We have a great line-up for this year’s Geneva Peace Talks to be held on 21 September. Speakers coming from diverse backgrounds will share their personal experiences, stories and ideas to highlight that everyone can contribute to peace.

Join us for this public event on the theme “Peace Happens” to celebrate the International Day of Peace. This is a popular event so make sure to register now!

DATE: Wednesday 21 September

TIME: 16h00-18h00 followed by a reception

PLACE: Palais des Nations, Room XVII

Register by 16 September here: www.genevapeacetalks.ch

The speakers include:

- Karim Wasfi, Chief conductor & Director of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra and Founder of ‘Peace through Arts’. Karim drew the attention of international media for his courageous acts of playing cello on blast sites of terrorist attacks.

- Fatima Zaman and Mimoun Berrissoun, two Youth Leaders at the Kofi Annan Foundation’s program extremelytogether. Fatima is a UK civil servant who leads on policy work relating to Countering Violent-Extremism, Terrorism and Faith-related matters. Mimoun, a German-Moroccan peace advocate, is Managing Director of 180 Grad Wende, a widely recognised NGO in the field of radicalization prevention.

- Ambassador Hadja Saran Daraba Kaba is the first female who was elected substantive Secretary-General of the Mano River Union. In her current role, she looks forward to the Mano River Union becoming the driving force for full integration and development in West Africa.

- Helen Calle Lin is an eclectic and creative entrepreneur, whose vision is to make life fun in Geneva through different socio-cultural projects to revitalise public spaces in the heart of the city and turning them into friendly areas where a diversified public can meet such as Brasserie des Halles de l’Ile.

- Ahmed Labnouj is a Middle East and North African expert. He works as Programme Development Officer at Interpeace, where he is conducting a Peace Mapping exercise in different areas of Libya to understand local sources of stability and resilience to conflict.

- Lionel Aeschlimann is Managing Partner of Mirabaud and Chief Executive Officer of Mirabaud Asset Management. Mirabaud is a recognised humanist bank founded in Geneva in 1819 which has now a global presence.

- Marc Bonnet is the Head of Risk Management at Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining. He has extensive experience in international cooperation with national authorities and non-governmental organizations in conflict, post conflict and development contexts.

- Mireille Widmer and Nicolas Witschard are working on a Geneva neighbourhood contract, a joint commission between the city administration and residents. They have recognised knowledge on safety and security approaches with a focus on bridging different stakeholders to improve the livelihood of urban areas.

ALSO FEATURING

-  POSOSHOK, Musicians that mix the South African sounds with those of the rest of Africa and worldwide. The songs are in Zulu and Bafia (Cameroonian language) but also in French and English.

For full biographies of the speakers, click here.

Open to the public

Register to attend (mandatory) by 16 September

ABOUT THE GENEVA PEACE TALKS

Launched in 2013, the Geneva Peace Talks is an annual, public event organized on the occasion of the International Day of Peace in partnership between the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Interpeace.

This year’s edition is held in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the Global Shapers Community Geneva. The event is made possible with the generous support of the Swiss Confederation, the Republic and State of Geneva, the City of Geneva, and Mirabaud Bank.

Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: Interpeace

ABOUT THE PEACE TALKS

The Peace Talks is an initiative that showcases the inspirational stories of people who are making extraordinary contributions to peace. Through city specific events, people deliver a short talk, known as a Peace Talk. Speakers come from different sectors and industries and share their personal stories, ideas and practical solutions to resolve conflict. The Peace Talks is not a political platform; rather the emphasis is on practical lessons and personal stories.

You can also follow the Geneva Peace Talks at #GVAPeaceTalks and at the following link: www.genevapeacetalks.ch