At a time of intensifying global conflict and deepening societal divisions, Lisbon will host over 150 global peacebuilders for a pivotal gathering marking the 10th anniversary of the KAICIID International Fellows Programme from the 9 -10 December 2025.

Under the theme “A Decade of Dialogue: Transformation, Impact, and the Way Forward,” the two-day event will bring together current Fellows, alumni, global partners, and interreligious leaders from across the world to reflect on a decade of building trust across divides and to confront the challenges that lie ahead.

At a pivotal time for global peacebuilding, the gathering invites participants to highlight successes, share lessons, and envision the future of interreligious and intercultural dialogue. One of the featured sessions will also address a difficult but important question: What Happens When Dialogue Fails? - providing space to examine how dialogue practitioners can respond when communication breaks down.

“This milestone is both a celebration and a moment of reckoning,” said Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro, Acting Secretary General of KAICIID. “We are living through an era of conflict, misinformation, and fragmentation. If dialogue is to remain a meaningful response, we must reflect deeply on what has worked, what hasn’t, and how we can evolve together.”

Key Themes and Objectives

The anniversary programme will include plenary sessions, breakout dialogues, storytelling circles, cultural performances, and a Fellows graduation ceremony. Sessions will highlight Fellows’ lived experiences across diverse regions; with an emphasis on local peacebuilding, interfaith cooperation, and community resilience.

One of the signature sessions, titled “What Happens When Dialogue Fails?”, will examine the consequences of breakdowns in communication and trust, drawing on real-world case studies from conflict zones. This provocative plenary sets the tone for a gathering that is not only reflective but also forward-looking and critically engaged.

The event will also premiere a new short film capturing the emotional and transformative journeys of several KAICIID Fellows over the past decade.

A Platform Rooted in Portugal, Connected to the World

Over the past several years, Fellows have also had the opportunity to explore Portugal’s rich multicultural and multireligious heritage: visiting places of worship, meeting local religious leaders, and witnessing first hand how peaceful coexistence is practiced in daily life. These experiences have strengthened the Programme’s connection to Portugal and highlighted the country’s role as an inspiring setting for dialogue in action.

“Portugal has long been a meeting point between cultures, faiths, and continents,” said Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro. “It is only fitting that this global reflection takes place here, as we look to the next chapter in the Fellows Programme and in the wider field of peacebuilding.”

About the KAICIID Fellows International Programme

Launched in 2015, the KAICIID International Fellows Programme has become one of the most recognized capacity-building initiatives in the field of interreligious dialogue. With more than 550 Fellows trained across 100+ countries, the Programme equips religious leaders, educators, and civil society actors with the tools to foster peace and cooperation in their communities.

Over the past decade, Fellows have implemented hundreds of initiatives in local communities, schools, universities, and conflict-affected areas directly and indirectly impacting over 500 hundred thousand people worldwide.

Fellows form the backbone of nearly every KAICIID programme, and are called upon as experts, trainers, facilitators, and researchers routinely both within KAICIID and by our partners and dialogue efforts worldwide.

Looking Ahead: Vision 2035

The closing plenary will offer a first peak at the findings of the recently concluded external evaluation of the Fellows Programme, the first since 2019. The session will give Fellows and stakeholders space to reflect on the findings and will contribute to the vision for the next decade. This forward-looking roadmap will explore how the programme can adapt to evolving global challenges and scale its impact through new partnerships, regional cohorts, and digital tools.

As polarization and mistrust rise globally, the Fellows Programme aims to expand its reach, ensuring that more local leaders in fragile contexts can access the tools and networks needed to prevent violence and build resilience.