The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in 2018

"Cultural Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding"

(Berlin; May 17th - 20th, 2018 - Held Parallel to the Berlin Carnival of Cultures)

Introduction

The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy is one of the world’s leading conferences in the fields of international relations and cultural studies. Held annually in Berlin by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, the event brings together renowned figures from international politics and academia to speak to an interdisciplinary audience including diplomatic and political representatives, scholars and academics, students and young professionals, and other interested stakeholders. The International Symposium 2018 will focus on the relationship between Cultural Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding through a program of lectures, discussions, debates, and cultural activities.

The change over the past three decades from an international system based on independent nation states to an interdependent world facing global challenges has been widely explored and analyzed. This shift has placed a much higher priority on nation states working closely with one another and pursuing sustainable multilateral approaches to tackling global and regional challenges. The International Symposium 2018 will build on the foundation of these discussions by exploring the challenges that lie ahead and the complex relationship between Cultural Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding over the next years.

Symposium Agenda

The 2018 Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy will take place in Berlin from May 17th - 20th, 2018 and will be held parallel to the Berlin Carnival of Cultures. The 2018 Symposium will include keynote addresses, lectures, and interactive panel discussions and debates in order to create a platform for new initiatives to be created and proposed. To complement and support the symposium curriculum, exhibitions will be hosted parallel to the symposium sessions and site-visits will be arranged.

By creating an effective platform for global dialogue and facilitating engagement with key global decision-makers, the symposium aims to foster greater global trust and understanding, and facilitate new creative and innovative ways to solve the issues which affect the peace and prosperity of the whole world today.

The following issues will be mentioned and explored:

  • Separatist Movements - Separatist Movements in Italy, Catalan Independence, and Scottish Independence
  • The Russia Ukraine Affair, The Russia Georgia Affair, Transnistria
  • Balkans - The Situation in the Republic of Macedonia, The Kosovo Serbia Affair
  • The Rise of Right-Wing and Anti Establishment Politics in Europe

Symposium Locations

Based in Berlin, the conference will be hosted at ICD House of Arts & Culture and in a number of important political, historic, and cultural locations across the city.

Speakers & Delegates

Speakers during the symposium will include leading politicians, senior diplomats, governmental officials, senior academics, 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.

Speakers for the Symposium include (among others) the following Dignitaries:

The Hon. Fredrik Reinfeldt
Former Prime Minister of Sweden		 President Micheline Calmy-Rey
Former President of Switzerland		 President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson
Former Prisdent of Iceland
The Hon. Barbara Toce
1st Vice President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of Europe		 MP Ognjen Tadić
Speaker of Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina		 The Hon. Eunice Campbell-Clark
1st Vice President of the Congress of Regions, Council of Europe
The Hon. Erna Hennicot Schoepges 
Former Speaker of the Parliament of Luxembourg; Vice President, ICD Advisory Board		 Lord Clive Soley
Member of the House of Lords		 The Hon. Ögmundur Jónasson
Former Minister of Justice & Human Rights of Iceland; President, ICD Human Rights

Symposium Participants »

Participation in the conference is open to governmental & diplomatic officials, academics, economists, representatives of the Business sector, artists, journalists, civil society practitioners, representatives of the Business sector, young professionals as well as other interested individuals from across the world.

If you would like to reserve a position and participate in the conference, please click on the link below and fill out the online application form:

Certificate of Attendance - All conference participants will be awarded an official certificate of attendance upon completion of the program, which will provide details of the speakers who took part and the topics discussed.

Participant Papers »

The Conference Committee encourages academic research and analysis of issues related to the goals of the Conference. The Conference Committee would therefore like to welcome the participants of the conference to submit a paper they would like to be considered for presentation at the conference as well as being included in the proposal document that will be issued following the conference and will be sent to all governments and leaders of the international community worldwide.