In 2025, violent conflicts became more protracted, more interconnected and increasingly difficult to solve. From Sudan and Ukraine to Gaza, peace efforts faced mounting challenges while humanitarian needs continued to grow. Yet amid these crises, we also saw remarkable courage and commitment from the people and communities working every day to build peace. Their efforts remind us that lasting change begins with dialogue and the determination to find common ground.
At the Berghof Foundation, we continued to work alongside partners to support inclusive peace processes, and respond to evolving peacebuilding challenges. In the Horn of Africa, we expanded locally led dialogue initiatives to help reduce tensions in Ethiopia while supporting Sudanese insider mediators to preserve channels for dialogue amid a devastating conflict. In Ukraine, we worked with communities and public institutions to strengthen inclusive recovery and social cohesion. Beyond conflict settings, we expanded our peace education programmes in Germany to help young people and educators navigate disinformation and polarisation, while our research explored how psychology can strengthen mediation and peace processes.
Our 2025 Annual Report highlights these and many other initiatives, from supporting insider peacebuilders in Somalia and strengthening local governance in Lebanon to restoring access to clean water through dialogue in Yemen. Through examples from our programmes and insights from the field, it offers a closer look at how dialogue, research and partnership shaped our work in 2025.
