New Year - New Name

Geneva Academy for Peace & Mediation becomes the Arete Academy Geneva

We are happy to announce that the Geneva Academy for Peace & Mediation becomes, with immediate effect, the Arete Academy Geneva. This change has been decided to better reflect the Academy’s commitment towards a holistic philosophy and approach designed to raise human capital and optimise individual potential.

Why Arete? Arete (ἀρετή), an ancient Greek word implying "excellence of any kind", most aptly describes what we stand for. The notion of excellence is intimately bound up with that of fulfilment, or the art of living up to one's full potential. Historically, these concepts are closely related to “oneness of mind, unanimity and justice” in that they all implicitly recognise knowledge as the highest form of human potential – a central capacity from which all other attributes and abilities are derived.

We particularly felt that the word better reflected our passion for education and the special commitment we extend to all our students. Education must, we consider, be a two-fold process which, besides enabling acquisition of the requisite basic knowledge, should, in order to be truly effective, devote parallel emphasis to the on-going development of enlightened values and behaviour, as well as the social and other skills needed to enable individuals to realise their highest potential, in harmony with themselves, with others and the environment.

Comprehensive Training Programmes

The Academy serves to develop human capital through training, facilitation, coaching and consulting, all tailored to the specific needs of public and private sector organisations and/or individuals. Entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, activists, human resource specialists, and managers are all faced with the constant challenge of both maintaining and extending their core knowledge and skills sets in line with rapidly evolving global circumstances and practice. Our international capacity building workshops are precisely designed to offer practical, targeted assistance in this respect for companies, governments and NGO's as well as concerned individuals and decision makers. The human dimension is central to all our programmes.

​Our trainings are designed to provide the understanding, tools and practical skills required for conflict resolution, negotiation and other skills that enable leaders and decision makers to engage pro-actively with their specific environments and perform more effectively. ​Classes are interactive, building from and dynamically extending the existing knowledge and experience of participants. Through group work and discussions, we impart conceptual input as well as hands-on learning methods. Practical tools and concepts are introduced and constructive case studies examined.

​The Arete Academy Geneva is located in the heart of Geneva, a seat of the United Nations and its specialised agencies and a city with a long history of dedication to excellence and the advancement of knowledge. The Academy's roster of internationally renowned lecturers ensures modern and dynamic courses, blending theory and practice so as to enable students to take away concrete skills and knowledge.

“The beautiful thing about learning is

that nobody can take it away from you.”

B.B. King

Sibylle Rupprecht – Director

Shahida M. Mohamed - Director