10th Anniversary of the Opening IYGU

In the light of the qualification of the IYGU being a “blueprint for the reform of the UN” by a relevant UN diplomat, the conference debates future perspectives for political action towards global sustainability and the role of key partners. The conference programme brings together leading figures from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, politics, civil society, and the arts, who are key agents of change.

In view of IYGU’s impressive success, the anniversary celebration on February 23, 2026, calls for support for its ongoing program, including The Jena Declaration (TJD), the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition, and the set of five UNESCO Chairs created in its aftermath.

Conference Program

Opening

Benno Werlen: Achievements of the 2016  International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU)

Welcome addresses:

Andreas Marx, President of Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Roman Luckscheiter, Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO

Why we need Global Understanding

Introduction

Gordon McBean (Co-founder of the IPCC)

Luiz Oosterbeek (President of the International Council of Philosophy and the Human Sciences)

Michael Meadows (Past-President of the International Geographical Union; Fellow of the Intentional Science Council (ISC))

John M. Dudley (Executive Director of 2015 UN International Year of Light)

Garry Jacobs (President & CEO of the World Academy of Art and Science; Chairman, board and CEO of the World University)

Howard Blumenthal (TV producer for the Disney Channel and Sesame Street and founder of Kids on Earth)

Prof. Dr. Lesley Green (Anthropologist and Professor on Earth Politics; Board Member, UN Decade of Science for Sustainable Development in 2024–2033)

Arts & Global Understanding I

Introduction

Andy Innes (Musician & Producer; Anthropologist and Anti-Apartheid Activist for / with Nelson Mandela) Contribution: Ride to the Sea

Keynote Lectures

Introduction

Paul Shrivastava (Co-President, The Club of Rome): The Quest for Peace for a New Humanity Era)

Hartmut Rosa (Director of Max Weber Center of University of Erfurt, Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair on Global Understanding for Sustainability):

Art & Global Understanding II

Bartu Elci-Ozsoy and his SHARE Ensemble (France), Musical Artist, Conductor and Composer; Ambassador of The Jena Declaration (TJD)

Panel: What is important for You for a concept of global understanding?

Introduction

Art & Global Understanding II

Andrea Green (Composer at Broadway New York, Contribution: Under the Moon)

Panel Contributions

Enrique Aliste Alumna (IYGU Regional Action Center Latin America; Sorbonne Unversity)

Margalit Berriet (Artist)

Bartu Elci-Ozsoy (Artist; Ambassador of The Jena Declaration)

Lesley Green (Anthropologist, University of Cape Town)

Joanne Kauffman (The Jena Declaration)

Prof. Raminder Kaur (Social Anthropologist, University of Sussex)

Aharon Kellerman (University of Haifa; former vice-president, IGU)

Maria Paradiso (Governors Board ISC; University of Naples Federico II)

Open Discussion & Conclusions by Joanne Kauffman & Benno Werlen

Art & Global Understanding IV

We’re All in This Together by Andrea Green (Composer, Theater Director & Music Therapist at the Broadway, New York) & Henry Nevison (Emmy Award Winning Film Writer & Producer)