Cross Continental Cooperation Summit 2013-2014

"Unlocking Potential: Uniting the World's Leading Powers"

(Berlin, Washington, D.C., Sofia, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Addis Ababa, Helsinki; September 2013 - March 2014)

Summit Speakers & Delegates

Speakers & Delegates during the conferences include among others heads of state & leading politicians, senior diplomats, leading governmental officials, senior academics, renowned authors, journalists, and celebrated artists. These speakers will include a large number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board. To learn more about the ICD Advisory Board, please click here.

The following are among the speakers for the summit:

The Berlin Inaugural Event of the Cross Continental Cooperation Summit

"Future Prospects in International and Intercultural Relations: Building Bridges between Europe, USA, Russia and China"

(Berlin; September 25th - 27th, 2013)

  • President Emil Constantinescu
    President of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy; Former President of Romania
  • The Hon. Dr. Francesco Profumo
    Former Minister of Education of Italy; Former Chancellor of the Polytechnic University of Turin
  • President Franco Frattini
    President of the ICD Organization for Youth Education & Development; Former Foreign Minister of Italy
  • Helga Daub,
    Former Member of the German Parliament
  • Mark Donfried
    Director and Founder, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
  • The Hon. Masaharu Nakagawa
    Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
  • The Hon. Dr. Mykola Zhulynsky
    Chairman, State Committee on Intellectual Property, Government of Ukraine
  • The Hon. Dr. Nazar al Baharna,
    Secretary General of the ICD Center for Conflict Zones Mediation; ; Former Foreign Minister of Bahrain
  • The Hon. Simon Crean,
    Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government; Former Minister for the Arts; Former Minister for Education
  • H. E. Amb. Takeshi Nakane,
    Ambassador of Japan to Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Ulrich Brückner
    Academic Director, Center for Cultural Diplomacy Studies - CCDS

The Washington D.C. Summit on Cross Continental Cooperation 2013

"Future Prospects in Enhancing Continental Cooperation to Secure Political, Economic, and Social Progress"

(Washington D.C.; November 4th - 7th, 2013)

  • Amb. Akbar Ahmed
    Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies & Professor, School of International Service, American University
  • Amb. András Simonyi
    Managing Director, Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University; Former Hungarian Ambassador to the United States
  • H.E. Amb. Dr. Božo Cerar
    Ambassador of Slovenia to the United States
  • Prof. Dr. Charles F. Doran
    Andrew W. Mellon Professor of International Relations; Director of the Global Theory and History Program; Director of the Center for Canadian Studies, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced and International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
  • Prof. Dr. Claes G. Ryn
    Professor of Politics, the Catholic University of America
  • H. E. Amb. Claudio Bisogniero
    Ambassador of Italy to the United States
  • Amb. Dr. Cynthia Schneider
    Director of Projects, ICD Academy for CD; Former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands
  • Dick Henry
    President, The Streit Council
  • Prof. Dr. Dorle Hellmuth
    Assistant Professor of Politics, the Catholic University of America
  • H. E. Amb. Elena Poptodorova
    Ambassador of Bulgaria to the USA
  • H. E. Amb. Elin Suleymanov
    Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States
  • President Franco Frattini
    President of the ICD Organization for Youth Education & Development Former Foreign Minister of Italy; Former European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom & Security
  • Prof. Dr. Getachew Metaferia
    Professor of Political Science, Morgan State University
  • Imam Talib Shareef
    President & Imam, the Mosque Masjid Muhammad, Inc
  • Prof. Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan 
    Graduate Program Director and Assistant Professor, Negotiation and Conflict Management Program, Global Affairs and Human Security Program, School of Public and International Affairs, College of Public Affairs, University of Baltimore
  • Prof. Dr. James Stocker
    Visiting Assistant Professor of International Affairs, Trinity Washington University
  • Jaroslav Zajicek
    Chargé d´Affairs, Embassy of the Czech Republic to the United States
  • Dr. Juliana Geran Pilon
    Director, Center for Culture and Security, Institute of World Politics, Washington, D.C.
  • Prof. Dr. Karl P. Donfried
    Director of Programs, ICD Academy; Elizabeth A. Woodson Professor Emeritus of Religion and Biblical Literature, Smith College USA
  • Kenneth R. Weinstein 
    President and Chief Executive Officer of Hudson Institute
  • Dr. Marilyn Sephocle
    Founder and President, the Women Ambassadors Foundation
  • Mark Hyatt
    President, Character Education Partnership
  • Rolandas Kačinskas   
    Minister Plenipotentiary, the Embassy Lithuania to the United States
  • Dr. Tom Palmer
    Senior Fellow, CATO Institute & Director of Cato University
  • Prof. Dr. Sammye M. Miller    
    Chairman, Department of History & Government, Bowie State University

A World without Walls 2013

“ICD Delegation to Israel and Palestine: Strengthen Bridges and Cooperation between Israel and Palestine”

(Jerusalem, Ramallah; November 19th - 20th, 2013)

  • Hon. Ahmad Abbas
    Director General of Ministry of Planning and Administration of the Palestinian Authority
  • Amb. Alan Baker
    Director, Institute for Contemporary Affairs, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
  • Prof. Dr. Alfred Tovias
    Walter Rathenau Professor in European Economics; Chairman of the Department of International Relations; Jean Monnet Chair, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • H. E. Amb. Andreea Pastarnac
    Ambassador of Romania to Israel
  • MK Dalia Itzik
    Member of the Israeli Knesset
  • H. E. Amb. Dr. Dimitar Mihaylov
    Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Israel
  • MK Eli Yishai
    Member of the Israeli Knesset; Former Deputy Prime Minister
  • Governor Gershon Mesika
    Governor of Samaria Council
  • Dr. Joel Peters
    Professor, Government and International Affairs, School of Public and International Affairs, VirginiaTech University
  • Amb. Dr. Jonathan Spyer
    Senior Research Fellow, Global Research in International Affairs Center; Former Israeli Ambassador
  • Dr. Laurence Weinbaum
    Chief Editor, The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
  • Masalha Azmi
    Palestinian Advocate & Notary
  • Amb. Mordechai Arbell
    Former Israeli Ambassador
  • Amb. Moshe Arad
    Former Israeli Ambassador
  • MK Nissim Zeev
    Member of the Israeli Knesset
  • Amb. Oded Ben-Hur
    Senior Diplomatic Advisor to the Knesset
  • Mr. Shay Attias
    Chief Executive Officer, Council for Public Diplomacy
  • ShemTov Menachem
    Program Facilitaror, United Nations Development Program Israel
  • MK Dr. Shimon Ohayon
    Member of the Israeli Knesset
  • Prof. Dr. Shlomo Avineri
    Professor, Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • Yehuda Cohen
    CEO, Lipski Installation & Sanitation Products
  • Yvette Schumacher
    Associate, Israel Council on Foreign Relations
  • Amb. Dr. Yosef Govrin
    Former Ambassador of Israel
  • The Hon. Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
    Speaker of the Israeli Knesset

The Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy 2013

"Cultural Diplomacy & Cross Continental Cooperation: Building Bridges between Europe, USA, Russia, and China"

(Berlin; December 17th - 21st, 2013)

  • Dr. Ahmet Hadi Adanalı
    Advisor of Prime Minister of Turkey for Dialogue among Civilizations
  • Albert Fortell
    Celebrated Austrian Actor
  • Prof. Dr. Álvaro Escribano Saéz
    Vice Rector, Universidad Carlos II de, Madrid
  • The Hon. Anna Diamantopoulou
    Former European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities; Former Greek Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs
  • President Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro
    Former President of Cape Verde
  • Prof. Dr. Aquien Pascal
    Vice President, The scientific Council, Université Paris 4 Sorbonne
  • President Arnold Rüütel
    Former President of Estonia
  • Prof. Dr. Athanasios D. Koustelios
    Vice-Rector, University of Thessaly, Greece
  • H.E Amb. Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu
    Ambassador of Republic Turkey to Germany
  • Beate Finckh
    Celebrated German Actress
  • The Hon. Bertie Ahern
    President of the ICD Program on the Transatlantic Relations; Former Prime Minister of Ireland
  • Bill Summers
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Celebrated American Musician
  • Prof. Dr. Bulyzhenkov Igor Edmundovich
    Rectorate Councellor, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
  • Csaba Sándor Tabajdi (MEP)
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Member of the European Parliament
  • The Hon. Cyril Svoboda
    President, Diplomatic Academy of Prague; Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic; Former Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic
  • The Hon. Dame Tessa Jowell
    Former UK Minister for the Olympics
  • Prof. Dr. Dragan Domazet
    Rector, Belgrade Metropolitan University; Former Minister of Science of the Republic of Serbia
  • The Hon. Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former Vice Prime-Minister, State Minister of Georgia for Reintegration; Former Foreign Minister
  • President Dr. Emil Constantinescu
    President of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy; Former President of Romania; Former Rector, University of Bucharest
  • Prof. Dr. Enver Halilovic
    Rector, University of Tuzla
  • The Hon. Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus
  • The Hon. Dr. Erhard Busek
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former Vice-Chancellor of Austria; Former Minister of Education
  • The Hon. Erna Hennicot-Schoepges
    Vice President of the ICD Advisory Board; Former Speaker of the Parliament of Luxemburg; Former Minister of Culture and Religious Affairs
  • Prof. Dr. Euripides G. Stephanou
    Rector, University Of Crete
  • The Hon. Dr. Francesco Profumo
    Former Minister of Education of Italy; Former Chancellor of the Polytechnic University of Turin
  • The Hon. Francesco Rutelli
    Honorary President of the ICD; Former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy; Former Minister of Culture and Tourism; Former Mayor of Rome
  • The Hon. Gigi Tevzadze
    Rector, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
  • Dr. Günter Seufert
    Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
  • Prof. Dr. Gwenaele Proutière-Maulion
    Vice President, European Affairs and International Relations, Université de Nantes
  • The Hon. Halldór Ásgrímsson
    Vice President of the ICD; Former Prime Minister of Iceland; Former Secretary General for the Nordic Council of Ministers
  • Amb. Dr. Heinrich Kreft,
    Director for international Education and Dialogue among Civilizations, German Foreign Ministry
  • The Hon. Hrant Bagratyan
    Former Prime Minister of Armenia
  • H. E. Amb. Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu
    Ambassador of Republic Turkey to Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Ioannis A. Mylopoulos
    Rector, The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  • Prof. Dr. Ivan Ilchev
    Rector, Sofia University, Bulgaria
  • The Hon. Jadranka Kosor
    Former Prime Minister of Croatia
  • The Hon. Jan Figel
    Vice-President of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Former European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth
  • Prof. Dr. Javier Casalí
    Vice-president of International Relations and Cooperation, Public University of Navarre
  • Minister Jean Paul Adam
    Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Seychelles
  • Prof. Dr. John Chi-Kin Lee
    Vice President, Hong Kong Institute of Education
  • Hon. Jorge Pizarro
    President of the Senate of the Republic of Chile
  • Rear Admiral Dr. Joyce M. Johnson
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Rear Admiral (Ret.) U.S. Public Health Service
  • Master Jun Hong Lu
    World Renowned Chinese Spiritual Leader
  • H. E. Amb. Katalin Bogyay
    Permanent Delegate of Hungary to UNESCO; President of the General Conference of UNESCO (2011-13)
  • Dr. Khaldoon Aba Hussain
    Chief Executive Officer, Isa Cultural Centre, Bahrain
  • Liviu Jicman
    Vice President of the Romanian Cultural Institute
  • Lorenzo Fontana (MEP)
    Member of the EU Parliament
  • Prof. Dr. Ľudomír Šlahor
    Vice Rector for International Relations, Comenius University, Bratislava
  • The Hon. Luc van den Brande
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former Minister-President of Flanders-Belgium; Former President, European Committee of the Regions
  • Marcia Barrett
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Lead Singer of Boney M
  • The Hon. Mari Kiviniemi
    Former Prime Minister of Finland
  • Prof. Dr. Mehmet Aydın
    Former Minister of State of Turkey; Former Member of Parliament
  • Prof. Dr. Michael Lederer
    Executive Vice President - International Affairs & Executive Education, Furtwangen University
  • The Hon. Michèle Alliot-Marie
    Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France; Former Minister of Justice; Former Minister of the Interior
  • Prof. Dr. Mircea Dumitru
    Rector, University of Bucharest
  • The Hon. Mirko Cvetkovic
    Former Prime Minister of Serbia
  • Prof. Dr. Murat Tuncer
    President, Hacettepe University, Turkey
  • The Hon. Nouzha Skalli
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former Moroccan Minister of Social Development, Family, and Solidarity
  • The Hon. Ögmundur Jónasson
    President of the ICD Program for Human Rights; Former Minister of the Interior of Iceland; Former Minister of Justice & Human Rights
  • Ojars Eriks Kalnins (MP)
    Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Latvia
  • Prof. Dr. Patrick Quinn
    Provost, Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy
  • Prof. Dr. Paul De Knop
    Rector, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  • Prof. Dr. Pedro Nonell
    Director, EENI Global Business School, Spain
  • President Petru Lucinschi
    Former President of Republic of Moldova
  • Ribal Al Assad
    Founder & Chairman, The IMAN Foundation
  • Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach
    Rector, University of Luxembourg
  • Prof. Dr. Romulus Brancoveanu
    Dean, Department of Philosophy, University of Bucharest
  • The Hon. Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin
    Former Minister of the Environment of France; Former Minister of Social Affairs
  • The Hon. Rubén Arosemena Valdés
    Former Second Vice President of Panama
  • Prof. Dr. Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño
    President, IE University, Spain
  • Prof. Dr. S. Sibrand Poppema
    President, University of Groningen
  • The Hon. Simon Crean
    Former Australian Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government; Former Minister of Trade;
  • Prof. Dr. Soodursun Jugessur
    Chancellor & Chairman, University of Mauritius
  • The Hon. Staffan Nilsson
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
  • The Hon. Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi
    ICD Advisory Board Member; Former Director General of the World Trade Organization; Former Secretary-General of the UNCTAD
  • The Hon. Tsiaras Konstantinos (MP)
    Member of Parliament Karditsa; Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece
  • President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici
    Former President of Malta
  • Minister Urmas Paet
    Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
  • President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
    Former President of Latvia
  • President Valdis Zatlers
    Former President of Latvia
  • Prof. Dr. Vlad Nistor
    President of the Senate of the University of Bucharest
  • The Hon. Dr. Vladimir Filippov
    Rector, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia; Former Minister of Education of Russian
  • Prof. Dr. Wahid Omar
    President / Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • The Hon. Winston Peters
    Former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Addis Abba Summit on Cross Continental Cooperation

"The Future of the Millennium Development Goals in the African Union"

(Ethiopia, Addis Ababa; January 27th - 31st, 2014 - Held Parallel to the African Union Summit)

  • Amb. Ababi Demissie
    Acting Director General for Public Diplomacy and Communications at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Abiy Berhane
    Director, Promotion and Cultural Exchange, Public Diplomacy Directorate General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • H.E. Aikor Timothy Shirgba
    Senior special Assistant to the Governor of Benue State on millennium Development Goals
  • Baiba Dhidha Mjidho
    Representative of INISE - International Network for Innovative Social Entrepreneurship
  • Prof. Dr. Costantinos Berhuétesfa Costantinos
    Chair, Ethiopica Infrastructure & Tunneling Co. & AAI Capital, Professor of Public Policy, School of Graduate Studies, Addis Ababa University
  • President Emil Constantinescu
    President, the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy; Former President of Romania
  • Ewa Sadowska
    Representatives of INISE - International Network for Innovative Social Entrepreneurship
  • Fantahun Assefa
    Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Sub regional Office for Eastern Africa
  • Prof. Dr. Fekadu Tolossa
    Lecturer, Governance and Development Studies Department, Jimma University
  • Prof. Dr. Genemo Berisa Uka
    Dean, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Jigjiga University
  • Prof. Dr. Getahun Kassa
    Lecturer and PhD Program Coordinator, Center for Human Rights, Addis Ababa University
  • Haimanot Aregahegn Aschale
    Head, Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension in Debre Markos University; Author
  • Hiruy Wubie Gebreegziabher
    Director of the Legal Aid Center, University of Gondar
  • Irmtraut Hubatsch
    Director, Goethe Institute Addis Ababa
  • Prof. Dr. Kelali Kiros Negesse
    Dean, School of Law, University of Gondar; Chairperson, Ethiopian Law Schools' Consortium; Lecturer of Laws
  • Magdalena Chwarscianek
    Representative of INISE - International Network for Innovative Social Entrepreneurship
  • Mark C. Donfried
    Director General & Founder, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
  • Mesfin Lemma
    Specialist, UNICEF Ethiopia
  • Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko
    International Coordinator, Global Educators for All Initiative and Coordinator, Millennium Development Ambassadors
  • H.E. Dr. Sarah Jibril
    Special Adviser to the president of Nigeria on Ethics and Values
  • Prof. Seifudein Adem
    Associate Director, the Institute of Global Cultural Studies & Associate Research Professor of Political Science at SUNY-Binghamton
  • Tsion Teklu Maru
    Supervisory Consular Specialist at the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Ethiopia
  • Dr. Yagoub Ali Gangi
    Associate Professor of Economics, Ahmed Bin Mohamed Military College, Doha, Qatar
  • Mr. Yosef Kassaye
    Director, International Organizations, Directorate General of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs