Can neutrality create peace?

Description

How can Swiss neutrality be reconciled with an active role in international peace promotion? The event examines the tension between neutrality and international engagement and explores the possibilities and limits of a Switzerland that advocates for peace through mediation, conflict prevention, and multilateral cooperation.
The central question is what specific leeway the principle of neutrality provides and to what extent neutrality can be understood as a prerequisite, instrument, or interpretative pattern for peace promotion. What forms of international engagement does it enable, and where does it set boundaries?
On the occasion of the first Swiss Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale 2026, where artist and researcher Denise Bertschi presents her long-term research "State Fictions," the event brings together perspectives from art, history, and political science. Using the example of Switzerland's participation in the Neutral Monitoring Commission for the Korean Armistice (NNSC) since 1953, the evening sheds light on historical perspectives of the Swiss Army's oldest peacekeeping mission on the Korean Peninsula. What significance does neutrality hold in an increasingly interconnected and war-affected world? And how does its relationship to peace, international responsibility, and political engagement evolve?
Program
16:15 Welcome
16:30 Film screening: "State Fictions. Neutral Only on the Outside" (Denise Bertschi, 70 min, 2021)
17:45 Panel discussion with Prof. Dr. Sacha Zala and Prof. Dr. Denise Bertschi
19:00 Aperitif
A collaboration between the Swiss National Museum, Pro Helvetia, and the Centre Culturel Suisse Paris.
The Swiss Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale is commissioned by Pro Helvetia and curated by Claire Hoffmann and Tadeo Kohan (Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris).

Highlights

• Discussion on Swiss neutrality and peace promotion
• Presentation by Denise Bertschi at the Gwangju Biennale 2026
• Historical perspectives on the Neutral Monitoring Commission in Korea

General Information

The event explores the compatibility of Swiss neutrality with international engagement in peace promotion. Experts from art, history, and political science examine the role of neutrality in a globalized world and its influence on peace and political responsibility.

Location

Museumstrasse 2, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

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