ICT4Peace held a side meeting at the 6th International Security Forum in Montreux, Switzerland.

The International Security Forum (ISF) was launched as the Institutes and Security Dialogue in Zurich in 1994 and has since been at the forefront of co-operation among international security professionals in East and West within the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace Framework and beyond.

The three Geneva Centres, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) have played a key role in that process, together with the Center for Security Studies (FS) at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) and the International Relations and Security Network (ISN). The main financial contribution to the International Security Forum comes from the Swiss Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The ISF is designed as a forum for discussing ways to increase communication and co-operation between institutions engaged in research related to international security in Europe and North America. Over the years, the ISF has brought together hundreds of researchers, academics, civil servants, military officers, and media representatives from some 55 countries. The conference is biennial and is held alternately in Zurich and Geneva. Due to the success of the ISF, the Swiss government continues to support the conference cycle with its international co-sponsors and partners. The ISF cycle has the following specific objectives:

  • To create a platform for discussion and an exchange of views on academic, military, and practical aspects of security policy
  • To discuss humanitarian aspects of security policy and to encourage dialogue with humanitarian organizations
  • To promote practical co-operation between the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) member states
  • To encourage professional education and the free flow of information on issues relating to international security
  • To foster an international and multidisciplinary dialogue that will identify future key issues and trends in international security