Amsterdam can become a Creative City for a Culture of Peace

Culture of Peace NL • Part of the RYB Global Development network • 193 countries

Promoting the UNESCO Culture of Peace program through Arts & Culture

Who We Are

Culture of Peace NL is the Dutch chapter of Red Yellow Blue (RYB).
RYB aims to connect 193 countries through arts, culture, and the creative industries.
Together, we advance UNESCO’s Culture of Peace programme.

In the Netherlands, that mission starts in Amsterdam.

The Question We’re Asking

How could Amsterdam become a Creative City for Culture of Peace?

Amsterdam already draws artists, students, and global development professionals.
But could the city go further, and become a model for culture-driven peace?

We believe creativity can transform how cities build social cohesion.
This question now guides everything we publish, research, and build here.
It speaks to three audiences at once.

  • Development professionals, who study how culture drives peace and policy.
  • Students, who research cultural policy, gender, and peacebuilding.
  • And visitors, who experience Amsterdam’s creative energy firsthand.

Start anywhere. The question stays the same.

What We Do — Four Entry Points

Global Development
Discover how Amsterdam fits into RYB’s network across 193 countries.
→ Explore Global Development

Culture of Peace
Explore UNESCO’s Culture of Peace programme, and the Netherlands’ growing role in it.
→ Discover Culture of Peace

Creative City Amsterdam
Follow our research into transforming Amsterdam into a Creative City for Peace.
→ Explore Creative City Amsterdam

Amsterdam Directory
Browse galleries, restaurants, and cultural venues across Amsterdam’s districts.
→ Starting in De Pijp

A Building With RYB Colours — From Hanko to Amsterdam

RYB recently proposed the Baltic Culture House in Hanko, Finland.
That 1878 building could become a hub for arts and global development.
It uses a transferable framework: one model, adapted for any city.

Amsterdam could host a similar chapter.
Picture a building painted in red, yellow, and blue.
A space for exhibitions, dialogue, and cultural diplomacy.
A physical home for the Culture of Peace, right here in the Netherlands.

We are exploring locations and partners now.
This page will track that journey as it unfolds.

Our Story — Where Red, Yellow and Blue Began

The Netherlands gave the world red, yellow, and blue as symbols of peace.

In 1917, the De Stijl movement was founded here.
Its artists used these three colours to represent universal harmony.
Bauhaus and Dada carried a similar message across postwar Europe.

RYB revives that century-old idea today.
We turn it into citizen-facing spaces, both physical and digital.

Amsterdam, the birthplace of this vision, deserves its own chapter.

Looking Forward

Culture of Peace NL is changing.
We are moving from a city guide to a global development platform.
Soon, every gallery and venue we list will connect to a bigger story.
That story is about peace, culture, and the future of Amsterdam.

Stay with us as we build it.

An Invitation

This website is for everyone curious about culture and peace.
For the development professional researching cultural diplomacy in Europe.
For the student writing about UNESCO’s Culture of Peace programme.
For the artist asking what Amsterdam could become.
And for the visitor exploring Amsterdam’s galleries and creative spaces.

Start anywhere on this site.
Every page connects to the same question.
How can culture build peace, here in Amsterdam, and everywhere?

In Collaboration With

Sources