Registration Begins

University Welcome

Keynote Address + Interview

H.E. Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Prime Minister, Government of Iraq
Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National (Moderator)

Plenary Speech

H.E. Nechirvan Barzani, President, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Remarks

H.E. Mohamed Al Hassan, Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)

One on One

Panel: The MENA Region in a Changing Global Order

In an increasingly multipolar world, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is navigating shifting power dynamics, fractured alliances, and emerging centers of influence. This panel explores how Iraq and regional actors are adapting to the erosion of traditional geopolitical alliances and power centers. What does multipolarity mean for sovereignty, security, and diplomacy in the MENA region? And how are states recalibrating their positions in response to global uncertainty?

Dr. Maria Fantappie, Head of the Mediterranean, MENA, Istituto Affari Internazionali (Chair)
 

• Victoria Taylor, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
• Krikor Der-Hagopian, Director General of International Relations, Prime Minister’s Office
• H.E. Ann Linde, Former Foreign Minister, Kingdom of Sweden
• Dr. Bader Al-Saif, Assistant Professor of History, Kuwait University; Associate Fellow, Chatham House 
• Dr. Renad Mansour, Director, Iraq Initiative, Chatham House; Senior Fellow, IRIS

Remarks

His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans

Panel: Iran, Iraq, and the Middle East

With major political developments in Syria and Lebanon, the strategic corridor linking Iran to the Levant is undergoing changes that would have been unthinkable a year ago. This panel will examine what these shifts mean for political and security dynamics across the Middle East and the prospects for new alignments or further instability.

Zeinab Badawi, President of SOAS, University of London (Chair)
 

• H.E. Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran
• H.E. Rebar Ahmed Khalid, Minister of Interior, Kurdistan Regional Government
• Amb. Barbara A. Leaf, Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow, Middle East Institute; Former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
• Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman, Gulf Research Center
• Dareen Khalifa, Senior Advisor, International Crisis Group 

Lunch

Keynote Address and One-on-One

H.E. Masrur Barzani, Prime Minister, Kurdistan Regional Government
Dr. Bilal Wahab, President, American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (Moderator)

Iraq’s Energy Sector (One-on-One)

Panel: Revitalizing Iraq’s Economy and Energy Infrastructure

Iraq’s economy is being reshaped by two major forces: global shifts in the energy sector and renewed efforts to build regional economic connectivity. This panel focuses on the infrastructures required to support both—exploring what it will take to sustain and modernize Iraq’s energy sector, and what kinds of transport, trade, and logistical systems are needed to make projects like the Development Road viable.

Raya Jalabi, Middle East Correspondent, Financial Times (Moderator)
 

• Asad al-Edani, Governor of Basra
• Dr. Narmin Marouf, Member of the Finance Committee, Iraqi Council of Representatives
• Abdulla Al-Qadi, Country Chairman for Iraq, Crescent Petroleum
• Jared Levy, Director of Research, Iraq Oil Report 

Conclusion

Gala Dinner