The address delivered by Thomas Greminger, President of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform – the organizer of Geneva Peace Week – to the participants of the Fergana Peace Forum has generated wide public resonance among policymakers, expert communities, and the international audience.

The Fergana Peace Forum, held on October 15–16 this year in the city of Fergana, brought together over 500 guests, including more than 300 participants from the countries of Central Asia, the CIS, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and concluded with the adoption of a final communiqué. The document calls for strengthening dialogue, mutual trust, and joint efforts to ensure sustainable development in the Fergana Valley and Central Asia as a whole.

Addressing the Forum participants from the international capital of Geneva, where the annual Geneva Peace Week took place on October 13–17 this year, T.Greminger expressed deep gratitude to Uzbekistan on behalf of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform for its leadership in organizing such an important dialogue on peace in the Fergana Valley.

According to him, the initiative of the Fergana Peace Forum comes at a particularly significant time, coinciding with Geneva Peace Week, thereby “linking municipal and regional peacebuilding efforts in Central Asia with global discussions on peacebuilding.” He emphasized: “This visible connection symbolizes that peacebuilding is both a local and a global responsibility, and we can learn from one another’s experiences.”

T.Greminger particularly noted that “the Fergana Peace Forum, much like Geneva Peace Week, is built on a solid foundation of cooperation between government institutions, research communities, and civil society.”

The President of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform stressed that “the Fergana Valley has long been a crossroads of cultures, trade, and ideas. It is also a space where cooperation, dialogue, and trust among communities and countries are crucial for a peaceful and sustainable future.”

He highlighted the timeliness of the Fergana Peace Forum, describing it as “an inspiring example of regional cooperation that embodies the spirit of inclusivity and partnership in building lasting peace.” He concluded: “May this forum strengthen bonds within the Fergana Valley and contribute to the shared vision of peace in Central Asia.”

It is worth recalling that earlier, the governors of the three border regions – Fergana, Osh, and Batken – together with the heads of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, as well as local civil society and youth leaders, launched a peace flash mob in support of harmony in the Fergana Valley.

Geneva Peace Week is an international platform dedicated to advancing global peace and stability. This year, it brought together over 4,000 experts and representatives of 110 organizations from more than 160 countries worldwide.

Launched in 2008, Geneva Peace Week serves as a key global platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience among governmental institutions, international organizations, NGOs, academics, and peacebuilding practitioners.

The event is organized by the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, a consortium that includes the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), the UN Office at Geneva, and several other leading international institutions.

The Geneva Peacebuilding Platform is chaired by Thomas Greminger, who also serves as Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and Chairman of the Swiss “PeaceNexus” Foundation. From 2017 to 2020, he held the position of Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).