Dialogue of Civilizations Rhodes Forum Focuses on Search for New Global Narratives, First Headline Speakers Named

• 17th edition of Dialogue of Civilizations flagship public event marks 30 years since fall of Berlin Wall with focus on search for new narratives in a globalising world;
• Confirmed speakers included best-selling author Bruno Maçães, former Europe Minister of Portugal; Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel; and former Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer.
• Forum focuses on three key themes: Sustainable economic development; Global architecture and global (geo)politics; Digitalised lives, ethical standards, and the revival of civility.
• 17th Rhodes Forum takes place on 11-12 October 2019 on the Greek island of Rhodes

With Photo

BERLIN, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This year's Rhodes Forum - the flagship public event of the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute (DOC), the independent non-partisan Berlin-based think tank - will focus on the search for new global narratives as the world marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first headline speakers for the 2019 Rhodes Forum have also been announced.

Under the title "Global (Dis)Order: Towards Dialogue-Based Worldviews", the 17th Rhodes Forum will raise the tough question of stimulating a new narrative founded on values that continue to be cherished and shared by many. Panels will examine what the most pressing global challenges are and what solutions to them could look like. Most importantly, the Forum will strive to offer new and workable ideas and policy recommendations and to define how and where action can begin.

The opening plenary session "30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall: In Search of a Roadmap and a Compass", brings together distinguished high-profile public figures from a diversity of backgrounds including:

• Bruno Maçães, best-selling author of "The Dawn of Eurasia" and "Belt and Road" and former Europe Minister of Portugal;
• Alfred Gusenbauer, former Chancellor of Austria;
• Gabriella Ramos, OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20;
• Miguel Ángel Moratinos, UN High Representative for the Alliance on Civilizations and former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs; and
• Chen Dongxiao, President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

The session will be moderated by Stephan Grobe, Brussels Correspondent of Euronews.

The DOC was one of the first organisations to propose a civilizational research approach that focuses on the anthropological and systemic roots of contemporary crises. A second plenary session will therefore address the topic of "civilizational states", which has in recent months garnered significant attention in global media including the FT and New Statesman.

Headline speakers on this panel include former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; Christopher Coker, Director of LSE IDEAS, the foreign policy think tank of the London School of Economics; Naciye Selin Senocak, Chair Holder for UNESCO for Cultural Diplomacy, Governance and Education, Turkey; Pascal Boniface, Founder of the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS); and Amitav Acharya, Professor of International Relations at the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC.

Bruno Maçães will also speak on the plenary session "Examining Geopolitical World Views: Battle of Giants?" moderated by distinguished British journalist and broadcaster Mary Dejevsky. Other confirmed speakers on the panel include Wang Huiyao, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing; Alexey Gromyko of the Institute for Europe; and DOC co-founder Professor Peter Schulze of the University of Göttingen.

For more information about the Rhodes Forum and to secure your place, please visit www.rhodesforum.org

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About the 17th Rhodes Forum

The Rhodes Forum aims to facilitate a better understanding of the deep changes our societies are undergoing. It will shed light on initiatives that contribute substantially towards sustainable economic development; propose new concepts for the architecture of international governance in the context of shifts in power within the global economy; and it will examine the restoration of civility and promotion of ethical standards in the digital age.

Since 2003 the Rhodes Forum has brought together leaders from the business, academic, diplomatic and political communities, including current and former heads of state and government, to discuss crucial issues facing the world today. Throughout its history, its hallmark has been the pioneering spirit, inclusiveness, and moral resilience of its participants in their work to tackle the problems we face.

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