Rotary Hosts Peace Builders Conference In Türkiye

By Victor Mensah
Renowned peace experts and Rotarians from across the globe gathered in Istanbul, Türkiye February 20-22 for Rotary’s 2025 Presidential Peace Conference under the theme Healing in a Divided World.

Led by Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick, the three-day event featured discussions around reducing polarization, the role of technology and media, how peace and environmental issues intersect, and practical guidance for fostering inclusive community-led peacebuilding efforts to ensure sustainability.
“Rotary is an organization founded on the principle of advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace,” President Stephanie said. “This conference will showcase Rotary’s ongoing efforts to build peace and provide a platform for collaboration and dialogue. Peace is not only the absence of war, but it is the quality of life—a vision this conference seeks to explore and advance.”

Prominent voices who bring diverse expertise and perspectives on peacebuilding at the conference included Elizabeth Spehar, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support; Nada El Agizy, Director of the Sustainable Development and International Cooperation Department at the League of Arab States; Kumi Naidoo, South African Human Rights and Environmental Justice Activist, and Dr. Ayça Demet Atay, Associate Professor at Near East University in North Cyprus, Rotary Peace Fellow alumna, and founder of the Rotary Club of Peace in Istanbul.

“This conference presents a unique and valuable opportunity where participants will gain practical guidance and fresh perspectives on implementing peacebuilding strategies in their regions and beyond,” said Şafak Alpay, Conference Chair and member of the Rotary Club of Istanbul-Sisli and a past Rotary International Director.
The event also recognized the launch of the Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Rotary’s newest peace center and the first dedicated to peacebuilding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Offering a professional development certificate focused on Positive Peace, the center equips peace and development professionals with practical tools and knowledge to drive peacebuilding efforts and create meaningful change in their organizations and communities.

Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for peace and development leaders to study at its seven Peace Centers. Since 2002, more than 1,800 peace fellows from over 140 countries have been trained, preparing them for leadership roles in government, NGOs, and international organizations.
Rotary has made peacebuilding the cornerstone of its global mission. By addressing the root causes of conflict, and through service projects, humanitarian aid, academic training, and youth exchanges, Rotary creates environments where peace can happen.

Rotary members throughout the world develop and implement sustainable, community-driven projects that fight disease, promote peace, provide clean water, support education, help mothers and children, grow local economies and protect the environment. Over the last 100 years, US $5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation – Rotary’s charitable arm that helps clubs work together to perform meaningful, impactful service.