At the annual ACONA conference, senior arms control and diplomacy experts address prescient topics in the field in a candid exchange with ACONA fellows and alumni and the public. While the program elements of the 12-month ACONA program are only open to current fellows, the ACONA Conference Reykjavík is open to the public.
When: Friday, May 17, 2024
Where: Veröld - House of Vigdís, University of Iceland, Brynjólfsgata 107, 107 Reykjavík, Iceland & Online
Further information and the registration link can be found on the event website.
Program
9:45–10:00 a.m. | Coffee and Light Breakfast
10:00–10:10 a.m. | Opening Remarks
- Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector, University of Iceland
10:10–10:15 a.m. | Remarks on Behalf of ACONA
- Arvid Bell, Lecturer on Government, Harvard University; Member, ACONA Executive Board
- Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Professor of International Affairs, University of Iceland; ACONA Associate
10:15–11:00 a.m. | Opening Conversation: Strategies for Global Security: Nordic Nations’ Approaches to Nuclear Threats
- Margot Wallström, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Sweden
- Moderator: TBD
11:00–11:15 a.m. | Distinguished Greetings: A Chinese Perspective on Arms Control
- Fan WANG, President, China Foreign Affairs University (TBC)
11:15–11:30 a.m. | Coffee Break
11:30–12:30 a.m. | Expert Panel: Echoes of Reykjavík: From Arms Race to Common Ground
- Guðmundur Hálfdánarson, Professor in History, University of Iceland
- Edward M. Ifft, former U.S. arms control negotiator; Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- Pavel Palazhchenko, former personal interpreter to Mikhail Gorbachev; Head of the International Relations and PR Department, Gorbachev Foundation; Member, ACONA International Advisory Board
- Bo QU, Associate Professor and Director, Institute of International Relations, China Foreign Affairs University (TBC)
- Moderator: Christian Ostermann, Director, History and Public Policy Program, Wilson Center; Member, ACONA Executive Board
12:30–1:15 p.m. | Lunch
1:15–2:00 p.m. | Innovation Round Table: Design Thinking, Negotiation Campaigns, and New Ideas for Nuclear Diplomacy
- Mariana Budjeryn, Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School; ACONA Associate
- Sascha Hach, Research Associate, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt; ACONA Associate
- Valeriia Hesse, ACONA Fellow ‘24 and Winner of the January 2024 ACONA Boot Camp Negotiation Award; Researcher, Odesa Center for Nonproliferation
- TBD, ACONA Fellow ‘24 and Winner of the May 2024 ACONA Boot Camp Policy Brief Award
- Commentator: Bruce Turner, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament
- Moderator: Arvid Bell, Lecturer on Government, Harvard University; Member, ACONA Executive Board
2:00–2:30 p.m. | Keynote: The Future of Nuclear Diplomacy
- Bruce Turner, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament
2:30–2:45 p.m. | Coffee Break
2:45–4:15 p.m. | Expert Panel: Avoiding Nuclear Escalation Today: Deterrence, No First Use, or New Forms of Diplomacy?
- Jyri Lavikainen, Researcher, Finnish Foreign Policy, Northern European Security and NATO Research Programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Amy Nelson, Fellow, Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Brookings Institution
- Guy Roberts, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs
- Tong ZHAO, Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie China
- Moderator: Christopher Daase, Professor of International Organization, Goethe University Frankfurt; Deputy Director, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt; Member, ACONA Executive Board
4:15–4:45 p.m. | Closing Keynote: Modern Diplomacy and The Future of the Nuclear Order
- Melissa Parke, Executive Director, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN); former Minister for International Development, Commonwealth of Australia
4:45–5:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks
- Mariana Budjeryn, Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School; ACONA Associate
- Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Professor of International Affairs, University of Iceland; ACONA Associate