Peace and sustainability have become two of the most often used keywords in virtually all fields of study. This is to witness the intrinsic influence that the two concepts exert on each other. The Kyoto Peace Conference 2021, inaugural edition of a series of conventions organised by the International Peace and Sustainability Organization IPSO, wants to be a collective of actors of peace and sustainability working in all fields of development, and in different regions of the world. The aim is to bridge the gap between rigorous academic and scientific research outputs, and implementation of policies on the ground. Envisioned as a unique venue to leverage the best achievements in higher education, policy making, and the social sector, the initiative is based on a simple observation: the lack of sustainable solutions to glocal problems inevitably results in conflict. It seems we are too often deceived by the increasingly accepted misconception that peace is either the suspension of war, or the cessation of a conflictual situation. We should all re-gauge this understanding and instead focus on the concept that peace is made up of all those sustainable solutions that help curb tensions before they arise.

Peace and security

Sustainable development

Environmental governance

Education

Gender equality

Focussing on these five major themes (and all of their sub-topics), the goal of the conference is to produce ready-to-use inter-disciplinary results. These will be collected into a prioritised list and will be given preferential access to funding for development into non-purely academic projects. For this purpose, the conference is organised as to allow teams of practitioners of different fields to work collaboratively towards a single project in their area of expertise. No solution will be disregarded.

The Kyoto Peace Conference is not a purely academic conference, and we invite practitioners of peace and sustainability from all backgrounds and all different walks of life. Although there will also be technical presentations by researchers and policy makers, we expect and strongly encourage submissions of a wide variety of works, including but not limited to commentaries of photographic projects or audio-video documentaries. The conference will act as a magnet for new ideas and an incubator for innovative projects. We strongly advocate for interdisciplinarity across projects, and we invite to submit proposals not clustered around a single field.

The conference will follow this format:

‣ Keynotes (by invitation)
‣ Round-tables
‣ Panels
‣ Brain dates
‣ Booth display

Brain dates are a unique feature of the conference. Interested participants will fill out an online profile (available after registration) listing what beneficial knowledge they are willing to share or what know-how they are interested in gaining by interacting face to face with one or two other participants at a time. Those looking to learn browse knowledge offers and then book 30-minute appointments with others based on their interests. At the venue, there will be specific places allocated for brain dates, where you will be able to have informal meetings while having your coffee or tea.

Booth display will also be available at the venue, although not for advertisement purposes only. Interested contributors are invited to reach the committee at publicrelations@ipso.ngo

Participation without active delivery of one of the above is permitted after online or on-site registration, but only until venue capacity is achieved. Preference will be given to active participants. Other channels will be provided for members of the general public who wish to follow the sessions remotely. We are considering a hybrid format for this conference, allowing remote participation only for those who will not be able to travel to Japan.

** Given the current circumstances, and abiding to the newest policies regarding international and domestic movement in Japan for the following months, the conference is postponed to autumn 2021 (29-30-31 October). A second call for contributions is open and will be on-going. ALREADY ACCEPTED CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE KEPT VALID. Therefore, we invite those of you who haven’t, to submit your proposals at your earliest convenience within the revised deadlines **

For information on formats and more technical details proceed to the proposal page.