30 Years of Building Peace Together

Thirty years ago, when the GCSP was established, the world was already fraught with complexity, challenges, and power struggles. It was a time defined by a bipolar world order, with the United States and the Soviet Union standing as towering giants of a global geopolitical divide. The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) has its roots in this exact historical period and more precisely in the Geneva Summit of 1985, which exposed the urgent need to strengthen national and international expertise in the field of international security. Equipped with this understanding, the Swiss Confederation initiated a nine-month executive training programme tailored for government officials from Switzerland and abroad to encourage exchanges between experts and practitioners. The participants built relationships and trust across political divides through dialogue and education, making the course a powerful tool for promoting peace and security. The GCSP Way was born.

Today, as we reflect on the past three decades, we recognise that the world has grown exponentially more complex. Our era is defined by a deeply interconnected array of issues and challenges, where a once bipolar world order has given way to a multipolar reality. Various power actors, each with conflicting interests, ideologies, and objectives, now shape the global landscape and agenda.

Over the past few years the type of challenges we face have multiplied and intensified. Environmental and climate threats loom large, with severe and catastrophic events becoming increasingly frequent and exacerbating insecurity and conflict. The emergence of new technologies, particularly quantum computing and artificial intelligence, presents both unprecedented opportunities and significant risks. The number of conflicts and their widespread geopolitical impact increase constantly, posing a persistent threat to socio-economic stability, food systems and emerging security. Funding for development and humanitarian activities is under strain, while gender divides are widening and mass migration is reshaping societies.

In this evolving landscape, the GCSP has remained steadfast in its mission of building peace, security and international cooperation through the ability to adapt, innovate, and anticipate the interlinked and far-reaching security challenges the world faces.

The Centre strategically embraces the Swiss principles of independence, impartiality, and inclusivity. These principles has enabled us for three decades to bring together both likeminded and non-likeminded individuals, fostering an environment where dialogue thrives and mutual understanding is possible. Whether through executive education courses, dialogues, research, or our community of alumni, experts and partners, the GCSP excels at creating open communication channels and safe spaces in an increasingly more fragmented and polarised world.
Thirty years after its foundation, the GCSP is a leading institution in international security and is more relevant, strategic and unique than ever.

As part of GCSP’s 30th Anniversary celebrations, we are bringing together key collaborators, partners, and distinguished guests to reflect on three decades of impact in global peace and security.