GWL Voices at the Geneva Peace Forum 2026

GWL Voices attended the Geneva Peace Forum, held on October 12–13, 2026, under the theme Choose Peace. As part of the program, GWL Voices member Kate Gilmore participated as a speaker in the Geneva PeaceTalks.

The Forum offered a broad, multidimensional perspective on peace and security. Its program combined high-level debates, discussions on specific contexts of conflict and war, and conversations among the diverse actors that make up the peace and security ecosystem.

Sessions addressed both specific conflict contexts and structural questions that shape peacebuilding, including the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda under UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the inclusion of young people in present-day decision-making, and the ethical implications of technology, including the biases embedded in the tools and systems that shape societies. Political negotiations, humanitarian action, women’s participation, youth leadership, education, technology and culture were discussed as interconnected elements of sustainable peace.

The program also included artistic interventions, storytelling and personal testimony, which addressed the human consequences of war beyond statistics, diplomatic language and institutional frameworks. In line with the Forum’s theme, choosing peace was presented as a continuous commitment to be translated into political decisions, social practices and collective responsibility.

Several themes ran through the discussions. Speakers noted that, while negotiations and agreements remain essential, lasting peace also depends on education, culture, institutions and the everyday conditions in which people live. Testimonies, including from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, addressed the gap between commitments to women’s participation in peace processes and the realities experienced by women in conflict settings.

Intergenerational responsibility was also a recurring theme, with young people presented as actors in present-day decision-making and not only as leaders of the future. Discussions further noted that violence can persist beyond the formal end of a conflict, making the everyday experiences of women and children relevant to any assessment of peace. Finally, the Forum’s multidisciplinary approach considered how innovation can support peace, as well as the biases and risks that technology can reproduce.

Kate Gilmore at the Geneva PeaceTalks

GWL Voices member Ms. Kate Gilmore spoke at the Geneva PeaceTalks on October 13. Ms. Gilmore described how sexual violence, early motherhood and gaps in institutional protection can affect the safety and autonomy of girls.

Gilmore raised the question of what peace means for women and children in conflict, and stated:

Her intervention highlighted that, for women and children, violence can continue beyond the formal end of a conflict, in homes, schools and communities.