Event Date: October 9, 2026 - 6:00pm to October 10, 2026 - 5:30pm

Presented by the Group of 78, CIPS and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Purposes of the Conference:
1) To develop an agenda of action to confront the institutions and forces that benefit from the spread and perpetuation of war.
2) To radically shift public and private resources and decisions toward peace, disarmament, and human security.
3) To lay the foundation of the architecture for peace in the 21st century, one that will be capable of addressing and ultimately reversing the complex threats facing humanity and the planet.

Current Context
The global community faces a cluster of dynamic, inter-related crises that have combined to ignite and sustain international, regional and local conflicts: unfettered arms production and territorial aggression by major powers; the growing existential threat of nuclear war; unprecedented disruptions in longstanding trading relationships and defence alliances; the deepening effects of climate change, including extreme weather events; mass migration by conflict and climate refugees; radical economic disparities within and across nation states; extreme political polarization fueled by social media; and wholly inadequate ethical governance of artificial intelligence.

The institutions created after World War II to maintain peace, security and a rules-based international order – especially the United Nations, its Security Council and many conventions; the International Criminal Court; and the Bretton-Woods organizations – have proven incapable of addressing the complexity of this polycrisis. From Gaza to Ukraine, Iran to Sudan, the world is less safe and more dangerous. New momentum must be built to meet this moment.

Deliverables: Engaging a Chief Rapporteur supported by a team of Student Rapporteurs from Ottawa and Carleton universities, the conference will generate 1) a conference report; 2) conference background papers and list of pre-conference readings; 3) a video recording of the proceedings; and 4) a conference statement on how the Government of Canada can and should support, contribute to, and lead the urgent and essential process of reinventing the architecture of peace.

The conference will produce a set of policy recommendations to the Government of Canada.

Registration

If registering online, please select the Program of your choice and complete the registration through the Group of 78’s secure payment processor.

Program 1. FULL IN PERSON CONFERENCE $180 – Students: $90

Program 2. Dinner and Keynote IN PERSON on Friday, October 9 $60 Keynote ONLY $20

Program 3. Saturday, October 10 IN PERSON $120 – Students $30

Program 4. FULL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE $30 – Students $20

You will receive an automatic confirmation of your registration for the program you have chosen (held on Friday, October 9 and Saturday October 10, 2026). Remember to keep your email receipt as it will be your Ticket to enter the event.

If you cannot use the online registration option, please use the form provided HERE. You may print the form, complete it, and write a cheque (made out to Group of 78) . Please send the completed form and cheque to Group of 78 at 411-27 Cardigan Street, Guelph, ON N1H 7V6. Please send it no later than September 30, 2026, to ensure you are registered in time.

If a participant from outside Canada has difficulty transferring funds for registration, we ask you to email [email protected] with a brief explanation and ask for a waiver of the fee.

Programme

Day 1: October 9, 2026, 6pm-8:30 pm, Room FSS 4007, Social Sciences Building, University of Ottawa

• 6:00 pm Registration and Networking
• 6:30 pm Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, and Dinner
• 7:00 pm Keynote Address 1: Reinventing the Architecture of Peace: How We Got Here and What Must be Done
  • Keynote Remarks: Peggy Mason, President, Rideau Institute, G78 Board Member and former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament to the United Nations
  • Host and Moderator: Kizzann Sammy, President, Kochi Consulting, G78 Board Member and Advisor to UN Women’s Caribbean Office
• 7:45 pm Moderated Q+A and Discussion
• 8:15 pm Thank You and Adjournment

Day 2: October 10, 2026, 8 am-5:30 pm, Room 4007, Social Sciences Building, University of Ottawa

• 8:00 am Registration, Networking, Coffee, Tea and Light Breakfast
• 8:30 am Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, Housekeeping, and the Agenda for the Day
• 9:00 am Keynote Address 2: Reinventing the Architecture for Peace: The Five Global Hinge Points of the Mid-21st Century
  • Keynote Remarks: Dan Smith, Senior Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, Blogger, Consultant and former Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
  • Host and Moderator: Leah Darbyson, Researcher and G78 Executive Committee Member
• 9:45 am Moderated Q+A and Discussion
• 10:10 am Thank You and Closing

10:15 am to 10:30 am Break

• 10:30 am Panel 1: Women’s Peacebuilding Strategies: Experiences from Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and Iran
  • Panelists: Evelyn Namakula Mayanja, Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Carleton University. Zeina Mohanna, Executive and Administrative Board Member, Amel Association, Lebanon. Anna Vogt, Director, Advocacy and Public Policy, Mennonite Central Committee.
  • Host and Moderator: Sylvie Lemieux, G78 Board Member and CNANW Board Member
• 11:20 am Moderated Q+A Discussion
• 11:55 am Thank You and Closing

12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Lunch Break

• 1:00 pm Keynote Address 3: Reinventing the Architecture for Peace: Creating a Peace Agenda for Canada
  • Keynote Remarks: Lloyd Axworthy, Former Foreign Minister of Canada
  • Host and Moderator: Susan Tanner, G78 Vice-Chair and Human Rights Advocate
• 1:45 pm Moderated Q+A and Discussion
• 2:10 pm Thank You and Closing
• 2:15 pm Panel 2: New Politics, New Peacebuilding: A Conversation with Leaders and Scholars of Youth-Led Peace Organizations and Political Movements
  • Panelists: Alimi Salifou, Co-Chair, ImPACT Coalition for Future Generations, Nigeria, Others To Be Determined
  • Host and Moderator: Kaima Chuka-George, Doctoral Student in International Development, University of Ottawa.
• 3:00 pm Moderated Q+A and Discussion
• 3:30 pm Thank You and Closing

3:30 pm to 4:00 pm Break

• 4:00 Wrap-up Session
  • Summary of insights and directions from conference deliberations by the Chief Rapporteur and team of Student Rapporteurs from Carleton and Ottawa universities. Comments from participants.
  • Host and Moderator: Richard Harmston, G78 Board Secretary and Chair, Peace and Security Working Group
• 5:15 pm Next Steps, Thank You and Closing
• 5:30 pm Adjournment of the Conference

Conference Speakers: The Group of 78 is identifying speakers for keynotes and panels who represent some of the most leading-edge and critical policy analysis, scholarship, and activism in the peace and security field. These include both international and Canadian leaders and experts. A priority is placed on recruiting speakers from peace-seeking civil-society, women’s, youth and Indigenous organizations in both the Global South and North. The conference will also draw on the deep experience and skill in peace and security among the Group of 78’s own Board of Directors.