Contrary to the previously announced dates, the Normandy World Peace Forum will now take place on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 April 2026 (instead of 2 and 3 April 2026), at the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen.
The Forum has been postponed by one week due to the Caen Student Carnival being held on 2 April.

While awaiting the next edition of the Forum, the Normandy Region continues its commitment to peace, freedom, and human rights through several initiatives throughout 2025, both in France and abroad.

In a context of major geopolitical upheavals in Europe and around the world, the Normandy Region reaffirms its dedication to fostering understanding of global geopolitical issues and promoting a culture of peace.
"In just a few years, the Normandy World Peace Forum has become inseparable from our Region’s identity," said Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region, who added: "From now on, the Forum will be held each year in early spring rather than in the autumn."

The World Peace Forum will foster renewed engagement with secondary school students.

For François-Xavier Priollaud, Vice-President of the Normandy Region in charge of European and international affairs and the Region’s outreach, “the Normandy World Peace Forum has become an internationally recognised event. By highlighting youth, it offers innovative formats to help decipher the global shift unfolding before our eyes.”

The 8th edition of the Forum will feature conferences, debates, and meetings with prominent figures from around the world, as well as activities within the Peace Village — a space for dialogue with international organisations and partner NGOs.

This new date will also allow for more in-depth educational preparation for secondary school students during the 2025–2026 academic year, in close collaboration with their teachers. Most of the students, enrolled in the History-Geography, Geopolitics and Political Science (HGGSP) specialisation, will have the opportunity to engage more actively with field experts, diplomats, and researchers, who will help them explore today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges.

A wide range of initiatives will be carried out throughout 2025

In the lead-up to the next edition of the Forum, the permanent “Normandy for Peace” programme continues in full swing throughout the year, with numerous events taking place in France and abroad. Vice-President François-Xavier Priollaud will notably travel to:

• South Korea for the Incheon International Forum, held in partnership with Normandy for Peace on 15 and 16 September 2025.
• The United States, for a Normandy for Peace conference at New York University during the week of 27 October 2025.
• The Netherlands, for an international conference entitled “Women and Peace” on 9 and 10 December 2025 in The Hague.

A webinar was held on Thursday 19 June 2025 in partnership with The Conversation, on the theme: “At the crossroads of environmental and security emergencies, what role for Europe on the global stage?” A replay is available here.

The permanent “Normandy for Peace” programme also continues to develop around four main pillars of action: Normandy for Peace Campus, Normandy for Peace Dialogue, Normandy for Peace Culture & Science, and Normandy for Peace Resources.