Switzerland’s mission to promote peace is a historical and cultural fact – one that is enshrined in its constitution, and, to a certain extent, in its public policies. Humble or ambitious, what matters is not so much taking stock of our past – as glowing and humanistic as it may be – but looking ahead to the future. Peace comes from the heart, but it is also born out of what we do in practice. What improvements seem to be needed?

Peace is developed. It encompasses both research and practice. Defining peace allows us to understand it better, live a more peaceful life, and share peace more effectively. This also enables us to distinguish peace from violence and conflict, and from the excessive violence and conflict which, in a manner of speaking, could be seen as the dark – and sometimes constructive – side of peace. There is still progress to be made in terms of highlighting and promoting peace and the need for people and institutions to make it a priority. Peace education is well-established in Switzerland and delivered to a high standard, but it is still limited and patchy where it should be universal – and needs to be if Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals is to be achieved between now and 2030. Peace, like gender and environmental issues, is a cross-cutting concern and needs to be taught and practiced on an interdisciplinary basis.

Peace is practiced. The tools it involves are well-known by now, but they are underused. There is still room for improvement when it comes to preventing and rejecting violence, while non-violent action is sometimes met with suppression. Mediation and non-aggravating conflict management are making headway, but they are still often on the fringes.

Peace protects itself and is distinct from security. Where peace is seen as progress or the realization of a process, security is nothing more than a guarantee against realities – against actual or potential dangers. Where peace is a right, security becomes a matter of duty, both for the individual and for the state.  To ensure or check that peace is being kept fairly, without violence, the right to peace needs to be acknowledged and methods that are peaceful, non-violent, humane, and constructive in themselves need to be prioritized when putting peace into practice.

Peace is financed. The amount of direct financing put into peace is still ludicrously low compared to the financing for war. To put this in context, 1.35% of Switzerland’s military budget is focused directly on peace and human rights. And even when development aid is taken into account, the proportion of public funding dedicated to peace and its development is still smaller than the military budget. This trend needs to be gradually turned around.

Peace makes sense. Proclaiming peace or expressing a desire for it is not enough – it is time to make it a reality.

All these areas form part of the societal and public infrastructures needed to drive peace forward and ensure our institutions function effectively.
This is what APRED is working on.