Peace Dialogue: Participation and Inclusivity in Peacebuilding Linking Geneva and New York through Civil Society, Older Persons and Water Diplomacy

As the UN approaches its 80th anniversary, the international community faces a multitude of crises from armed conflicts, economic downturns, societal polarization, rising inequalities to climate change. They are straining the international system and multilateralism, while threatening international peace and security. Inclusivity, equality and trust remain the essential pillars to sustaining peace.

Three interrelated themes will guide the discussion:

• Civil Society: indispensable actors in peacebuilding, trust-building, and filling in the gaps in the delivery of essential services, yet often facing shrinking space for participation and action.

• Older Persons: carriers of memory and knowledge/wisdom, community mediators, and key participants in intergenerational dialogue, too often overlooked in multilateral peace processes.

• Water Diplomacy: a tool for conflict prevention and resolution, and a driver of effective cooperation, demands inclusive approaches at the community, national, and multilateral levels.

Water serves as a powerful entry point to examine the intersection of peacebuilding, inclusivity, and civil society engagement - from ensuring access to basic services in conflict-affected contexts, to advancing cooperative frameworks for sustainable peace in shared basins.

Slovenia, as a member of the UN Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as an active contributor and a candidate to the Human Rights Council, is well-placed to convene a Peace Dialogue connecting the Geneva and New York ecosystems.