The Conference Program is under development. Please check back regularly for updated information on speakers. Please note that not all invited speakers listed here have been confirmed yet.
Conference Program and Schedule
PEO Gardens View Conference Hall, Larnaca, Cyprus
September 11-13, 2020
Friday, Spetember 11
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM — Registration and Check-in
6:00 – 7:00 PM — Rally at the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia
8:30 – 9:30 PM — Welcoming Remarks
— Thanasis Pafilis, General Secretary, World Peace Council; MP (Greece) — Confirmed
9:30 – 10:30 PM — Welcoming Reception and Dinner
Saturday, September 12
8:00 – 9:00 AM — Registration and Check-in
9:00 – 9:45 AM — Opening Session
Chair: Dr. Stelios Socofli, Chair, Cyprus Peace Council (Cyprus) — Confirmed
Keynote Speaker:
— Socorro Gomes, President, World Peace Council (Brazil) — Confirmed
10:00 – 11:15 AM — Plenary 1:
Imperialism of the 21st Century: The Old and the New
Chair: Bahman Azad, Coordinator, Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases; Executive Secretary, U.S. Peace Council — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Thanasis Pafilis, General Secretary, World Peace Council; MP (Greece) — Confirmed
— William Castillo, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela — Confirmed)
— Vijay Prashad, Executive Director, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research (India) — Confirmed
Q & A / Discussion
11:30 AM – 12:45 PM — Plenary 2:
NATO, Military Bases, and Violation of National Sovereignty
Chair: Tim Anderson, Author of The Dirty War on Syria: Washington, Regime Change and Resistance, Australia — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Miguel Figueroa, President, Canadian Peace Congress (Canada) — Confirmed
— Liz Payne, Chair, British Peace Assembly (UK) — Confirmed
— Kevin Zeese, Popular Resistance; Venezuela Embassy Protection Collective (US) — Confirmed
Q & A / Discussion
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12:45 – 1:45 PM — Lunch
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1:45 – 3:00 PM — Plenary 3:
Unilateral Economic Sanctions: The New Weapon of Mass Destruction
Chair: Margaret Flowers, Co-Director, Popular Resistance; Venezuela Embassy Protectors Collective — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Carolus Wimmer, President, COSI; Member of Latin American Parliament (Venezuela) — Confirmed
— Sara Flounders, International Action Center; Co-Chair, Sanctions Kill (US) — Confirmed
— Jamshid Ahmadi, Coordinator, ADPSD Iran (UK) — Confirmed
Q & A / Discussion
3:15 – 4:30 PM — Plenary 4: Imperialism and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Chair: Teri Mattson, Latin America Campaign Coordinator, CODEPINK — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Tadaaki Kawata, Board Member, Japan Peace Committee (Japan)
— Ajamu Baraka, National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace (US) — Confirmed
— TBD
Q & A / Discussion
4:45 – 6:00 PM — Plenary 5: Imperialism, the Environment, and Climate Change
Chair: Dr. Zuhal Okuyan, Chair, Peace Committee of Turkey (Turkey) — Confirmed
Speakers:
— João Pedro Stédile, Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), (Brazil)
— Clemente Bautista, Kalikasan Philippines Environmental Network (Philippines)
— Milan Krajca, Coordinator, Czech Movement for Peace (Czech Republic) — Confirmed
Q & A / Discussion
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6:00 – 7:30 PM — Dinner
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7:30 – 9:00 PM — Cultural Event
Sunday, September 13
9:00 – 10:15 AM — Plenary 6: Imperialism and Regime Change Latin America
Chair: Moara Crivelente, CEBRAPAZ (Brazil) — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Silvio Platero, President, MOVPAZ (Cuba) — Confirmed
— Chucho Garcia, Founder, AfroVenezuelan Network; former Ven. Amb. to Angola (Venezuela) — Confirmed
— TBD
Q & A / Discussion
10:30 – 11:45 AM — Plenary 7: Imperialism and the European Union
Chair: Ilda Figuereido, Chair, Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation; former MP (Portugal) — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Stavros Tassos, Chair, EEDYE (Greece) — Confirmed
— Ambassador Rade Drobac, Vice Prsident, Belgrade Forum; Former Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Hungary (Serbia) — Confirmed
— TBD
Q & A / Discussion
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11:45 – 12:45 PM — Lunch
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12:45 – 2:00 PM — Plenary 8: Imperialism, AFRICOM, and the African Continent
Chair: TBD
Speakers:
— Chris Matlhaco Coordinator, South African Peace Initiative (South Africa)
— Mohamed Beissat, Polisario Front (Western Sahara)
— Maurice Carney, Friends of the Congo (US) — Confirmed
Q & A / Discussion
2:15 – 3:30 PM — Plenary 9: Imperialism, Oil, and Regime Change in the Middle East
Chair: Joe Lombardo, Co-Coordinator, United National Antiwar Coalition (US) — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Arsheed Sayasneh, Syrian National Peace Council (Syria)
— Dr. Akel Taqaz, Coordinator, Palestinian Committee for Peace & Solidarity (Palestine) — Confirmed
— MK Aida Touma-Sliman, President, Peace and Solidarity Committee (Israel) — Confirmed
Q & A / Discussion
3:45 – 5:00 PM — Plenary 10: Imperialism and the Asia/Pacific Region
Chair: Rabindra Adhikari, Asia/Pacific Regional Coordinator, WPC; Nepal Peace and Solidarity Council (Nepal) — Confirmed
Speakers:
— Pallab Sengupta, General Secretary, All India Peace and Solidarity Organization (India) — Confirmed
— Henry Lowendorf, Member of Secretariat, U.S. Peace Council (US) — Confirmed
— TBD
Q & A / Discussion
5:15 – 6:30 PM — Concluding Remarks and Adoption of the Conference Communiqué
Chairs:
— Bahman Azad, Coordinator, Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases (US) — Confirmed
— Ajamu Baraka, National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace (US) — Confirmed
Speaker:
— Iraklis Tsavdaridis, Executive Secretary, World Peace Council (Greece) — Confirmed
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7:00 – 9:00 PM — Dinner and Cultural Event
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