Week, it also provided an important contribution for the development of the Platform’s 2020-2021 Programme.

Activities

• GPW19: Geneva Peace Week is the flagship event of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and since its inception in 2014 it has become a truly inclusive multi-stakeholder forum for open discussions across sectors and institutions. GPW19 consisted of 80 events with 136 event organizers attracting an estimated 1,400 participants over 5 days. Participants came
  from over 50 countries representing NGOs, academia, international organizations and governments.
• Pulse of Peacebuilding: The Platform launched the new publication series The Pulse of Peacebuilding that identifies key emerging themes for peacebuilding. It draws on and
  reinforces the unique identity of Geneva Peace Week as an inclusive space to advance reflections and good practices on peacebuilding. Thematic Work: The Platform advanced thematic work with relevant partners on ‘Urban Peace’, ‘New Frontier for Business and Conflicts Risk Mitigation’, and on ‘Trade for Peace’
• LATAM Breakfasts: This new networking initiative focused on peace and security topics in the Latin America Region. The breakfasts proved to be a flexible, ad-hoc convening mechanism for exchange across sectors and institutions that could be activated at short notice, including for senior experts visiting from LATAM
• Events: The Platform convened a total of 21 events. An event highlight was the opening of Geneva Peace Week 2019 that attracted 540 participants. This event was accompanied by a communications campaign to boost attendance, especially by participants under the age of 30.