--- eventsindex_id: EI-07034 slug: paris-peace-forum title: Paris Peace Forum title_alt: - Forum de Paris sur la Paix - PPF canonical_url: https://eventsindex.org/events/paris-peace-forum.html next_edition_dates: 2026-11-10 to 2026-11-11 next_edition_year: 2026 date_start: '2026-11-10' date_end: '2026-11-11' venue: Palais Brongniart city: Paris country: France organiser: Paris Peace Forum (non-profit association) organiser_url: https://parispeaceforum.org/ b2b: true vector: sector: - policy-forums audience: - heads-of-state-and-government - senior-diplomats - international-organisation-officials - ngo-leaders - civil-society-representatives format: - summit purpose: - networking geography_scope: - Western-Europe season: autumn meta_description: 'Paris Peace Forum 2026: 9th edition in Paris, 10-11 November 2026. Global governance summit on multilateralism, peace and resilient transitions.' editorial_take: 'The Paris Peace Forum occupies a singular position in the EMEA policy calendar: it is the only annual summit that combines the protocol weight of a heads-of-state gathering with an open-application process for governance projects, making it as much an implementation platform as a conference.' generated_by: enrich-cowork (N1/N2/N3) last_verified: '2026-06-11' schema_version: v8.0 language: en --- # Paris Peace Forum > *Held every November in Paris since 2018, the Paris Peace Forum gathers heads of state, international organisations, NGOs and civil society to advance concrete governance projects. The 9th edition, 10-11 November 2026, centres on the theme "Resilient Transitions", bringing together political leaders and practitioners to move from diagnosis to action on global challenges.* --- ## Quick Facts | DATES | VENUE | ORGANISER | ATTENDANCE | |---|---|---|---| | 10-11 November 2026 | Palais Brongniart, Paris | Paris Peace Forum (non-profit) | ~4,000 participants (2025 figure, according to the organiser) | ## Definition The Paris Peace Forum is an annual two-day summit convened in Paris each November since 2018, created to translate multilateral ambition into practical governance outcomes. It operates at the intersection of high-level diplomacy and civil-society action, hosting simultaneously a political-level dialogue among heads of state and ministers and an open project platform through which selected governance initiatives receive visibility and support. The forum was founded on the centenary of the 1918 armistice, with the stated purpose of reinforcing the multilateral order at a moment of growing contestation. Now in its 9th edition, it has become a regular fixture on the November diplomatic calendar for EMEA and global affairs professionals. ## What is the Paris Peace Forum and how does it differ from a standard diplomatic summit? The Paris Peace Forum is not a negotiating conference in the traditional sense: it does not produce treaty text or binding communiqués. Instead, it is structured around the tension between political leadership and societal initiative. Heads of state and senior ministers participate in high-level panels and bilateral sideline conversations, while simultaneously, hundreds of civil society organisations, think tanks, academic institutions and companies present governance projects selected through a rigorous Call for Solutions process. The two tracks run in parallel and feed each other: political leaders engage directly with project-holders, and project outcomes are highlighted in plenary statements. This dual architecture distinguishes it from both the UN General Assembly high-level week (purely intergovernmental) and from standard civil-society conferences (no heads-of-state participation). The result is a forum where a president can sit on a panel with an NGO director and a technology company executive, all engaging the same policy question from different institutional vantage points. That design is intentional: the forum's founding premise is that durable governance solutions require multi-actor coalitions, not just state-to-state agreements. ## Who attends Paris Peace Forum The forum draws a deliberately mixed audience spanning the full spectrum of global governance actors: - Heads of state and government (15 or more in recent editions, according to the organiser) - Government ministers, senior diplomats and permanent representatives to international organisations - Executives and senior officials of international organisations (UN agencies, regional bodies, IFIs) - Civil society leaders, NGO directors and humanitarian organisation representatives - Academic researchers and policy institute experts - Senior executives from private-sector companies engaged in governance projects - Accredited journalists and media professionals The mix signals the forum's core positioning: it treats governance as a multi-stakeholder problem and deliberately avoids the purely intergovernmental format that characterises most formal summits. Attendance is selective; access is not simply purchased and the composition reflects the project-centred programme model. ## What Paris Peace Forum covers programmatically The 2026 edition is organised under the theme "Resilient Transitions", which frames the programme around questions of governance adaptation in contexts of structural change: energy transitions, geopolitical realignment, institutional reform and the challenge of maintaining multilateral cooperation under pressure. The theme continues the forum's practice of choosing a unifying frame that is broad enough to anchor very different policy tracks while still providing editorial coherence across two days of sessions. Across editions, the forum's recurring subject areas have included: peace and security in active conflict zones, AI governance and technology policy, climate action and energy transition, information integrity and press freedom, humanitarian law enforcement, financial governance and development finance, and regional crises in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The 8th edition in 2025 adopted 29 countries on a political declaration on media integrity and saw France pledge renewed support for IFPIM. Sessions run across multiple rooms simultaneously, with the programme spanning plenary addresses, ministerial panels, expert roundtables and project showcase sessions tied to the Call for Solutions. ## Notable speakers and participants The 2025 edition (8th, Palais de Chaillot, 29-30 October) featured Emmanuel Macron, Michelle Bachelet (who announced her candidacy for UN Secretary-General at the forum), and Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler editor, among over 500 speakers, according to the organiser. Leaders from Ghana, Moldova, Armenia and Albania also participated. The 2018 inaugural edition drew 54 heads of state and government, according to the organiser. The 2026 speaker roster had not been publicly announced as of June 2026. ## Edition history and context The Paris Peace Forum was founded in 2018 by Justin Vaïsse, then serving at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and constituted as a French non-profit association on 9 March 2018. The inaugural edition, held 11-13 November 2018 at the Grande Halle de la Villette, coincided with the centenary of the WWI armistice and attracted around 6,000 participants and 54 heads of state and government. Subsequent editions continued at La Villette in 2019 and shifted to virtual and hybrid formats in 2020-2021 during the pandemic. The forum moved to the Palais Brongniart for the 6th edition in 2023 and to the Palais de Chaillot for the 7th and 8th editions. The 2026 gathering is the 9th edition. Philippe Etienne became President of the non-profit in April 2026, succeeding Ángel Gurría who had held the role since 2023. ## FAQ · Identity and audience ### Is the Paris Peace Forum an official intergovernmental body? No. The forum is a French non-profit association, not an intergovernmental institution. It has no formal status within the UN system or any regional body. Governments participate as invited guests and partners, not as members of a governing body. The forum's influence derives from convening power and the quality of its project platform, not from any formal mandate. ### What is the Call for Solutions and who can apply? The Call for Solutions is an open process through which governance projects from around the world can apply to be selected and supported by the forum. Projects are reviewed for their potential to advance concrete improvements in global governance. Selected initiatives are showcased during the event, gain access to the forum's political and institutional network and in some cases receive direct support into the following year. Applications are accepted through the forum's website during a defined annual window. ### How does the Paris Peace Forum relate to other major governance summits in November? The forum is deliberately positioned as a complement to, not a substitute for, formal intergovernmental processes. It takes place in November, overlapping with the tail end of the UN General Assembly follow-up season and ahead of the December European Council cycle. Its timing around the 11 November armistice anniversary gives it symbolic anchoring in French public life. It does not produce binding decisions but frequently generates political declarations, coalition announcements and project commitments that feed into subsequent formal processes. ### Who is Paris Peace Forum NOT designed for? - Specialists looking for a single-sector deep-dive conference (the forum is deliberately cross-cutting, not sectoral) - Procurement or sales-focused professionals expecting a standard B2B exhibition or lead-generation environment - Attendees seeking open public registration with standard conference ticketing (access is selective and not primarily fee-based) - Researchers wanting a purely academic peer-review environment (the forum is practitioner and policy-maker oriented) - Those focused exclusively on European affairs: the programme is global in scope, with Africa, Asia and the Americas as prominent as Europe ## The venue: Palais Brongniart The Palais Brongniart is a neoclassical building on the Place de la Bourse in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, constructed in the early 19th century and long home to the Paris Stock Exchange. It is now a conference and events venue, available for large-scale institutional gatherings. Its central location, architectural scale and capacity for simultaneous multi-room programming make it a recurring choice for high-profile international events in Paris. The 6th Paris Peace Forum edition (2023) was held there; the 7th and 8th editions moved to the Palais de Chaillot. The confirmed venue for the 9th edition (2026) had not been formally announced on the official website as of June 2026. ## The organiser: Paris Peace Forum The Paris Peace Forum non-profit association was established in Paris on 9 March 2018, founded by Justin Vaïsse with support from the French government. Its stated mission is to promote multi-actor responses to governance challenges by bringing together states, international organisations, civil society and the private sector around concrete projects. The organisation is headquartered in Paris and operates year-round through its project support activities, the Call for Solutions process and a Spring Meeting held between annual editions. Philippe Etienne was elected President in April 2026, succeeding Ángel Gurría. Justin Vaïsse serves as Director General. The non-profit model differentiates the organisation from conference producers and commercial publishers: the forum does not operate on a ticket-revenue business model, and participation is shaped by the project and policy logic of each edition rather than by commercial exhibitor or sponsorship packages in the conventional sense. --- ## Editorial take *The Paris Peace Forum occupies a singular position in the EMEA policy calendar: it is the only annual summit that combines the protocol weight of a heads-of-state gathering with an open-application process for governance projects, making it as much an implementation platform as a conference.* ## How to register and what it costs The Paris Peace Forum does not operate open public registration with standard fee tiers. Access is selective and organised through invitation, accreditation and the Call for Solutions process. Political leaders, ministers and senior international organisation officials are invited through diplomatic channels. Civil society organisations, researchers and project-holders apply through the Call for Solutions and related accreditation processes. Journalists apply for press accreditation separately. Specific registration details, including any delegate fees applicable to corporate or institutional participants, had not been publicly communicated for the 2026 edition as of June 2026. The forum's website offers newsletter subscription for updates and the Call for Solutions portal is the main public-access entry point for non-governmental and civil-society actors seeking to participate. ## FAQ · Access and practicalities ### When does the Call for Solutions open and how are projects selected? The Call for Solutions opens annually, typically several months before the November forum. Projects are reviewed by a selection committee and assessed on their governance relevance, feasibility and potential for multi-actor coalition-building. Selected projects receive visibility during the two-day event and may receive continued support in the following year. The 2026 Call for Solutions was open as of June 2026 per information on the official website. ### Is there any public or open-ticket access to the forum? No general public ticketing is available. The forum is accreditation-based. Some sessions may be live-streamed for broader audiences; the forum has historically published session recordings and highlights on its website and YouTube channel. ### Where can I follow programme announcements for the 2026 edition? Programme details, confirmed speakers and registration information for the 9th edition are published progressively on parispeaceforum.org. The forum's social media channels (@ParisPeaceForum on X/Twitter, parispeaceforum on LinkedIn and Instagram) carry regular updates. The newsletter is the most direct channel for advance notice of programme announcements. ## Resources | Resource | URL | |---|---| | Official website | https://parispeaceforum.org/ | | Organiser | https://parispeaceforum.org/ | | Call for Solutions 2026 | https://parispeaceforum.org/call-for-solutions-2026/ | | LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/parispeaceforum | | YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxGMAzbzv77Jk8otRyhsUag | | Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Peace_Forum | --- **Last verified:** 2026-06-11 **Next review:** 2026-07-11 **Notes:** Attendance figure of ~4,000 participants and 15+ heads of state is from the 2025 edition, self-reported by the organiser; 2026 figures not yet available. 2026 venue (Palais Brongniart) cited in task brief and consistent with 2023 usage but not formally confirmed on the official website as of June 2026. Theme "Resilient Transitions" inferred from promotional imagery on the official website; not yet formally published in full editorial form. Speaker roster for 2026 unannounced. Philippe Etienne elected President April 2026 per official website. **Variables:** 41/58 **Concept definition:** not applicable