Harpa conference hall - Silfurberg - Silfurberg
- Free admission
Join us on October 12, for The Imagine Forum, the annual peace conference hosted by Höfdi Reykjavik Peace Centre in collaboration with the Office of the President of Iceland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the City of Reykjavik and the Institute of History at the University of Iceland.
Marking the 40th anniversary of the historic Reykjavík Summit at Höfði House, this year's conference reflects on the lessons of dialogue and diplomacy in addressing today's increasingly complex global challenges.
As geopolitical tensions rise, arms control frameworks weaken, and the rules-based international order comes under growing pressure, the Forum will bring together leading experts from across government, academia, international organizations, and civil society to explore how constructive engagement, inclusive dialogue, and international cooperation can help build a more peaceful and secure future.
The Conference is open to all, reserve your place –Click here to register
Programme:
09:30 – 09:45 Opening address Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs
09:45 – 10:00 Rebuilding Trust: Pathways to Disarmament in an Age of Nuclear Risk
Keynote address Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations
10:00 – 10:30 Conversation with Izumi Nakamitsu
Moderated by Pat Mitchell, former journalist and media executive
10:30 – 10:50 Coffee Break
10:50 – 12:00 40 Years After the Reykjavík Summit: History, Legacy, and Lessons for the Future
Featured Address Billy Long, U.S. Ambassador to Iceland
Panel discussion Sergey Radchenko, Rupert Murdoch Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS, Sharon Weiner, Associate Professor at the School of International Service at American University and Thomas Blanton, Director, National Security Archive George Washington University
Moderated by Rósa Magnúsdóttir, Professor of History at the University of Iceland
12:00– 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 13:15 Leadership, Humanity and Hope in a Divided World
Conversation with Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland, Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Moderated by Christiane Amanpour, Journalist and Chief International Anchor for CNN
13:15 – 13:50 Human Rights in a World of Growing Conflict
Introductory Remarks Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Rector of the University of Iceland
Address by Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights followed by a Q and A with Laura Sólveig Lefort Scheefer, Chair at the Icelandic Young Environmentalists, Heiðrún Vala Hilmarsdóttir, Icelandic Youth Delegate to the UN and Amnesty Youth Activist, and Loki Pálmason, Deputy Chair of ÖBÍ Youth Council, Moderated by Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir
13:50 – 14:10 Coffee Break
14:10 – 15:10 The Return of Great-Power Rivalry: Between Deterrence and Dialogue
Opening remarks Carlo Masala, Chair for Security and Defence Studies at Bundeswehr University Munich
Panel Discussion Isabel Bramsen, Director of Peace and Conflict Studies and Associate Professor at Lund University, Erlingur Erlingsson, Defence Expert and Senior Visiting Fellow at the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Iceland and Carlo Masala
Moderated by Pia Hansson, Director of Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre
15:10 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 16:00 40 Years After the Reykjavík Summit: Coexistence on a Planet Under Stress
Conversation with Sara Olsvig, Senior Emissary for the Central Arctic Ocean, Arctic Circle and former Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Indigenous Mbororo Leader, President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), and Chair of Planetary Guardians
Moderated by Halldór Þorgeirsson, Chair of the Icelandic Climate Council
16:00 – 16:30 The Next Generation on Peace and Democracy
A conversation between Hildur Björnsdóttir, Mayor of Reykjavik, and members of the Reykjavik Youth Council
16:30 – 16:45 Introduction of finalists for the Mayors for Peace Children’s Art Competition “Peaceful Towns”
Hildur Björnsdóttir, Mayor of Reykjavík
16:45 – 17:00 Closing Address - The Next Forty Years: Future Perspectives on Peace and Conflict
Bergur Ebbi, Writer and Orator
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Buses 14, 1, 6, 3 and 12 stop at the University of Iceland in Vatnsmýri. Buses 11 and 15 also stop nearby. Let's travel in an ecological way!