Martin Griffiths to deliver the 2025 Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address

The Kofi Annan FoundationGeneva Graduate Institute, and Geneva Peacebuilding Platform are pleased to announce the 2025 edition of the Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address, a high-level lecture on peace, which is held annually as part of Geneva Peace Week.

The 2025 Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address will be delivered by Martin Griffiths, International Mediator and Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

Martin Griffiths is a renowned international mediator and humanitarian with five decades of experience at the United Nations (UN) and beyond. He most recently served as UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, leading global responses to crises affecting hundreds of millions. Previously, he mediated conflicts worldwide, including in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Aceh, and the Basque Country, and helped broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He was the Founding Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva and the European Institute of Peace.

2025 Kofi Annan Peace Address to include a dialogue with young peacebuilders

Mr Griffiths will interact and debate with young peacebuilders on topics such as bridging divides, fostering social cohesion, upholding human rights and international norms and enhancing the role of young people in peacemaking and peacebuilding.

Ahmad Fawzi, one of Kofi Annan’s former spokespersons and Communication Advisors, will moderate the event.

More Details

The Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address will be held in the Ivan Pictet Auditorium at the Maison de la Paix in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 14 October, at 5 pm CET. The event will be live-streamed, and registration to attend in person is available on the official website of the Geneva Graduate Institute. Livestream details will be shared closer to the date.

The Programme

Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address 2025
Tuesday, 14 October 2025
5 – 6:30 pm CET
Auditorium Ivan Pictet (Pétale 1, Maison de la Paix, Geneva) and Online

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

  • TBA, Geneva Graduate Institute.
  • TBA, Member of the Executive Council of the City of Geneva.

KOFI ANNAN GENEVA PEACE ADDRESS

  • Martin Griffiths, International Mediator and Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

PEACEBUILDERS DIALOGUE

  • TBA
  • TBA
  • TBA

CLOSING REMARKS

  • TBA

MODERATOR

  • Ahmad FawziCommunication strategist, former Spokesperson and Communication Advisor to Kofi Annan.

Feature image: Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, briefs the press on the Geneva Consultations on Yemen, Palais des Nations. 5 September 2018. Photo by Violaine Martin.