Director-General's remarks at the Geneva Peace Talks 2025

Geneva PeaceTalks 2025: “Peace is possible”
Wednesday, 10 September 2025, at 3.00 p.m.
Room XVII, Palais des Nations

Ladies and gentlemen, 
Dear colleagues and friends,

Welcome to the Geneva PeaceTalks 2025, here at the Palais des Nations – the very heart of International Geneva!

I warmly thank our co-organizers – Interpeace, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland – as well as our partners: the Swiss Confederation, the Canton and City of Geneva, the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, the Mirabaud Group and Hinduja Foundation. Your commitment has made today’s gathering a true landmark of International Geneva.

We are here to reaffirm a simple but vital truth – peace is possible. This is both timely and urgent. Around the world, conflicts continue to claim lives, uproot families and devastate communities. The toll of violence is staggering – from Haiti to Myanmar, from Yemen to Sudan – where civilians endure unimaginable suffering.

The United Nations and its partners work every day to prevent such tragedies – often at great personal sacrifice, and sometimes, tragically, at the expense of our colleagues’ lives. In Gaza alone, we mourn 366 UN staff members (as of 28 August)[1] who gave their lives in service of peace. Their sacrifice reminds us that the pursuit of peace is never abstract, but profoundly human and deeply costly.  

 And yet, even in the darkest moments, we know that peace can be built. This year marks the 80^th anniversary of the United Nations, an organization born out of the devastation of World War II. Over the past eight decades, the UN has helped resolve conflicts, promote sustainable development and defend human rights. But our work is far from complete. Last year, Member States adopted the Pact for the Future – a pledge to strengthen multilateralism, prevent conflict and safeguard peace and dignity for generations to come. This is our roadmap. Building on it, we launched the UN80 initiative – a system-wide reform to make us even more effective in supporting the implementation of the goals set by our Member States.

Each year, on 21 September, we observe the International Day of Peace – the day closely linked to today’s gathering. This year’s theme – “Act Now for a Peaceful World”[2] – highlights that peace is not just an aspiration but an actionable responsibility. It calls on governments to choose diplomacy, on communities to build bridges, and on individuals to make everyday choices that foster harmony. And we know this is possible. We see extraordinary resilience in communities rebuilding trust; we see young people demanding climate justice; we see women across the globe mediating disputes and healing divisions – often without recognition, but with great impact. 

Peace requires dialogue, mediation, justice and respect. It demands connecting local initiatives to global efforts and recognizing that peace is inseparable from sustainable development and human rights. Here in Geneva – a city built on dialogue – we know that peace is possible when we listen, when we innovate and when we act together. 

The stories you will hear today – of reconciliation, of rebuilding, of perseverance – show that peace is truly possible. It does not begin only in negotiation rooms. It begins with courage, with choices, with each of us. 

So, I leave you with a simple but profound question: what step will you take – today or tomorrow – for peace? Because peace is possible. And it begins with all of us.

Thank you.