Ottawa is welcoming delegates to the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding, which opens today at the University of Ottawa and runs until 19 June 2026.
Convened by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and the University of Ottawa, the conference brings together an international community of academics, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, students and peacebuilding specialists working at the intersection of environment, conflict and peace. Taking place in person and online, the event will provide a platform for global knowledge exchange at a time when climate change, resource pressures, displacement, biodiversity loss and geopolitical instability are increasingly interconnected.
The programme will explore a wide range of themes, including extractivism, emerging technologies and energy transition, environmental change, displacement and mobility, law, power and decolonisation, the future of environmental peacebuilding, and conservation, conflict and cooperation. Discussions will also consider the importance of diverse perspectives, tools and methodologies, ensuring the programme reflects both the complexity of the field and the practical need for collaboration across disciplines, sectors and geographies.
The conference is expected to create significant value through the exchange of ideas, the strengthening of international research and policy networks, and the development of new connections between Ottawa’s local expertise and the global environmental peacebuilding community. With attendees engaging across academic, government, NGO and practitioner perspectives, the event reflects the type of cross-sector dialogue that international association meetings are uniquely placed to deliver.
Stephanie Seguin, Vice President, Sales, Business and Major Events at Ottawa Tourism, said: “We are proud to welcome the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding to Ottawa. This is an important international gathering, focused on issues that are shaping communities, governments and ecosystems around the world. What makes this event particularly powerful is the way it connects global discussion with local expertise. Ottawa is home to the federal institutions, academic leaders, NGOs and international networks that are directly relevant to the themes being explored this week. That means delegates are not only meeting in Canada’s capital, they are engaging in a destination where many of these issues are actively researched, debated and advanced.”
“It is also particularly meaningful that the conference comes to Ottawa following its 2024 edition in The Hague. Through the H2O partnership, we have built a strong working relationship with The Hague Convention Bureau, based on shared insight, trust and a commitment to helping association clients succeed over the long term. This event demonstrates how destination collaboration can support the journey of an international conference, helping organisers build on the strengths of one host city while opening new opportunities in another.”
The arrival of the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding supports Ottawa Tourism’s wider strategy to attract events aligned with the city’s knowledge-sector strengths. These include public policy, sustainability, life sciences, technology, defence and security, international affairs and research-led association meetings.
It also demonstrates the role major conferences can play in strengthening a destination’s connections with global communities of expertise. Through the Environmental Peacebuilding Association’s international network, alongside the reach of local partners such as the University of Ottawa, the event brings global perspectives into Ottawa while showcasing the city’s own strengths in environmental policy, international development, academic research and peacebuilding.
The International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding also reflects the continued value of H2O, the long-standing partnership between Ottawa Tourism and The Hague Convention Bureau. Built around collaboration rather than competition, H2O enables the two destinations to share intelligence, learn from previous events and support associations as they move between host cities. For organisers, it creates access to two capital destinations with strong governmental, diplomatic, academic and international association credentials. It is a clear example of how destinations can work together to support associations over multiple event cycles, helping them carry momentum from one host city to the next while benefiting from fresh local expertise, networks and perspectives.
Photo Credit: James Peltzer
