Asia Peace Innovators Forum

Part of Salzburg Global's Peace & Justice Pillar

Our Purpose

The Asia Peace Innovators Forum brings together mid-career professionals to promote peace and reconciliation through initiatives across the region.

Launched in 2020, the Forum connects innovators for peace across sectors through a transboundary network to exchange experience of community-driven approaches and best practices at practical workshops online and in both Salzburg and Asia.

Why It Matters

Without peace, none of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – from ending poverty, hunger and inequality, to building sustainable cities and communities and tackling climate change – can be achieved. And without lasting peace, the success in achieving the SDGs will be short-lived.

As the world’s most populous region, with increasing global importance and influence, ensuring peace in Asia will lead to increased prosperity for over half of the world’s population.

With such a rich history, Asia has significant experience (positive and negative) in mediating peace and promoting reconciliation.

Many of its successful and long-lasting peace initiatives are innovative, locally devised, and community-driven rather than externally mandated or state-imposed. However, the exchange of Asian-generated best practices and lessons learned both within and across the region remains low.

This program fosters exchange of region-led best practices and experience from interdisciplinary sectors seeking to shape long-term peace, stability, and regional cooperation.

It also builds skills and capacity, provides a cross-sector and transboundary network for professional and personal advice and support, and encourages collaborative projects.

Featured Work

Peace & Justice Update

Cultural Peacebuilding: Encouraging Human Connection Through Art and Food

Sep 30, 2025

Peace & Justice Report

The Asia Peace Innovators Forum: Our Five-Year Report

Oct 08, 2025

Charting Peace in the Digital Age Myanmar: Voices of Resilience Philippines: Healing the Bangsamoro Thailand: Civic Participation in Peacebuilding Sri Lanka: Women Building Peace

Our Approach

This program aims to:

Shape long-term peace, stability, and regional cooperation by creating and sustaining an interdisciplinary Asian network of mid-career professionals with significant leadership and innovation potential.
Build the skills and capacity of Asia Peace Innovators Forum network members (Fellows) through the exchange of practical knowledge, experience, and innovative ideas in conditions of trust and openness.
Provide professional and personal advice and support to Fellows to enhance their individual and cumulative effectiveness.
Encourage collaboration on Fellow-led and community-driven projects to bolster peace and stability across Asia.
Amplify the long-term, transformational impact of Fellows by connecting them with senior leaders, new and existing networks, and global resources.

Our Format

This program is a growing network, carefully selected to reflect a broad range of interests and specialties, as well as synergies and opportunities to share related experiences.

Since its launch in 2020, the network has grown to include nearly 200 Fellows, including those from priority countries Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, as well as from other countries across South and Southeast Asia.

We also include space for peacebuilders with relevant experience from the rest of the world.

Online Meetings

Fellows meet online for a series of both topic-based workshops and informal gatherings, as well as in closed platforms to exchange written materials, including articles, feature interviews, and blog-style posts.

Online platforms keep Fellows connected, enabling them to share experiences across sectors, cultures, and geographies. Fellows thereby benefit from the guidance, space, and skills to explore new approaches to peace mediation and opportunities for cooperation.

In-Person Sessions and Projects

Together, Fellows devise projects to advance peace and reconciliation in their countries, working collaboratively with other Fellows and broader networks both within their own countries and beyond.

Fellows from each cohort have been invited to Salzburg to continue working on their projects. After this in-person session, Salzburg Global has continued to support Fellows' projects, ideas, and relationships developed.

We disseminate their work through various media channels and engage them in other relevant Salzburg Global initiatives. We have also held acceleration programs for project teams in Asia.

Asia Peace Innovators Forum

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