Far beyond a temporary crisis or a smooth global evolution, a “rupture” represents a fundamental fracturing of international frameworks, community ties, and individual stability. It signifies an era where existing social and geopolitical systems have broken down, rendering conventional stability tools insufficient to patch over the cracks. Instead of rushing to enforce a false consensus, navigating this reality requires embracing the tension of these deep divisions to forge flexible, ground-up pathways toward connection.
This November, practitioners, technologists, academics, and artists will convene in Waterloo, Canada to address this challenge at Build Peace 2026. Taking place from November 13 to 15, 2026, the flagship annual event is co-organized by Build Up and the Kindred Centre for Peace Advancement, with support from the Global Centre for Pluralism and the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
Now in its 13th edition, the Build Peace conference has served for over a decade as a premier international gathering focused on emergent challenges to peace in a digital era. Since its inception, the event has explored how local communities and global actors can harness peacebuilding innovations, ranging from digital technology to participatory art, to tackle conflict, polarization, and structural inequality.
The central theme for Build Peace 2026 is “Enabling Encounters.” Acknowledging that ruptures extend beyond geopolitics into everyday social networks and even our personal selves, the conference invites participants into a space to “dwell in the dissonance of this reality” rather than rush “to bridge gaps or sand down rough edges.” The event aims to lay the groundwork for deeper understanding through three daily sub-themes:
- Encounters between resisters and fixers — Exploring how public mobilization and technological solutions intersect when addressing conflict.
- Encounters between rural and urban — Examining how differing priorities and political dynamics shape peacebuilding across geographic contexts.
- Encounters between origins and diasporas — Investigating displacement, global mobility, and how diaspora communities contribute to peace efforts in their homelands.
The event consists of panel discussions, presentations, short-talks, workshops, reflection sessions, and deep networking opportunities.
By bringing together diverse voices from grassroots peacebuilders and artists to technology developers and policy experts, Build Peace 2026 seeks to create tentative, generative connections in an uncertain world.
Visit the Build Peace conference website for full conference registration details, venue maps, and live updates to the program.
