Event Date: May 27, 2026 - 4:00pm to May 28, 2026 - 12:45pm
Location: FTX 202 & FSS 4004

Presented by CIPS, the Research Chair in Science Diplomacy, the Embassy of France to Canada, the Embassy of Italy to Canada and the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics

What we now know as science diplomacy is profoundly shaped by the postwar rules-based international order. Science diplomacy is an expression of that global order and of the associated emphasis on multilateralism, the rise of public diplomacy, and the ability and willingness of national governments and non-state actors to move beyond security and economic concerns to address other environmental and health-related collective action problems.

As this order is challenged if not ruptured, as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described it (1), so is the theory and practice of science diplomacy. The global agenda is once again focused on issues of security, and multilateral institutions, including the World Health Organization (2), are being challenged to do more with less. Others, like the Arctic Council, are facing a number of challenges arising from the “Russian Dilemma” (3).

This is the backdrop for a series of panels organized by the University of Ottawa/Embassy of France to Canada, Research Chair in Science Diplomacy. These panels will engage with the future of science diplomacy in a rapidly changing global order, even if we are not yet sure what the destination will look like.

We would like to acknowledge the support of the Embassy of France to Canada, the Embassy of Italy to Canada, the Centre for International Policy Studies and the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics, both at the University of Ottawa.

Event #1: Science Diplomacy in the Arctic

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Time: 4:00pm – 7:00pm

Location: Fauteux Hall (FTX) 202

• 4:00pm – 5:00pm: Arctic Science Cooperation and the Shifting Global Order
  • David Sproule
  • Other panelists TBC
• 5:00pm – 5:30pm: The Erice International School on Science Diplomacy
  • Pascal Griset, Sorbonne Université
  • Costanza Conti, Embassy of Italy to Canada
• 5:30pm – 7:00pm: Reception

Event #2: The Implications of the Rupture in the Global Order for Science Diplomacy

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Time: 8:30am – 12:45pm

Location: Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS), Room 4004

• 8:30am – 9:00am: Introduction – A French Perspective on Science Diplomacy
  • Prof. Pascal Griset, Sorbonne Université
• 9:00am – 10:45am: The Implications of the Rupture in the Global Order for Global Health Governance
  • Chair: TBC
  • Panelists:
    • Dr. André Bulabula, Global Strategy Lab, York University/University of Ottawa
    • Prof. Roojin Habibi, Faculty of Law / Global Strategy Lab, York University/University of Ottawa
    • Prof. Patrick Fafard, Graduate School of Public Affairs/Global Strategy Lab, York University/University of Ottawa
• 10:30am – 10:45am: Break
• 10:45am – 12:30pm: The Implications of the Rupture in the Rules-Based International Order for the Theory and Practice of Science Diplomacy
  • Chair: TBC
  • Panelists:
    • Prof. Pascal Griset, Sorbonne Université
    • Prof. Mark Salter, School of Political Studies & Vice-Dean Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa
    • Prof. Michel Audet, HEC, Montréal
• 12:15pm – 12:45pm: Conclusion – A Canadian Perspective on Science Diplomacy
  • Prof. Patrick Fafard, Graduate School of Public Affairs/Global Strategy Lab, York University/University of Ottawa

Footnotes:

1 – Carney, M. (2026, January 20). “Principled and pragmatic: Canada’s path”—Prime Minister Carney addresses the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting [Speech]. Prime Minister of Canada. https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2026/01/20/principled-and-pragmatic-canadas-path-prime-minister-carney-addresses

2- Kavanagh, M. M., & Sharma, S. (2026). The World Health Organization and the Shifting US and Global Political Orders. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 51(2), 329-349.

3- Rees, G., & Büntgen, U. (2024). Russian dilemma for global arctic science. Ambio, 53(8), 1246–1250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02038-z