Join us in the Nordic House on May 23 for the 4th annual ACONA Conference. This year’s theme, “Negotiating the New Frontier: Technology and Conflict in a Changing Geopolitical Order,” will bring together leading experts and emerging voices to explore the critical intersections of technology, security, and diplomacy.

The one-day event is open to the public and will feature speakers including Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs; Christine Keung, Venture Partner at J2 Ventures; and Tong Zhao, Senior Fellow at the Nuclear Policy Program at Carnegie China — among others.

The conference will take place at The Nordic House in Reykjavík on Friday, May 23. For those unable to attend in person, the event will also be streamed live.

Click here for in - person registration

Click here for online participation

Opening Remarks

09:00 - 09:30 GMT

Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector, University of Iceland

Arvid Bell, Chair, ACONA Executive Board, CEO, Negotiation Task Force

Pia Hansson (Chair of the Conference), Member, ACONA Executive Board, Director of the Institute of International Affairs, University of Iceland

Panel: “Tech for War or Tech for Peace? Science, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies in a New Geopolitical Era”

09:30 - 11:00 GMT

Sibylle Bauer, Director of Studies, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Christopher Ford, Founding Director of the Center for Strategic Competition, MITRE Corporation

Moderator: Christopher Daase, Member, ACONA Executive Board, Deputy Director, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:15 GMT

Keynote: Private Sector and Arms Control

11:15 - 11:45 GMT

Christine Keung, Venture partner, J2 Ventures

Conference Address

11:45 - 12:00 GMT

Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Foreign Minister, Iceland

Lunch

12:00 - 13:00 GMT

Panel: “Lessons Learned from History: The Path Toward Cooperation During the Cold War”

13:00 - 14:30 GMT

Togzhan Kassenova, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, University of Albany, Rósa Magnúsdóttir, Professor of History, University of Iceland, Pavel Palazchenko Member, ACONA International Advisory Board, Head of the International Relations and PR Department, The Gorbachev Foundation, Nicholas Wheeler, Professor of International Relations, University of Birmingham

Moderator: Christian Ostermann Member, ACONA Executive Board, Founding Director of the History and Public Policy Program, Wilson Center

Panel: ACONA Innovation Roundtable

14:30 - 15:15 GMT

Mariana Budjeryn, Member, ACONA Executive Board, Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School and Sascha Hach, ACONA Associate, Researcher, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

ACONA Fellow 1: Negotiation Award Winner (unknown at this time)
ACONA Fellow 2: Policy Memo Award Winner (unknown at this time)

Commentator: Darius Rahimi, Head of the Nuclear Arms Control, Non-proliferation and Disarmament Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Germany

Coffee Break

15:15 - 15:30 GMT

Politics Panel: “Negotiation, Leadership, and Trust in Times of Crisis”

15:30 - 17:00 GMT

Philipp C. Bleek, Professor in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Darius Rahimi, Head of the Nuclear Arms Control, Non-proliferation and Disarmament Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Germany, Nikolai Sokov, Senior Fellow, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Tong Zhao, ACONA Associate, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for Peace, China

Moderator: Nicole Deitelhoff, Executive Director, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

Closing Remarks

17:00 - 17:15 GMT

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland (2016–2024), Professor of History, University of Iceland, and Chair of the Board, Institute of International Affairs

Closing Reception

17:15 - 18:30 GMT