Join us for the 4th Annual ACONA Conference Reykjavík!
This year’s theme, “Negotiating the New Frontier: Technology and Conflict in a Changing Geopolitical Order,” will delve into the vital intersections of technology, security, and diplomacy.
Gather with international nuclear arms control experts and practitioners to explore how emerging technologies are reshaping the landscape of disarmament and non-proliferation. This conference offers an opportunity to engage in discussions about the future of arms control and the role of technology in shaping global security.
The conference is a one-day event open to the public and will feature Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Christine Keung, Venture Partner at J2 Ventures and Tong Zhao, Senior Fellow at the Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie China among others.
09:00–09:30 | Opening Remarks
Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector, University of Iceland
Arvid Bell, Chair, ACONA Executive Board & CEO, Negotiation Task Force
Pia Hansson (Conference Chair), Director, Institute of International Affairs, University of Iceland
09:30–10:00 | Spotlight Session – Private Sector and Arms Control
💬 Conversation with Christine Keung, Venture partner at J2 Ventures moderated by Arvid Bell, CEO of the Negotiation Task Force
10:00–11:00 | Panel: "Tech for War or Tech for Peace? Exploring science, innovation & emerging technologies in a shifting geopolitical era"
Christopher Ford, Founding Director of the Center for Strategic Competition, MITRE
Christine Keung, Venture Partner, J2 Ventures
Sibylle Bauer, Director of Studies, Armament and Disarmament, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
👥 Moderator: Christopher Daase, Deputy Director, PRIF
☕ 11:00–11:15 | Coffee Break
11:15–11:45 | ACONA Innovation Roundtable
Mariana Budjeryn, Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School
Sascha Hach, Researcher, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
ACONA Fellow Negotiation Award Winner
ACONA Fellow Policy Memo Award Winner
💬 Commentator: Darius Rahimi, Head of Disarmament Division, German MFA
11:45–12:00 | Conference Address
🎙️ Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Foreign Minister of Iceland
🥗 12:00–12:45 | Lunch Break
12:45–14:15 | Panel: “Lessons Learned from History: The Path Toward Cooperation During the Cold War”
Togzhan Kassenova, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, University of Albany
Rósa Magnúsdóttir, Professor of History, University of Iceland
Pavel Palazchenko, Head of the International Relations and PR Department, The Gorbachev Foundation
Nicholas Wheeler, Professor of International Relations, University of Birmingham
👥 Moderator: Mariana Budjeryn, Harvard Kennedy School
☕ 14:15–14:30 | Coffee Break
14:30–16:00 | Politics Panel: "Negotiation, Leadership, and Trust in Times of Crisis"
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, Germany
Nikolai Sokov, Senior Fellow, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Vienna Center for Disarmament
Tong Zhao, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for Peace, China
👥 Moderator: Nicole Deitelhoff, Executive Director, PRIF
16:00–16:15 | Closing Remarks
🎙️ Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland (2016–2024), Professor of History at the University of Iceland and Chair of the Board, Institute of International Affairs
🍷 16:15–18:00 | Closing Reception
Also check out other Nonprofit events in Reykjavík.
