Sarah Benson Joins Global Leaders for Inaugural Peace Begins at Home Summit

14th October 2025: The inaugural Peace Begins at Home Summit will take place on 29 October 2025. This one-day global virtual event will bring together 26 speakers from 17 countries to address violence at its roots and chart a path to peace. Produced by the Center for Partnership Systems (CPS) and inspired by cultural historian Dr. Riane Eisler’s Partnership vs. Domination framework, the Summit reframes peace not as a distant ideal but as a systems challenge that begins where we live, love, and raise each other — in the home.

Global voices include Ela Gandhi, peace activist and former South African MP; Dr. Richard Davidson, neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds; Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, former UN Under-Secretary-General; and youth leaders from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and beyond.

Irish Leadership at the Summit

Irish audiences will note the addition of Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid Ireland, to the Summit’s international line-up. Benson leads national efforts to end domestic abuse and will speak alongside global leaders on strategies to foster safer homes and communities. Her keynote, “Domestic Abuse Is Everyone’s Business,” will stress society’s shared responsibility in preventing abuse.

“Ending domestic abuse is not only the work of organisations or authorities — it is a responsibility we all share. I am honoured to join this global conversation and to highlight solutions that can make our homes and communities safer for everyone,” said Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid Ireland.

The Summit is led from Ireland by Gina Miltiadou, Summit Director and CPS Board Member. Based in Ireland for over two decades, Miltiadou is the creator of award-winning Irish media brands and a recognised leader in strategic communications. She now brings her global experience to directing the Summit, overseeing everything from design through to international execution.

Turning Insight into Action

Inspired by the work of Dr. Riane Eisler (94), the Peace Begins at Home Summit unites global leaders to show how patterns of domination learned at home ripple into classrooms, courtrooms, boardrooms, and even war zones. At a time of rising authoritarianism, climate crisis, and lost hope, the Summit combines lived testimony, research, and practical solutions to reclaim a culture of partnership. Insights will be captured in a Peace Begins at Home Handbook, shared worldwide to drive impact beyond the day.

  • Confirmed speakers include 26 leaders from 17 countries, among them:
  • Dr. Riane Eisler (94) – Holocaust survivor, cultural historian, systems scientist, and author of The Chalice and the Blade
  • Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury – Former UN Under-Secretary-General and champion of the culture of peace
  • Dr. Richard Davidson – World-renowned neuroscientist and TIME 100 honoree
  • Ela Gandhi – Global peace activist, women’s rights advocate and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi
  • Gary Barker & Jackson Katz – International pioneers in reshaping masculinity
  • Angela Sterritt – Award-winning investigative journalist and author, serving as MC

Key themes guide the day – Family & Childhood, Gender Relationships, Economics & Care, Media & Culture, War & Conflict, and Nature & Environment – culminating in a Solutions Showcase of practical initiatives that can be adopted globally, followed by Voices of the Future, a youth-led segment calling peers and leaders to urgent, actionable partnership.

Access & Tickets

  • All tickets include 30-day replay access. Prices are intentionally low, with bursaries available:
  • Early Bird – €30
  • Supporter Ticket – €60 (funds a ticket for someone else who cannot afford it)
  • Solidarity Pass – Free (bursary option)
  • Community Screening – €130 (one-time group viewing for up to 100 people; non-commercial)
  • Full details and registration: www.peacebeginsathomesummit.org

About Dr. Riane Eisler
Dr. Eisler is a cultural historian, and systems scientist, best known for The Chalice and the Blade (translated into 25+ languages). She has advised the UN, EU, and US government, was named one of the world’s “great peacemakers” alongside Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and shares the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Distinguished Peace Leadership Award with the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
About the Center for Partnership Systems (CPS)

CPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit advancing a global shift from domination to partnership through research, education, and practical tools. CPS works with institutions, governments, and communities to build more caring, equitable, and sustainable societies.
www.peacebeginsathomesummit.org