Call for Proposals: PeaceCon@10, COVID, Climate, and Conflict: Rising to the Challenges of a Disrupted World (Deadline: 8th October 2021)

Sep 21, 2021 | Alliance for Peacebuilding and US Institute of Peace
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In partnership with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) is proud to announce the theme for PeaceCon@10, COVID, Climate, and Conflict: Rising to the Challenges of a Disrupted World, taking place virtually, January 26-28, 2022. Entering its 10th year, PeaceCon is the largest annual gathering of global peacebuilders held in the United States. The virtual format will once again allow us to attract an even more diverse set of voices, expertise, and ideas from a global audience living our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Faced with a myriad of short and long-term challenges and disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, a large scale refugee crisis, democratic backsliding, and a shaky international order, the peacebuilding and conflict resolution sector is facing a profound reckoning. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the compounding effects of climate change continue to be felt globally, especially in fragile and conflict affected states. Adding to the problem, the world is experiencing a 30-year high in violence of all types. Today, more than 80 million people are displaced globally and an estimated 235 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection—the highest numbers in modern history.

How must the peacebuilding field evolve to meet our current moment? What can peacebuilding offer to reverse these disruptive and destructive trends?

PeaceCon@10 will explore how diverse stakeholders—practitioners, policymakers, donors, NGOs, the private sector, academics, and experts—from a range of disciplines (human rights, democracy and governance, development, and environment) develop effective strategies and more inclusive approaches that integrate peacebuilding into collective efforts to shape a more just, secure, and peaceful future.

Format:

Recognizing the challenges to international travel and large group gatherings, PeaceCon@10 will take place entirely online from January 26-28, 2022. We invite peacebuilders from across the world to share their ideas for interactive sessions, workshops, or other creative online formats, emphasizing moving beyond long panel presentations and brief audience question-and-answers.

We seek submissions for facilitated panel discussions, storytelling sessions, lightning talks, ignite talks, problem-solving workshops, and campfire sessions with diverse institutional affiliations and speaker backgrounds. Design online sessions to stimulate discussion and audience participation, with opportunities for engagement in the weeks leading up to PeaceCon and beyond.

Before submitting a proposal, please take note of the following:

  • All proposals must be submitted through an online form. A link to the form can be found at the end of this document. Please carefully read all guidelines and instructions before submitting your proposal.
  • To promote collaboration and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), all proposals require representation by more than one organization to ensure diverse perspectives.
  • USIP and AfP are also curating sessions and may ask organizations to join or combine sessions with other organizations that have proposed complimentary sessions.
  • Proposals that focus on highlighting a single program or product will not be accepted, except for ignite talks, which may be pre-recorded. All other standalone proposals from individuals or entities will not be accepted.



Proposal Submission Guidelines

Selecting a General Area and then Subtopic:

When submitting a proposal, please only select one of the three general areas (Conflict, COVID, and Climate Change). We encourage you to discuss cross-cutting issues in your proposal description if applicable but require you to select the most applicable general area for your proposal. If selecting a proposal in the Conflict general area, you must also select a subtopic (ex: Locally-Led). We understand your proposal may touch upon more than one subtopic, but we ask you to select the most relevant subtopic for your proposal.

Please note that the list of subtopics does not guarantee its inclusion in the final PeaceCon@10 program.

  • Conflict
    • Conflict Integration
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
    • Evidence
    • Interreligious peacebuilding
    • Locally-led peacebuilding
    • Mental health
    • Narratives
    • Prevention
    • Private sector and peace
    • Technology (mis- and disinformation, infrastructure)
    • United States (please note no sessions on this topic will be presented on Day 1 with USIP)
    • Violent Extremism
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Climate Change (Ex: its compounding impact on conflict-affected and fragile states and how to ensureintegration with conflict prevention/peacebuilding)
  • COVID (ex: impact, adaptation of the peacebuilding field, and resiliency)

Deciding Your Session Format and Structure:

We encourage the development of participatory and interactive sessions. Below are sample structures and formats that should serve as guiding examples. Please note that these are only examples. AfP will consider the use of other formats not listed as applicable. We encourage creativity and innovation when developing a session format and structure.

All proposed sessions should not exceed 1.5 hours in length.

Formal Presentation

  • Facilitated Panel Discussion: Moderated discussion is limited to no more than four panelists and onemoderator.
  • Storytelling: Speakers tell their stories to help illustrate the overarching themes related to the conference. This session works best with 4 – 5 speakers, each having around 15 minutes to tell their story.
  • Lightning Talks: Lightning talks typically have a group of speakers allotted no more than 10 minutes to make each of their presentations. This session format ideally yields several informative presentations by encouraging presenters to be as concise as possible within the time constraints.
  • Ignite Presentations: Ignite presentations are similar to lightning talks but use a PowerPoint presentation style with slides changing every 15 – 25 seconds for a total of 5 minutes. This format makes use of excellent visual presentations to support a well-articulated message.

Workshop

Workshops are typically interactive sessions involving group activities that can accommodate 20 – 40 individuals. Workshops will limit the number of participants during the conference to facilitate engagement. Below are some sample formats:

  • Problem Solving Session: Speakers pose a problem and lead attendees through an exercise to develop solutions.
  • Campfire Session: A group of facilitators first start with a brief presentation, then shift the attention to the audience allowing for a facilitated discussion.


Example Session I



Session Title: Disengagement and Reintegration of Ex-combatants: Reframing the Approach to Facilitate Local Ownership

General Area: Conflict

Sub Topic Chosen: Locally-led peacebuilding

Session Format:

  • Facilitated Panel Discussion

Example Session II



Session Title: COVID and its Impact on Conflict Affected and Fragile States

General Area: COVID (no need for sub topic)

Sub Topic Chosen: N/A

Session Format:

  • Ignite Presentation

Know Before You Submit

Speaker Selection:

We encourage sessions to include various perspectives and backgrounds, such as non-U.S. voices and local peacebuilders. However, all sessions must be gender inclusive. Please reach out to potential speakers before you submit your proposal to ensure they will be available. Accepted proposals may have no more than 4 speakers and one moderator (if necessary).

To ensure the greatest chance for success, we encourage those interested in submitting proposals to review our guidelines carefully. In addition, those interested should note the following:

  • Proposals can be assigned for any time between 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) between January 26–28, 2022. Please do not submit a proposal if you have limited availability during these times. Scheduling outside this window for presenters outside the United States will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We request general time preferences for sessions, but we cannot guarantee our ability to accommodate these preferences.
  • While a virtual conference is not limited by time zone constraints, PeaceCon is limited to a small team of less than 10 individuals all located along the East Coast and therefore cannot commit to streaming across all time zones.
  • Please ensure proposals are detailed and substantive.
  • Due to the high volume of submissions and a limited number of sessions, not all proposals will be accepted for the conference. We may recommend applicants with similar topics combine session proposals to produce a more dynamic and diverse range of perspectives.

Responsibilities:

Organizers with accepted proposals are required to:

  • Confirm finalized session speakers and provide the contact information to AfP by key deadlines.
  • Be responsible for the development of their session, including meeting all AfP deadlines. An AfP staff member will be assigned to provide guidance and assistance. However, the applicant is responsible for all session development including:
    1. Confirming all speakers and ensuring biographic, social media handles, and photo information are submitted promptly.
    2. Submitting information to promote their session on social media and pre-event promotion.
    3. Coordinating session materials, to include a coordination call in advance, and PowerPoints by necessary deadlines.
    4. Learning the online technical platform for PeaceCon@10 in advance, for which guidance will beprovided by AfP.
    5. Ensuring each panelist is equipped with the tools necessary to participate in a virtual session, i.e., computer or mobile device, internet connection, etc.

Submitting a Proposal

Conference Date: January 26 –28, 2022

Location: Online

Who Can Submit a Proposal: Any interested parties, but preference will be given to AfP members

Deadline for Submission: Friday, September 30, 2021, 11:59 pm EDT

All proposals must be submitted online via the link below. Early submissions are encouraged.

Click Here to Submit Your Proposal Online



When submitting your proposal, you will be asked:

  • For your contact information
  • Conference General Areas and sub-topics covered
  • Speakers for your session
  • A detailed description of your session
  • How your session will be solutions-oriented and practical
  • Background and experience you and your session organizers have to the proposed topic

Please submit questions to Marice Fernando, Senior Membership & Operations Manager, at marice@allianceforpeacebuilding.org