Stockholm Peace Forum 2026: ZIF, together with SIPRI and CMC Finland, is organising a session on the Board of Peace

With 42 events and 75 partner organisations, this year’s Stockholm Peace Forum – jointly organised by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Swedish Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) and SIDA on 3–4 November 2026 – provided a platform for in-depth discussion over two days. Among other things, the ZIF designed and implemented a dialogue format for the prestigious forum.

This year’s conference focused not only on key issues for the future, such as climate security, mediation and artificial intelligence, but also on current geopolitical flashpoints.

ZIF organises expert session on the ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza

Together with SIPRI and CMC Finland, the ZIF organised a session featuring high-profile speakers on the ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza. During the discussion, experts – including the former head of the EU mission EUPOL COPPS, a representative from the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) and a Palestinian staff member of the American Friends Service Committee from the Gaza Strip – shed light on the current status of the Board’s work on the ground. The focus was on the question of how the United Nations, the European Union and other international actors should position themselves in relation to this organisation. In this context, the ZIF emphasised the need to conduct controversial debates constructively, even in difficult contexts, in order to advance multilateral peacekeeping.

The ZIF attaches particular importance to acting as a facilitator to create spaces for dialogue, bring stakeholders together, explore areas of common ground and forge alliances, in order to effectively advance international crisis management and continue to position itself as a reliable German partner.

Empowering young voices through the Youth Advisory Board

A first for this year’s Stockholm Peace Forum was the establishment of a Youth Advisory Board. In doing so, the organisers recognised the importance of systematically integrating the perspectives and expertise of young people into international discourses on peace and security.

Recordings of selected sessions from the Forum are available on the Forum’s website.