CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding (DEADLINE: October 6, 2025)
Aug 19, 2025
(Deadline: 2025-10-06)
Environmental Peacebuilding Association and the University of Ottawa
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The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and the University of Ottawa are pleased to announce the call for abstracts for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding. The partners invite abstracts for proposed presentations, panels, roundtables, workshopping sessions, and posters to be presented at the conference. The in-person conference will be held at the University of Ottawa, from June 16-19, 2026.The deadline for priority consideration of abstracts submissions is October 6, 2025. Abstracts submitted after the priority date will be considered pending space in the agenda.The Fourth Conference will feature 5 themes key to environmental peacebuilding as well as a 6th Open theme:
- Extractivism, Emerging Technologies, and the Energy Transition
- Environmental Change, Displacement, and Mobility
- Law, Power, and Decolonialization
- Reimagining Environmental Peacebuilding
- Conservation, Conflict, and Cooperation
More information on the Conference themes is available here. In addition, the Organizing Committee is considering the use of certain “lenses” that cut across themes but are not necessarily a theme that is tracked separately. We would encourage (but not require) all sessions to consider these lenses. These lenses could include:
- Including Diverse Perspectives: Holistic understanding and successful implementation of environmental peacebuilding is possible only with the active inclusion of a variety of perspectives. All proposals submitted to the Conference should consider issues of representation and participation in their analysis, conclusions, and presentation style. The Organizing Committee encourages attention to the role of gender dynamics; Indigeneity, race, and ethnicity; young people and intergenerationalism; and non-human beings and interspecies relations. Convenors of special sessions are encouraged to consider diverse engagement in the moderator and speakers.
- Tools and Methodologies: There are a growing number of tools, technologies, strategies, and approaches for environmental peacebuilding. Submitted proposals are encouraged to highlight specific tools and methodologies and lessons from their use, for example, related to digital technologies, pedagogical approaches, monitoring and evaluation, decolonization, and intersectionality – as well as experiences and learning in how to select and tailor the tools and methodologies to the particular environmental peacebuilding context. SUBMISSION GUIDELINESWHAT TO PROPOSEWe invite abstracts for presentations/papers, panels, roundtable discussions, posters, workshopping sessions, and other contributions from practitioners, researchers, activists, students, journalists, and others. While we are soliciting submissions that relate to one or more conference themes, we also welcome abstracts on other themes on the environment, conflict, and peace. A person may submit more than one abstract (although in order to ensure that there are slots for as many people as possible there likely will be a limit regarding how many times any person may appear on the conference program). Panels, roundtables, and workshopping sessions will be 90 minutes long. Abstracts for panels and roundtables should only include people that have indicated their willingness to participate.Abstracts can be submitted in English, French, or Spanish. If you have a speaker who would like to speak in another language, please let us know (either in the submission or by emailing conference@environmentalpeacebuilding.org) so we can discuss options.Presentations and their length will depend on the number of presenters on that particular panel (each panel is 90 minutes). Presenters are not required to prepare a paper but may prepare a conference paper. Abstracts for individual papers should be 150 words or fewer.Panels constitute a series of 3-5 presentations with adequate time for discussion; each panel will be 90 minutes. Panel submissions should include a summary abstract in addition to individual paper abstracts associated with each presentation. Abstracts with incomplete panels will be accepted, but we will ask that submissions include at least 2 panelist names. While submitters suggest panelists, the conference organizers reserve the right to make final decisions regarding panel composition. Panel submissions should include a summary abstract (~100 words) and a separate abstract for each individual paper/presentation submitted separately (150 words each or fewer). [For example, if you want to propose a panel with four presenters, you need to submit five abstracts, including one abstract for the panel (which includes a description of the panel and lists the four speakers) and four abstracts for the speakers (ideally mentioning that this speaker is part of the following panel).] Roundtables are discussion-oriented sessions without formal presentations; each roundtable will be 90 minutes. Abstracts for roundtables should include an abstract (200 words or fewer) describing the topic for discussion, the proposed participants, and format.Workshops provide a dynamic opportunity to seek feedback on a complex issue, or otherwise crowdsource insights and potential actions; each workshopping session will be 90 minutes. This format is particularly suitable for topics that are highly interdisciplinary and would benefit from input by participants from different academic backgrounds as well as practitioners. In this format, one or two framing presentations (15-20 minutes total) frame the context and issues for discussion. In the remainder of the session, a facilitator will guide the discussion. Abstracts for workshopping sessions should include an abstract (200 words or fewer) describing the topic for discussion, the desired outcomes or impact, and the proposed speaker(s) and facilitator.Posters will be presented during a designated poster session during the conference. Posters will remain on display for the duration of the conference. Abstracts for proposed posters should be 150 words or fewer.HOW TO PROPOSEAbstracts and related information must be submitted via the submission form here. The submission form will require the following information:
- The name, email, country, and institutional affiliation of authors/panelists/presenters
- A proposed title
- An abstract
- Selection of the submission’s topical theme(s)
- An indication of whether the abstract is for a paper/presentation, panel, poster, roundtable, workshopping session, or other format [If other, please describe]
- Indication whether the contribution is virtual or in-person.
We highly encourage abstracts from students and early career professionals as well as by scholars and practitioners from developing countries. If you have any questions regarding the conference, submission ideas, the submission process, or otherwise, please do not hesitate to contact us at conference@environmentalpeacebuilding.org.Anyone can submit an abstract. It is not necessary to be a member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association.There is no fee associated with submitting an abstract. Successful submitters will need to register for the conference and pay the registration fee to save their slot on the agenda. All conference participants, including speakers, will have to pay for registration fees for the in-person event. There will be a separate day for entirely virtual sessions; registration fees for the virtual day have not yet been set. There is limited support for travel grants (more information will be made available on the conference website at a later date). TIMELINEThe deadline for priority submissions is October 6, 2025 at 11:59 PM EDT. All submissions will be peer-reviewed by the Scientific Committee. Those who submit by the priority deadline will be contacted by the Organizing Committee regarding whether their submission has been selected by the end of October.Registration opens in late October/early November.We will continue to accept and review abstracts until the conference program has been filled.