A message of hope for 2024 by Justin Vaïsse

Dear friends,

Everywhere, war is gaining ground: in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, of course, but also in the Sahel, the Red Sea, the Korean Peninsula and around Guyana, Iran and Taiwan. Military budgets are soaring everywhere, while only 15% of the SDGs are met.

In 2018, the Forum was created to revitalize multilateralism and thereby prepare the peace of tomorrow. In 2024, it faces the dual challenge of addressing today's wars and advancing international coordination at a time when states are increasingly absorbed by current tensions, as security always takes precedence.

Yet we cannot give up. Neither climate change nor the risk of a new pandemic will wait for wars to subside. On the contrary, they increase the risk of war today and pave the way for the wars of tomorrow. Therefore, we need to work simultaneously on the short term and the long term. The Forum keeps a positive outlook on 2024 – the year of the Olympic Games in Paris, the year of the Summit of the Future, where we will redouble our efforts to build a better-organized, better-regulated, more united, and more peaceful world.

Despite the odds, happy 2024!

Justin Vaïsse, Founder and Director General of the Paris Peace Forum