Developing new and innovative approaches to peacebuilding is the stated aim of the Basel Peace Forum 2019. With this goal in mind, approximately 200 leading experts and decision-makers in the fields of politics, economics, civil society, and science got together in the Congress Center Basel and the Basel Art Museum on January 13 and 14. The forum, taking place for the third time, was organized by the Swiss peace foundation swisspeace, and supported by the Canton of Basel-City, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA and private individuals.

Five topics, all relating to peacebuilding, were chosen for participants to address in workshops. This year’s topics were “Artificial Intelligence and Digitalization,” “Architecture and Urban Planning,” “Health and Migration,” “Risks and the Raw Materials Industry,” and “Impact Investing.”

The meeting of the carefully selected participants presented a unique wealth of experience and enabled new ideas to be developed to promote international peacebuilding. But what does innovative peacebuilding look like in reality? An example was given by Sharar Raz from “Games for Peace,” who explained the peace-making potential of computer games at the Basel Peace Forum by means of the organization’s project in Israel. Participants were able to discover creative ideas for peacebuilding such as this one and discuss them with each other in the various pavilions.