For the sixth year in a row, the Paris Peace Forum (PPF) brought together key players in global governance on November 10-11 at the Palais Brongniart. The aim of the 2023 Forum was to "Seek Common Ground in a World of Rivalry", against a backdrop of global polarization (most notably between China and the United States) jeopardizing international cooperation on issues vital to humanity – all in an environment marked by the eruption of conflict in the Middle East.

This year’s edition provided a platform for dialogue on current conflicts.  First, the Near East conflict, with the International Humanitarian Conference on Gaza held on November 9 as part of the Paris Peace Forum (1 billion euros in humanitarian funding announced) as well as a closed-door meeting between Middle Eastern players at the Palais Brongniart.  There was also engagement on the conflict in Ukraine, with the remote participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the remarkable interview with Oleksandra Matviichuk, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Other working sessions on conflicts reportedly provided an opportunity to exchange views on pressures against the humanitarian law (“Stopping the war on the rules of war”) and the challenges facing international justice.

Finally, several geopolitically focused sessions brought together diverse heads of state and government, heads of international organizations and NGOs, and experts around this year’s theme aimed at saving international cooperation from excessive geopolitical rivalry, but also the decline in peacekeeping resources, the rise of middle powers, multilateralism in the face of multi-crisis, the UN Future Summit, and the fragmentation of globalization.

The main mission of the Paris Peace Forum remains tackling global challenges. In this respect, the 2023 Forum saw a number of political breakthroughs, including the following realizations in two main areas: the environment and digital technology.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a founding partner of the Paris Peace Forum since its inception in 2018. This reflects His Highness the Aga Khan’s and AKDN’s longstanding and close relationship with the French Republic, founded on the shared values of peace, human development and pluralism.

AKDN was represented at the Forum by a delegation led by Prince Rahim Aga Khan, who reportedly participated alongside world leaders and change makers to help build a more peaceful world.

Prince Rahim Aga Khan (L) and PPF President Ángel Gurría

The AKDN delegation members included experts from the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat.