The State of Conflict Conference is an annual gathering that places conflict in the public domain at its core. Public Mediation organizes the conference in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Academics, public leaders, and practitioners come together to engage in open and critical reflection on current societal conflicts.

Conflicts provide a lens through which the tensions facing public and societal institutions become visible. They expose where differences harden into divisions, where polarization intensifies, and where public processes become deadlocked. Through the analysis of real-world conflicts, we gain insight into the implications for governance and social relations, and explore pathways for navigating these challenges in a thoughtful and constructive manner.

At the same time, the conference explores the consequences of avoiding or constraining conflict. When space for dissent and contestation is reduced, democratic resilience may be weakened. For this reason, each edition is guided by a central question: not whether conflicts arise, but how they can be articulated, navigated, and mediated in ways that are both democratic and socially responsible.

Editions of the State of Conflict Conference

Bekijk hier de video over de State of Conflict 2024: