“Austrian Forum for Peace 2026” Held in Schlaining Castle Reports Positive Results
About 300 experts from more than 40 countries gathered in Burgenland to discuss new approaches to peacebuilding, the role of the United Nations, and the scope for civil society action in times of crisis.
Norbert Darabos (ACP), Bernadette Holzer (ACP), Oliver Richmond (Researcher, Manchester University), Audrey Azoulay (former DG of UNESCO), Tobias Lang (ACP), Ronald Reiter (Burgenland State Office), Peter Riedler (Rec., Graz University) (f.l.t.r). / Picture: © Foto Lexi/Alexander Horvath
For four days, the historic Schlaining Castle was the focal point of global dialogue and conflict resolution: The fourth Austrian Forum for Peace, organized by the Austrian Centre for Peace (ACP), concluded with great success. Under this year’s theme, “The Art of Peace,” around 300 representatives from the fields of peace practice, academia, diplomacy, politics, business, and culture came together. With participants from more than 40 countries across five continents, the conference was more international than ever before.
High-Profile Kickoff and Innovative Workshops
The peace conference kicked off with a star-studded opening ceremony. The renowned peace researcher Oliver Richmond and Audrey Azoulay, former French Minister of Culture and Director-General of UNESCO, served as keynote speakers.
Over the following days, conference participants engaged in numerous practice-oriented workshops. The focus was primarily on novel topics such as the interplay of art, the environment, and technology in modern peace work.
UN Peace Missions and Civil Society’s Scope for Action
A central element of the program was the high-profile panel discussions. The well-known former ORF correspondent Hannelore Veit participated in a public panel discussion on current global challenges. This was followed by a highly acclaimed discussion on the topic “A Sign of Things to Come: Peace Operations in the Middle East” featuring Kristin Lund, the first female Force Commander of a UN peacekeeping mission. Both panels underscored the irreplaceable role of the United Nations as the most important multilateral organization for maintaining world peace.
The so-called Spotlight Conversations focused on specific crisis regions: Discussions centered on the dramatic situation in Sudan, developments in the Middle East, and peace efforts in the shadow of the ongoing war in Ukraine. A key takeaway from the debates was that even when official, state-led peace efforts stall, civil society retains crucial scope for action to positively influence conflicts.
In light of the difficult global political situation—there are currently nearly 50 armed conflicts worldwide—ACP Director Tobias Lang offered an optimistic assessment: “Peace is both an art and a craft that must be learned, and whose methods are constantly evolving. That is precisely what we achieved with the Austrian Forum for Peace 2026: We took approaches to mediation, diplomacy, and peacebuilding a step further, forged new networks, and worked together toward a more peaceful future.”
A Staple on the European Event Calendar
ACP President Norbert Darabos also emphasized the growing importance of Burg Schlaining as a venue. Since its founding in 2023, the forum has established itself as one of the most important European platforms for exchange between diplomacy, academia, and civil society. The date for next year has already been set: The Austrian Forum for Peace 2027 will take place from July 5 to 8, 2027.
The conference is made possible by the State of Burgenland and the Conflict–Peace–Democracy Cluster (CPDC), as well as through the support of numerous partners from the business community, including Bank Burgenland, Burgenland Energie, Siemens, Wiener Städtische, Sacher, and Almdudler.