About The Festival

UN Reform Ideas Festival is a premier global annual convening that brings together a distinguished constellation of young global leaders, career diplomats, senior foreign service officers, former ambassadors, multilateral negotiators, UN policy specialists, international governance advisors, global cooperation architects, institutional reform advisors, peacebuilding practitioners, development strategists, senior envoys, and other high level experts to share insights, trends, and events shaping the future of multilateralism.

Under the theme ''Reinventing Multilateralism: Leadership, Innovation, and Collective Resilience in a Changing World'', Through high‑level dialogue, strategic foresight, and cross‑sector collaboration, the Festival seeks to generate actionable insights, illuminate emerging trends, and accelerate innovative reform pathways capable of strengthening global cooperation, modernizing international institutions, and equipping the multilateral system for the challenges of a rapidly evolving world and navigate the complexities of an increasingly fragmented world.

Opening Remarks

10: 00 AM - 10: 20 AM ET

Dr. Jean Narcisse Djaha

Chair & Leader, Reform UN Project

Keynotes

10 AM - 11 AM

The accelerating fragmentation of the international system—marked by geopolitical rivalries, contested norms, and declining institutional trust—demands a new generation of multilateral leadership. This panel convenes young global leaders, senior foreign service officers, former ambassadors, and global cooperation architects to explore how leadership models must evolve to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting world order.

Keynote adresses will examine adaptive diplomacy, coalition‑based governance, and new legitimacy frameworks capable of sustaining cooperation amid polarization. Speakers will assess how emerging leaders can build authority, credibility, and influence in environments where traditional diplomatic tools are increasingly insufficient.

The keynote speeches will also highlight innovative leadership ecosystems, including youth‑driven diplomacy, cross‑sector governance alliances, and market‑made approaches to global cooperation.

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Topic: Reimagining Multilateral Leadership for a Fragmented World

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Plenary 1

11 AM - 12 PM

Global institutions face unprecedented pressure to modernize. From digital governance to crisis‑response agility, the next era of multilateralism will be defined by the ability of institutions to innovate structurally, technologically, and procedurally.

This panel brings together UN policy specialists, institutional reform advisors, development strategists, and governance innovators to explore the architecture of future‑ready institutions. Discussions will address reform pathways that enhance responsiveness, transparency, and operational resilience, while integrating emerging technologies, data‑driven decision systems, and new models of global public administration.

Speakers will also examine how institutional modernization can strengthen global cooperation, reduce bureaucratic inertia, and create more inclusive governance ecosystems capable of addressing 21st‑century challenges.

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Topic: Designing Future‑Ready Institutions: Innovation, Governance, and System Reform

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Plenary 2

12 PM - 01 PM ET

Diplomacy is undergoing a profound transformation. Complex crises—from conflict escalation to climate shocks to systemic development disruptions—require negotiation frameworks that are more resilient, inclusive, and technologically enabled.

This panel convenes senior envoys, peacebuilding practitioners, multilateral negotiators, and international governance advisors to explore the emerging practices shaping the new diplomacy. Discussions will focus on secure negotiation environments, anticipatory peacebuilding, crisis‑governance mechanisms, and the integration of resilience thinking into diplomatic strategy.

Speakers will highlight how diplomatic actors can build trust, manage uncertainty, and sustain cooperation in volatile contexts, while leveraging new tools, new partnerships, and new forms of collective action.

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Topic: The New Diplomacy: Negotiation, Peacebuilding, and Collective Resilience

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Fireside Talks

01 PM - 01:50 PM ET

The Fireside Chat serves as the Festival’s intellectual centerpiece—an intimate, high‑level dialogue between two or three distinguished global figures whose careers span diplomacy, institutional reform, peacebuilding, and international governance strategy.

In a world marked by geopolitical fragmentation, contested norms, and systemic volatility, this conversation explores how multilateralism must evolve to remain credible, effective, and future‑ready. The session examines the deeper philosophical and structural questions shaping global cooperation:

• What forms of leadership can rebuild trust in multilateral institutions?

• How can legitimacy be reimagined in an era of shifting power centers?

• What governance architectures are needed to sustain cooperation amid crisis?

• How can youth leadership and market‑made approaches redefine global problem‑solving?

The Fireside Chat blends strategic foresight with lived diplomatic experience, offering participants a rare opportunity to hear candid reflections on the future of the UN system, the evolution of global governance, and the emerging paradigms that will define the next generation of international cooperation.

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Topic: The Future of Multilateralism: Leadership, Legitimacy, and the Architecture of Global Cooperation

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Closing Remarks

01:50 PM - 02:00 PM ET

Dr. Jean Narcisse Djaha

Chair & Leader, Reform UN Project