Caux Arts and Peace Encounters 2026

We are excited to welcome artists, peacebuilders, educators, and community leaders from 10 - 13 May 2026 to the second edition of the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters (CAPE) at the Caux Palace, Switzerland, exploring how creativity and the arts can transform conflict, build empathy, and inspire innovative solutions for a more just and peaceful world.

The Transformative Power of Arts in Peacebuilding

At the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, we hold a simple yet profound belief: the arts are not a luxury — they are a lifeline. They lie at the heart of efforts to build peace, enabling people to imagine, feel, and co-create transformative solutions in profoundly human ways.

Peacebuilding, as described by scholar John Paul Lederach, is not merely technical; it's imaginative, deeply human, and profoundly creative. Solutions to complex conflicts demand new ways of seeing — and creativity and culture give us those lenses.

Building peace touches every layer of life — political, emotional, social, and cultural. It involves diplomats, educators, artists, scientists, academics, activists, and community leaders, each with their own languages, disciplines, and approaches. Too often, these sectors operate in isolation, widening the gap between creative expression and structural change.

At Caux, we aim to bridge these divides. We envision the Caux Palace as a convening hub — a place where these diverse voices can connect, listen, and co-create. A space where diplomats learn from artists, artists collaborate with peacebuilders, and educators and academics exchange insights on how creativity, empathy, and imagination can reshape peacebuilding practice.

The inaugural 2025 edition of the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters (CAPE) laid the groundwork, demonstrating how artistic practice can move beyond reflection to transform societies. The arts have always been a mirror of human experience — reflecting pain, beauty, and resilience — yet in peacebuilding, they do more than reflect: they transform. They invite empathy where words fail, build bridges across divides, and restore dignity and belonging to those silenced by conflict.

Impressions from Caux Arts and Peace 2025

About the event

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters 2026 invite artists, peacebuilders, changemakers, policymakers, and academics to connect and share the skills and qualities needed to foster peace through the power of arts and dialogue. This event is not a typical “conference.”

Our theory of change rests on the belief that:

• If we study and integrate the values and principles of peacebuilding and the arts, and through this process begin to understand their importance to each other in bringing about transformational change;
• Then we will act individually and collectively to reveal these values and principles of relationship, vision, imagination, creativity, and empathy;
• Resulting in putting them into practice in ways that enhance human flourishing.

The second edition in May 2026 goes further and deeper (and one day longer 3.5 days instead of 2.5 days!)  — shifting from reflection to implementation and experimentation. This is a time for action: testing ideas, building prototypes, and co-creating outcomes that can be applied in real-world peacebuilding contexts.

Building on these insights, CAPE 2026 is a living laboratory where diplomats learn from artists, artists co-create with peacebuilders, and all participants explore how creativity, empathy, and imagination can reshape peacebuilding practice.

At Caux, peace is not only discussed — it is crafted. Through collaborative exploration, artistic experimentation, and shared imagination, we seek to turn vision into practice and inspiration into transformation. Whether you create with words, sound, movement, policy, or dialogue, your contribution belongs here, because peace is built through the synergy of many languages, disciplines, and hearts.

Programme

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters invites us to slow down — to a rhythm that values depth over density, reflection over rush. The programme offers spaces for inner reflection, creativity, and connection, allowing participants to engage at a meaningful pace.

• Community Groups: Small, facilitated circles for dialogue, story-sharing, and deep listening — spaces to explore personal experiences and build trust across difference. 

• Embodiment & Nature Practices: Ample time for silence, mindful movement, and immersion in the natural beauty of Caux — inviting reflection not just through words, but through being
• Carefully Curated Workshops: A select set of interactive workshops offering experiential exploration of forgiveness, regeneration, and belonging — blending reflective inquiry with practical application.
• Open Sharing Spaces: Dedicated moments for participants to present and exchange their own projects, research, and creative work — fostering a community of mutual learning and inspiration.

Watch this space for the detailed programme!

The Venue: the Caux Palace

The Caux Arts and Peace Encounters takes place in our centre for dialogue and peacebuilding, the Caux Palace, a former Belle Epoque Hotel nestled in the mountains 1000m above sea level. With its breathtaking view over the Leman and the Alps, it provides a unique and inspiring setting. 

Cost

CHF 465.- including: 

• Accommodation in either shared or single room at the Caux Palace and Villa Maria
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Coffee and tea breaks as well as refreshments
• Participation in the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters
• Materials provided during the event
• VAT & City taxes

Registration

Registration details will be added soon. Stay tuned!

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Advisory committee

MICHEL ABOU KHALIL (Lebanon/ Switzerland), PhD, Director of Swiss Made Culture, Switzerland

Michel Abou Khalil graduated from the Lebanese University with a BA and MA in Drama, and went on to become a well-known actor in his country. He obtained a doctorate in French literature at the Arab University of Beirut and worked as a cultural attaché at the Swiss Embassy in Lebanon. He currently heads the SWISS MADE CULTURE association, which celebrates Swiss culture in dialogue with the world.

CELINE YVON, Expert in venture philanthropy and sustainable development and Former Director of Leenaards Foundation

An unapologetic humanist, bridge-builder, and leader, Céline Yvon brings over 20 years of experience advancing social change through venture philanthropy, sustainable development, and international cooperation. Her career spans impactful roles with the Swiss Foreign Ministry, global corporate philanthropy initiatives, and a leading non-governmental organization, all grounded in extensive fieldwork and strategic vision.

Céline is driven by the challenge of turning bold ideas into action—through strategic planning, innovative partnerships, and dynamic multi-stakeholder collaboration. Passionate about leadership, entrepreneurship, and creativity, she is currently exploring the frontiers of social and creative entrepreneurship, hybrid finance, and purpose-driven leadership. She draws inspiration from visionary changemakers and the enduring resilience of nature.

MARUEE PAHUJA (India), Expressive Arts Consultant, Process Facilitator, Visual Artist, and Eye-Care Practitioner

Maruee Pahuja is an impassioned Expressive Arts Consultant, Process Facilitator, Visual Artist, and Eye-Care Practitioner passionate about bridging arts and science. At the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, she fosters peacebuilding through arts-based approaches and drives strategy with Creative Leadership, the Caux Foundation's initiative for young leaders. With over 300 workshops worldwide and collaborations with 25+ non-profits, Maruee champions arts-based interventions for leadership and community resilience. A speaker at Geneva Peace Week, the International Day of Conscience and the Caux Democracy Forum, she has created 5,000+ multimedia artworks and exhibited nationally. Dedicated to transformation through creativity, Maruee continues to inspire and innovate globally.

BARRY HART (USA), Emeritus Professor of Trauma, Identity and Conflict Studies, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University, USA

Barry Hart is Emeritus Professor of Trauma, Identity and Conflict Studies, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University, USA. He was the he Academic Director of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding from 2009-2012 and held the same position in the Caux Scholars Program, Caux, Switzerland from 1997-2010. Dr. Hart has conducted workshops on psychosocial trauma recovery and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Burundi and among Rwandan refugees in Tanzania. Hart has lived and worked in the Balkans where he developed and led trauma and conflict transformation programs for schools, communities and religious leaders. He was engaged in a three-year peacebuilding institute and curriculum development project between EMU and the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland (2008-2011). He has also co-led inter-racial workshops in Richmond, Virginia for Hope in the Cities. He holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), George Mason University. Publications include the book ‘Peacebuilding in Traumatized Societies’, and numerous book chapters and journal articles on conflict transformation and restorative justice and the power of dignity in the negotiation process.

ANNE-CATHERINE SUTERMEISTER (Switzerland), Head of Community Engagement, Arts & Training Programmes for Switzerland, Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation

Anne-Catherine Sutermeister (PhD) has worked in the cultural sector for more than 25 years. She worked in cultural organisations (Théâtre de Vidy-Lausanne, Bibliothèque cantonale universitaire, Théâtre du Jorat), in higher education (La Manufacture in Lausanne and HEAD-Geneva), in cultural policy (Canton of Berne, Pro Helvetia Foundation Board, State of Valais), and as a consultant and trainer which gives her a global view of the cultural sector.

SARAH NOBLE (Canada/Switzerland), Head of Global Engagement, Caux Initiatives of Change

Sarah Noble is a Canadian-born peace advocate and storyteller currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Sarah is the Head of Global Engagement at the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation where she works on partnerships, inner development,  the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters, and the Caux Forums. She is also co-founder and Curator of the PeaceTalks, a global storytelling platform dedicated to stories of peace at Interpeace. She has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, and partnerships in global organizations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and non-profit public interest media. Passionate about storytelling as a tool for healing and social change, Sarah believes in its power to address global challenges. In her TEDx talk, Storytelling is Our Real-Life Superpower, she highlights how narratives can shape a better future. Sarah is the mom of 2 small kids and is motivated by a desire to be a good ancestor. Sarah has an MA in International Affairs from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a BA in Political Studies and Economics from Queen’s University.

IGNACIO PACKER (Switzerland), Executive Director Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation 

Ignacio Packer is Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, a Swiss private charitable foundation with the mission to provide a safe and privileged space to inspire, equip and connect individuals, groups and organizations from around the globe to engage effectively and innovatively in the promotion of trust, ethical leadership, sustainable living and human security. Ignacio has over 30 years of experience in humanitarian work and development issues. He is an expert on human rights and social issues and has been strongly engaged in global advocacy on protection frameworks for migrants and refugees with a particular focus on children and youth.