The Art of Peace

PeaceTech has the potential to empower women and youth at the grassroots level by placing them at the center of early warning systems, amplifying local voices in peace processes, and strengthening their capacities through digital training and platforms. Yet in fragile contexts, technology can also deepen inequalities through unequal access, data biases, and security risks that disproportionately affect women and youth. This workshop explores how PeaceTech can strengthen the role and leadership of women and youth in peacebuilding to ensure that technological innovations foster peace that is inclusive and locally grounded, while bridging the gap between community needs, policy frameworks, and technological developments. (c) Nathan Coyle
Target Group: Peacebuilding practitioners (mainly women and youth) working at the grassroot level in fragile contexts as well as representatives from government, multilateral organizations, academia and tech companies.

Partizipation und Mediation bei Umwelt- und Klimakonflikten stehen vor neuen Herausforderungen. Generell werden Umwelt- und Klimamaßnahmen verstärkt angezweifelt und bestritten, während gleichzeitig aber, vor allem durch das Erneuerbaren-Ausbau-Gesetz und folgende Novellen, die Zahl der einschlägigen Projekte steigt und Renaturierungsprojekte in Zukunft, wenn es nach der Renaturierungsverordnung geht, ebenfalls markant ansteigen müssten. Und schließlich stellen Wolf & co. die Gesellschaft vor neue Herausforderungen. Dies verlangt nach einer Adjustierung der gewohnten Partizipations- und Mediationsmethoden. In diesem Workshop bringen Auftraggeber*innen von Umweltprojekten und Expert*innen ihre Sichtweise ein, die Teilnehmer*innen nehmen die Impulse auf und entwickeln mögliche Ansätze für Partizipation und Mediation gemeinsam weiter. (c)
Zielgruppe:
Praktiker*innen der Partizipation und Mediation, insbesondere bei Umwelt- und Klimaprojekten
Personen aus Politik, Zivilgesellschaft, Verwaltung und Interessensgruppen, die mit Umwelt- und Klimaprojekten befasst sind
Auftraggeber*innen von Umwelt- und Klimaprojekten, mit Interesse an Vernetzung und Orientierung
Interessierte an Partizipation und Mediation im öffentlichen Raum

This workshop explores how artistic approaches can unlock new possibilities in peace work. Practitioners will exchange experiences from practice and reflect on the transformative potential of art-based methods. Using examples such as Playback Theatre, the session will also offer the opportunity to experience methods firsthand and consider how they can enrich peacebuilding practice.
Target Group: peacebuilding practitioners, mediators, facilitators and anyone interested in exploring creative, art-based approaches to conflict transformation and thinking beyond conventional tools.

Summer School

Summer School

Dr Winnifred Bedigen is a Lecturer in International Development at the University of Leeds and a leading scholar of African Indigenous Knowledge systems, peacebuilding, and gender in post conflict societies. Her research focuses on indigeneity, decoloniality, and women’s empowerment across South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and East Africa, grounded in nearly two decades of sustained ethnographic fieldwork.
She is the author of Indigenous Peacebuilding in South Sudan: Delivering Sustainable Peace Through Traditional Institutions, Customs and Practices (Routledge) and co editor of the forthcoming volume Decolonising Research: Indigenous Methodologies in Sub Saharan Africa. Her work has been published in leading journals, including World Development Perspectives, Peacebuilding, the Journal of the British Academy, and the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development.
Dr Bedigen has led and contributed to multiple UK Aid, Research Culture, and ESRC Impact Acceleration–funded projects, as well as community driven development initiatives in Uganda, Sudan, and Ghana, with a particular focus on WASH and context based women’s empowerment. She also collaborates with the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) on policy briefs addressing sociocultural approaches to reducing structural marginalisation.
She is a Commonwealth Scholarship Adviser and an active member of the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) and the African Studies Association of the UK (ASAUK). She also serves on the University of Bradford Africa International Conference Steering Committee. At the University of Leeds, Dr Bedigen is a member of the LUCAS Board of Governors and coordinates the Yorkshire African Studies Network.
Her work bridges scholarship, policy, and community action, advancing decolonial and context embedded approaches to peacebuilding and gender justice.

Norbert Darabos was Austrian Minister of Defence from 2007 to 2013 and Burgenland‘s State Councillor for Social Affairs and Health from 2015 - 2019. He was a member of the Austrian Parliament for many years and in his function as Secretary of the Austrian social-democratic party (SPÖ) he led several election campaigns. As a historian, e is currently the site manager at Schlaining Castle. Since 2019 Norbert Darabos has been President of the ACP. (c) Ricardo Herrgott

Governor Hans Peter Doskozil studied law at the University of Vienna. His professional career was shaped by police activities, where he worked at the Ministry of the Interior, among others, and was appointed Provincial Police Director of Burgenland in 2012. Doskozil held this position until 2016. After holding high-ranking positions in the office of former governor Hans Niessl, Doskozil was appointed Federal Minister of Defence and Sports in 2016, and from 2017 he took on the role of Provincial Councillor for Finance, Culture and Road Construction in Burgenland. Doskozil has been Governor of Burgenland since February 2019. (c) Manfred Weis

Ursula Gamauf-Eberhardt is Senior Program Manager for Peace Education and Course Director of the Master's Program "Peace & Life Skills Pedagogy" (ACP/PH). Ursula is also curator of the exhibition "Schlaining & Frieden" (Currently not on display) in Schlaining Castle and member of the UNESCO Advisory Board on Transformative Education. Her thematic focus is on peace education and peacebuilding.

Susanne J. Györög is the Senior Project Manager of the training section of the cooperation programme with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence and is in charge of managing the the specialisation courses in the framework of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). She brings 30 years of experience to the ACP, including some 20 years of field experience in humanitarian aid, post-conflict recovery, security sector reform in complex emergencies as well as peace missions with additional 10 years experience in development and conduct of specialised trainings in the framework of UN and EU peace missions.

Adham Hamed is Head of Research at the ACP. He is a diplomat and peace and conflict researcher and previously served at the German Foreign Office in Berlin, where he worked as Desk Officer for the Protection of Journalists, Media Makers and Free Speech Defenders in Crises and Conflicts.

Bernadette Holzer is a human rights scholar with over 15 years of experience in peace and conflict transformation and development. Her expertise is grounded in strong academic training and long-term practical engagement, including work with international organisations, NGOs, and academia, with a particular focus on capacity development, training, and strategic programme and organisational development. At the ACP, she contributes to strategic development processes, supports programme coherence, and coordinates the Austrian Forum for Peace.

Astrid Holzinger is a Senior Project Manager at the ACP, where she leads the PeaceTech portfolio. In addition, she oversees projects in the areas of environmental peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and capacity-building. She brings more than ten years of experience in multilateral diplomacy, peacebuilding, and crisis management. In both operational and strategic roles, she has worked for the UN, the OSCE, and the EU, as well as for the Austrian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence. Her expertise bridges policy development at headquarters level with practical implementation of peace work in conflict and post-conflict settings.

Eva Huber is a political scientist with training in African studies and international law and has more than 15 years of work experience in UN peacekeeping missions, UN agencies, and NGOs. Her previous responsibilities have included strategic and operational functions in politically sensitive (post-)conflict contexts, as well as planning, capacity development, project management, and consulting to support peace processes. Intercultural mediation, Latin America, and canines are her favourite topics. (c) Foto Andi Bruckner

Maximilian Lakitsch is a Senior Scientist and Lecturer at the Department of Global Governance (The Foundations of Law) at the University of Graz. He researches and teaches in the fields of peace studies and international relations. Maximilian Lakitsch is particularly interested in critical perspectives on international peace interventions and the integration of environmental and climate aspects into peace practice. His regional focus is on the Middle East and North Africa, especially Syria, Lebanon and Israel-Palestine. (c) Uni Graz

Tobias Lang is Director of the ACP. He studied political science in Vienna and primarily researches religious minorities in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. His also specialises in Austrian foreign policy in the Middle East. As a member of staff in several government offices and Executive Director of the majority faction in the Burgenland state parliament, he gained organisational and management experience at the interface between politics and administration. (c) LMS Stefan Wiesinger

Monika Psenner serves as the Head of Capacity Development at ACP, where she provides strategic and operational oversight of the organization's comprehensive training portfolio. Committed to fostering sustainable peace, Monika actively integrates Environmental Peacebuilding principles into ACP's multifaceted endeavours and advocates for the adoption of the Climate, Environment, Peace, and Security Nexus in both European and global initiatives. She is serving as the ESDC Climate Security configuration’s first chairperson. Monika's academic background encompasses international affairs as well as crisis and contingency management. Bolstered by her professional roots in development cooperation and humanitarian aid, she brings a wealth of experience in intercultural network collaboration, leadership, organizational development, project management, and training to her work.

Oliver Richmond is Professor in IR and Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. He is also International Professor at Dublin City University, Ireland, Distinguished Visiting Professor at EWHA, Seoul, Korea, and Honorary Professor in the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews, Scotland. He is Visiting Professor at Near East Institute, Near Eastern University, Lefkosha, Cyprus. He received a Distinguished Scholar award from the ISA Peace Studies Section in 2019. His publications include The Grand Design: The Evolution of the International Peace Architecture (Oxford University Press, 2022), Peace Formation and Political Order in Conflict Affected Societies (Oxford University Press, 2016) and Failed Statebuilding (Yale University Press, 2014). He is co-editor of the Palgrave book series, Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies and co-editor of the Journal Peacebuilding.

Sophia Stanger is Senior Project Manager and in charge of the project "Capacity Development for Humanitarian Assistance in West Africa". She is also responsible for the Environmental Peacebuilding sector. Sophia Stanger has many years of experience in NGO work, project management and team leadership, for example in the fields of education, humanitarian advocacy and volunteer missions. Her expertise also lies in the intersection of environment/climate and conflict resolution approaches. Sophia Stanger is also a qualified trainer and has completed a mediation training.

Wolfgang Weilharter is the Project Manager for the project "Communal Peace and Conflict Work in Burgenland". His focus is on the implementation of mediation and dialogue processes on the communal level, in the areas of communal politics, housing and neighbourhoods and local coexistence of people of different origins. (c) Foto Andi Bruckner