La CIBA space in Santa Coloma de Gramenet will host the international Build Peace 2025 conference from November 21 to 23, co-organised by ICIP and Build Up, a collective that designs and implements tools and processes using technology and the arts to address conflict and promote peace.
Around 300 participants from all over the world, including members of social organisations, universities, activists, and technology professionals, have registered for the conference. In its twelfth edition, the event is titled “Towards a Pluriverse of Peace”. It will focus on innovation and the use of creative and technological tools to transform conflict and foster coexistence around three main themes: dialogue, security, and memory.
The conference is supported by the City Councils of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Barcelona, Catalunya Internacional, and the Government of Catalonia.
Towards a Pluriverse of Peace
Build Peace 2025 invites participants to rethink what peace means in a world marked by division, inequality, and oppression. The program is structured around three themes:
Between Polarisation and Deliberation
In the face of growing political and social polarisation, partly fueled by the spread of hate speech and disinformation on social media, we will explore the tools available to promote dialogue and participatory spaces. Speakers will include Nadim Nashif from the organisation 7amleh (Palestine); Nerima Wako, founder of Siasa Place (Kenya); and Nil Homedes, head of the Decidim platform (Catalonia).
Between Deterrence and Nonviolence
In a context of increasing militarisation and arms race, we will discuss approaches based on human and community security. The session will feature a debate between Julio Rodríguez, former Chief of the Defence Staff in Spain, and Anastasiia Holovnenko from the Centre for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. We will also reflect on the use of technology for nonviolent civil defence with contributions from activist Ophelia Rivas, Bruna dos Santos from Witness, and Jack Isles from Border Forensics.
Between Erasure and Memory
We will reflect on how studying and analysing the past is key to addressing post-conflict situations and promoting reconciliation. Speakers on this topic include Francisco Ferrándiz, member of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); Natascha Zupan, from Berghof Foundation; and Jelnar Ahmad, from the Syrian Archive project (Syria).
Workshops, presentations, and artistic proposals
The conference will also feature several workshops, short talks, and project presentations related to the different themes. At the local level, initiatives will be presented by organisations such as Canòdrom (Barcelona’s Digital and Democratic Innovation Hub), FundiPau, Centre Delàs, and Escola de Cultura de Pau. At the international level, highlights include initiatives from swisspeace, WILPF, Perú por el Desarme, Sudan Memory Project, and Fundación Corona.
There will also be space for artistic expressions, including exhibitions, documentary screenings, movement-based activities, and guided tours.
Coinciding with the conference, on Friday, November 21, at 6:30 p.m., the Sagarra Theatre in Santa Coloma de Gramenet will host the opening event of the campaign “Municipalities, Seeds of Peace,” promoted by the Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation.
