Conference Programme

We are excited to invite you to register to attend all or part of the Next Century Foundation’s ten-day Healing the Nations conference this summer from Saturday, July 1st to Monday, July 10th 2023.

• All times noted are in British Summer Time (BST).

• The opening session and the session on women’s rights will be on the record, but all other sessions will not. There will be no charge for those who wish to attend.

• Sessions will be conducted via Zoom, where the room will open at 10AM each day. Each conference session will last two hours. We anticipate a productive, open discussion.

• You will need to register in advance for these meetings and identify the sessions you wish to attend.

There is one link for the morning sessions, and another link for the afternoon sessions.

If you’d like to register for a morning session please use this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kdu2rpz0jG9fCqi9Nn-0HvJ_lnHI5PFgB

If you’d like to register for an afternoon session please use this link AND SCROLL DOWN:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvc–vpjIsHNENXui_ziHoGbAKB7EJwQ2F

COSMOPOLITANISM : 

Day 1: Beginnings: Saturday, 1st July 2023 from 3 pm – 5 pm BST London (10 am EDT New York)

Opening Speakers and Chair:

• Kwame Anthony Appiah FRSL, Professor of Philosophy and Law, New York University
• William Morris LL.D., Secretary General, The Next Century Foundation
• Ms Tanya Goyal, UN Liaison Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)

The core of the philosophical ideology of cosmopolitanism follows the idea that all humans, regardless of social, geographical and economic background, are part of one global community, and are therefore entitled to equal respect. In our opening session, Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah will discuss this philosophy and what it could mean for the way we wage peace.

SYRIA: Diplomatic normalisation and regional integration

Day 2: Sunday 2 July 2023 from 3 pm to 5 pm BST (5pm Damascus)

Opening Speakers, statements and chair:

• Ammar Waqqaf, Founder of Gnosos – an organization that expresses the opinions of stakeholders in the Middle East and Syria
• Anwar Mohamed Yussef, Kurdish Democratic Party
• Diren Dag, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)
• Eloise Sinclair, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (oral statement)

The civil war in Syria has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of people facing poverty and economic hardship, food insecurity and a lack of access to water.

ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: Fact, Faith, and Future.

Day 3: Monday, 3rd July 2023 from 10:30 am-12:30 am BST (12.30 pm Jerusalem time)

Opening Speakers:

• Hillel Schenker, co-editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal
• Adel Zaanoon, Senior AFP Correspondent, and Head of the Gaza Press Bureau, Gaza, Palestine
• Diren Dag, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (oral statement)
• William Morris LL.D., Secretary General, The Next Century Foundation (chairperson)

There have been numerous violent clashes during the Israel-Palestine conflict. What is a feasible way forward for escaping this cycle of violence and start initiating productive peace talks? The current NCF written statement to the UN on this subject prepared by NCF Research Officer Eloise Sinclaire is here.

ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST: When Crises Collide

Day 3: Monday, 3rd July 2023 from 3 pm – 5 pm BST (5 pm Jerusalem time)

Opening Speaker and chair:

• Dan Meridor, Israel’s Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence
• William Morris LL.D., Secretary General, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)

Recent elections, protests and the collapse of the economic situation have culminated in a crisis for Israel. But Israel’s development of a relationship with the wider Middle East is running ahead like a steam train. This session will look to discuss how Saudi Arabia and Iran might help Israel move on from this current situation of instability and unrest.

WOMEN’s RIGHTS in the MIDDLE EAST: Finding a way forward

Day 4: Tuesday, 4th July from 10:30 am-12:30 pm

Opening Speakers and Chair:

• Ms Ahlam Akram, Founder of the British Arabs Supporting Universal Women’s Rights (BASIRA) organization
• Ms Nahla Al-Ageli, Freelance Journalist and Blogger
• Ms Zahra’ Langhi is a feminist activist and the co-founder of Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP)
• Ms Shristi Sharma, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)
• Ms Tanya Goyal, NCF UN Liaison Officer (oral statement)

Women’s rights in the Middle East are taking a step backwards. This session will discuss the current situation, the need for a return to progress and the ways to protect the freedoms to which the women of the Middle East are entitled.

AFGHANISTAN: Resolving the Political Paralysis

Day 4: Tuesday, 4th July 2023 from 3 pm – 5 pm BST (6.30 pm Kabul time)

Opening Speaker and chair:

• HRH Prince Nadir Naim, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Kabul Institute of Peace
• William Morris LL.D., Secretary General, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)

This event will look deeper into the issue of political malaise in Afghanistan. There is still no international rapprochement with the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan are facing the economic consequences.

UKRAINE: The Outlook for a Lasting Peace 

Day 5: Wednesday 5th July 2023 from 10.30 am – 12.30 am BST

Opening Speaker:

• Sergei Medvedko, Associated Professor at the Russian State Universities for the Humanities in Moscow
• Solen Ronarch, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (oral statement)

The war in Ukraine has become the most dangerous conflict in the world. We will be looking at the best way forward at a highly sensitive time in international affairs. The current NCF written report to the United Nations prepared by NCF UN Liaison Officer Tanya Goyal is here.

YEMEN: The Threat from Complacency

Day 5: Wednesday 5th July 2023 from 3 pm – 5 pm BST

Opening Speaker and Chair:

• Dr. Abdul Galil Shaif, Chairman of Friends of South Yemen
• Solen Ronarch, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chair)

This event will examine concerns about the future of Yemen and chances of a genuine peace.

IRAQ

Day 6: Thursday, 6^th July 2023 from 10:30 am – 12:30 am BST

Opening Speaker and chair:

• Mr Ali Al-Mamouri, Associate Editor for Iraq at Al-Monitor
• Ms Saira Ghani, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)

The focus of this conference session will be to examine the current stability of Iraq and explore potential pathways towards a more promising future.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Congo’s Agony – the unknown mineral war in the heart of Africa

Day 6: Thursday, 6^th July 2023 from 3 pm – 5 pm BST

Opening Speakers:

• Penelope Abraham, Coordinator of the Justice Congo Group
• Kenyatta Mirindi, Coordinator of the Justice Congo Group
• Frederick Holloway, UN Liaison Officer for the Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)

An introduction to the horrific situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where DRC’s neighbour Rwanda is waging a war against the Congolese people, through its proxy militia, M23. The aim of this war is to access and smuggle minerals required by richer countries for mobile phones and other technology, by terrorising the local population with violence, murder and rape.

CYPRUS: Breaking the Political Deadlock

Day 7: Friday, 7^th July 2023 from 3 pm-5 pm (5pm-7pm Cyprus/Greece/Turkey time)

Opening Speakers:

• Katie Clerides, Honorary President of the Glafkos Clerides Institute
• Dr Meltem Onurkan Samani, General Coordinator of the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Centre
• Frederick Holloway, UN Liaison Officer for the Next Century Foundation

Cyprus’s political situation is a complex one, marked by a division between the Greek Cypriot-controlled south and the Turkish Cypriot-controlled north. Efforts for reunification have been ongoing, but the issue remains unresolved, resulting in de facto partition and ongoing tensions on the island.

SUDAN: Grappling with Fragility and Division

Day 8: Saturday, 8^th July 2023 from 3 pm-5 pm

Opening Speakers and Chair:

• Eiman Hamza, Head of Sudan Unit, NCF
• Dame Rosalind Mary Marsden DCMG, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, former British Ambassador to Sudan and former EU Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan
• Eloise Sinclair, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)
• Shristi Sharma, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (oral statement)

With a conflict spanning more than four decades, Sudan’s long-standing turmoil raises questions about its potential resolution. This conference session aims to analyse Sudan’s delicate political situation and explore tangible measures that can be taken to pave the way for lasting peace. The current NCF written report to the United Nations on the Subject prepared by NCF Research Officer Gnebe-Awa Diouf is here.

LEBANON: When Crises Collide

Day 9: Sunday, 9^th July 2023 from 3 pm-5 pm

Opening Speakers and Chair:

• Assaad Chaftari, Initiatives of Change, former senior Lebanese Christian militia commander and intelligence officer
• Jaafar Al Ahmar, Former Senior Journalist with the Al-Hayat Newspaper
• Alejandra Tapia Basanta, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson and oral statement)

Political corruption, economic mismanagement, a massive debt burden, social inequality, sectarian divisions, and the impact of regional conflicts has led to a deteriorating socio-economic situation and political instability in Lebanon.

SAUDI ARABIA AND IRAN: Diplomatic Normalization and Reflections

Day 10: Monday, 1o^th July 2023 from 3 pm – 5 pm

Opening Speakers and Chair:

• Dr. Neil Partrick, Freelance Analyst Focusing on the Arabian Peninsula
• William Morris LL.D., Secretary General, The Next Century Foundation
• Ms Juliette Feller, Research Officer, The Next Century Foundation (Chairperson)

This will be a discussion on the rapprochement of Saudi Arabia and Iran. The talk will focus on the durability of this compromise and what it means for the future peace of the Middle East and geopolitics worldwide.