During the inaugural Western Balkans Peace Forum, which took place in Podgorica, Montenegro, on March 3rd and 4th, international organizations, a united front of peace activists and young people highlighted the values of regional cooperation and youth engagement in building a better and safer society.
Identity-based violence and its causes continue to be a widespread issue throughout the Western Balkans, even thirty years after the end of the wars in the 1990s.
On March 3 and 4, 2026, representatives of 25 civil society and international organizations converged on Europe House in Podgorica, Montenegro, for the inaugural Western Balkans Peace Forum (WBPF), organized by the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) with its partners.
The Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IRC-BiH), joining representatives of Islamic, Orthodox, Catholic and Jewish religious communities, epitomizes a contextual approach to post-conflict coexistence and sustainable peacebuilding.
While regional politicians are increasingly embracing nationalist rhetoric and deepening divisions, young people from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia are takin a different approach - one based on daily collaboration, solidarity, and learning.