Swisspeace is a practice-oriented peace research institute. It carries out research on violent conflicts and their peaceful transformation. The Foundation aims to build up Swiss and international organizations' civilian peacebuilding capacities by providing trainings, space for networking and exchange of experiences. It also shapes political and academic discourses on peace policy issues at the national and international level through publications, workshops and conferences. swisspeace therefore promotes knowledge transfer between researchers and practitioners.
Swisspeace has core programs on Conflict resolution and dealing with the Past, Mediation, Conflict analysis & Impact, Statehood & Conflict, Business & Peace and Gender and conflict.
Swisspeace was founded in 1988 as the Swiss Peace Foundation in order to promote independent peace research in Switzerland. Today the Foundation employs more than 40 staff members. Its most important donors are the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the United Nations.
Swisspeace is an associate institute of the University of Basel. Swisspeace Director Laurent Goetschel is a member of the Basel Peace Office Executive Board.