The UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Competences hosted by Stellenbosch University is pleased to announce its inaugural Annual Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, at Strathmore University from 14 to 15 October 2024. The theme of the Conference is Exploring Intercultural Competences in an African Context.The conference, featuring a keynote from Milton Nyamadzawo, Southern Africa Director at the Institute for Economics and Peace, will have contributions from academics and researchers, professionals, practitioners, educators, innovators, leaders and organisations with an interest in the theme. The specific sub themes are: How do aspects of Intercultural Competence intersect, interact and influence climate action, gender equality, or peacebuilding? The existence and use of intercultural practices in pre-colonial times. Intercultural tools available to the practitioner (for example; Cultural diversity and ethics; Ethical encounters and interactions; Culturally responsive teaching; Collaborative Online International (intercultural) Learning (COIL); tools for understanding values across multi-cultural and multi-religious societies) Responding to the theme and sub-themes above, we look forward to the sharing of research, reflections, lived experiences and examples from practice in the form of Parallel sessions, and Poster Presentations. Note that a side event will take place on 16 October, hosted by the Institute of Economics and Peace.

The Institute for Economics and Peace, the world's pre-eminent think tank measuring peace and quantifying its economic value, will be releasing the annual Ecological Threat Report. The 2024 report will assess ecological threats for 228 independent states and territories. It will provide the latest data and analysis of the key trends, patterns, and drivers of ecological threats globally. The report will evaluate the degree to which countries are prepared for ecological threats, considering factors such as resource scarcity, population growth, and climate change. Steve Killelea AM, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics & Peace, will be the MC for the event. Thomas Morgan, Chief Research Officer at the Institute for Economics & Peace, will present the findings of the 2024 Ecological Threat Report. Anastasia Kapetas, Advisor at AsiaPacific4D will moderate the concluding Q&A session.

Is the world becoming more or less peaceful and how so? What has been the impact of geopolitical decisions and national policy over time and how have these policies and decisions been impacted in return? Please join us as we explore this and other core questions during this time of global uncertainty, beginning with a 25-minute presentation of core findings from the Global Peace Index. This will be followed by Q&A and open discussion on the evolving nature of peace, conflict and the way countries respond. The Global Peace Index is a world leading measure of global peacefulness and presents a comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies.  The index covers 163 countries and territories comprising 99.7 per cent of the world’s population, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace across three domains: the level of Societal Safety and Security; the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; and the degree of Militarization. Speaker: Michael Collins, Executive Director Americas, Institute for Economics and Peace

Join us for the presentation of the 2024 Global Peace Index at the Socia Circolo degli Esteri in Rome, as we examine the recent developments in the field of peace and security, with experts from the sector. The event will be hosted by Bernardo Venturi, Head of Research and Co-Founder, Agency for Peacebuilding and Serge Stroobants, Director for Europe and MENA, Institute Economics and Peace. The session will be moderated by Giulia Ferraro from Inclusive Peace. For info and registration contact: [email protected]