(Stockholm, 13 May 2025) Over the next two days, more than 400 participants from over 70 countries will gather in Sweden’s capital for the 12th annual Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development. Under the theme ‘The Future of Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding’, the 2025 Forum features 46 sessions co-hosted with more than 70 partner organizations. Participants will engage in reflection, dialogue and creative discussions about how to navigate new realities and build a more secure future. Watch today’s opening session here.
Stefan Löfven, Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board, opened the 2025 Forum today as a space for open, honest and transformative dialogue. His welcoming address emphasized that the Forum is a platform for learning, for listening, for connecting and for beginning to shape new ways of thinking ‘at a time when the world finds itself in a state of profound tension, when the tectonic plates of geopolitics are literally moving under our feet’.
In her opening remarks, Helen Eduards, Director-General for International Development Cooperation, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, drew attention to shrinking development assistance and underscored the importance of ensuring that scarce resources reach those who need them the most.
The Forum’s opening panel, ‘Shifting Powers: Rethinking Peace and the Future of Security’, brought together leading voices to explore the profound transformation taking place in the global geopolitical landscape and its impact on global peace and security. The shift away from unipolar dominance, the intensifying major power rivalry, soaring military expenditure and the growing disregard for normative frameworks mean that peacebuilding strategies need to be revisited to remain relevant.
Moderator Per Olsson Fridh, Director General of the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), one of the co-convenors of this year’s Forum, set the stage for the next two days. ‘The global geopolitical landscape is undergoing a profound transition, one that has been unfolding over time but now presents itself with increasing clarity . . . Is this world order really new, or is Europe simply having a delayed confrontation with changes that have been happening for a while?’ he asked.
Elena Mârzac, Director of the Platform for Security and Defense Initiatives in Moldova, opened the panel discussion by calling on those working in this new landscape to shift from a top-down approach to a local, community-based focus and to invest in integrated approaches. She explained that multilateralism is not obsolete, but it is contested. ‘We need to be active: diplomacy should be anticipatory, and we need to understand the communities even if big powers don’t believe that small countries are important.’
Ambassador Humaid Al Maani, Head of the Diplomatic Academy, Foreign Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman, underlined that collective efforts are required. ‘National interest is certainly legitimate but how much should our national interest be able to damage our neighbourhood? . . . It is much more dangerous than radicalism,’ he said, adding that conflict prevention is not possible without a strong, solid multilateral system that everyone respects.
Nisreen Elsaim, former Chair, United Nations Secretary General Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, stressed that prevention is better than finding a cure. ‘Yet we all wait for the catastrophe to happen, and we react to that. So instead of being the actors, we are the reactors,’ she said. Urging actors to shape the future rather than reshape themselves to fit the future, she explained that the crucial thing is making the cost of peace lower than the cost of war. Inviting the audience to reflect, she asked, ‘Do you remember any military interaction that solved a problem without creating a bigger one?’
With a plea for diplomacy and greater resources for it, Sergio Jaramillo, President of Fundación Acordemos, spoke about his experiences negotiating peace agreements. Creating peace, he said, is about spotting the opportunities and building on the breaks. Ultimately, ‘understanding that you need to put resources into the diplomatic side of things so you can bring things to the most convenient end is a key piece of the puzzle’.
The 2025 edition of the Stockholm Forum is hosted by SIPRI and co-convened with FBA and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). ‘Sida is delighted to be a co-convenor of the Forum and is pleased to see so many Sida cooperation partners at the Forum. Through our partners, Sida promotes conflict prevention and peaceful and inclusive societies,’ said Jakob Granit, Director General of Sida.
Rewatch the live stream of the opening panel here.
Tune in at 15.30 CEST tomorrow to watch the closing panel ‘Turning the Spotlight: Inclusion, Innovation and Investment for Peace’ here.
About the Stockholm Forum
The Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development is a multi-day conference featuring a series of high-level panels and roundtables as well as a range of workshops, spotlights, exhibitions and fireside chats. The Forum creates a bridge between the global policy, research and practitioner spheres, and provides a neutral platform and safe space for sharing knowledge, practice and solutions.
The 2025 Stockholm Forum is hosted by SIPRI, co-convened with FBA and Sida.
Individual sessions are led, designed and organized by the Stockholm Forum partners. As 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution on the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, this year’s Forum will pay particular attention to the role of young people, youth voices and intergenerational dialogue in shaping the future of peacebuilding. There will also be a special focus on encouraging private sector participation in the Forum, including through (co)organization of sessions.
Like previous iterations of the Stockholm Forum, the 2025 Stockholm Forum will convene participants from around the world, with emphasis on representation of policymakers, civil society leaders and practitioners from the Global South.
