Join us
for a conference
exclusively dedicated to
Together with communication experts from academia, civil society, business, the diplomatic community, and the United Nations, we explore how communication can strengthen the United Nations, advance solutions to global issues & create a better world for all.
October 21–23, 2026
New York City
& Virtual
Columbia University ∙ School of International and Public Affairs
Columbia World Projects
Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies
CUNY Graduate Center
Register Now
Registration is open
Attendance is free
“The United Nations
cannot achieve its purposes
unless the peoples of the world
are fully informed of its aims and activities.”
UN General Assembly
Resolution 13 (1), 13 February 1946
Organizing & Hosting Institutions
The conference is organized by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and CUNY’s Ralph Bunche Institute. We thank our hosting partners at Columbia World Projects and the CUNY Graduate Center.
day 1 ∙ Oct 21 ∙ Columbia university, The forum
Speakers
Keynote Address
Speaker lineup will be updated as confirmations are received.
The in-person part of the conference will begin with an opening ceremony and a series of keynote addresses highlighting the motivation, aims, and aspirations of the conference.
United Nations
Under-Secretary-General for
Global Communications
Northwestern University
Professor of Political Science and former President of the Faculty Senate
Amb. Stavros Lambrinidis
Ambassador of the European Union to the United Nations
day 1 & 2 ∙ Oct 21 & 22 ∙ Columbia university, The forum
Speakers
Plenary Discussion Panels
Speaker lineup will be updated as confirmations are received.
In high-level plenary discussion panels, interdisciplinary experts across sectors — scholars, private sector, the diplomatic community, and the United Nations — will explore topics such as information integrity, communication & AI, social media and campaigns, and visual communication & design.
United Nations
Director, Outreach Division
Global Communications
United Nations
Spokesperson for the 80th President of the UN General Assembly
United Nations
Spokesperson for the
UN Secretary-General
Michael Bierut
Pentagram, Partner;
graphic designer, design critic and educator
Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Associate Professor of International Communication
Joel P. Christensen
CUNY Graduate Center, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Brian Collins
COLLINS, Chief Creative Officer; Art Directors Club, President; Parsons School of Design, Board of Directors
Prof. Nicholas J. Cull [virtual]
USC Annenberg
Professor of Communication in the School for Communication and Journalism
UN Women
Director for Global Communication & Advocacy
United Nations
Head of Civil Society
and Academic Impact
Prof. Jean-Marie Guéhenno
Columbia University, former UN USG for Peacekeeping Operations
Better World Campaign, Executive Director for Communications
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
Professor of International Law
Debbie Millman
School of Visual Arts, Chair and Founder of the MA in Branding; Podcast host of “Design Matters”
Columbia University
Faculty Director, U.N. Partnership Initiative; Lecturer in International and Public Affairs, SIPA
United Nations Foundation,
Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
former World Meteorological Organization
Chief of Strategic Communications
Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Public Communications, Program Director, Advanced Media Management M.S.
President, Austrian Institute for International Affairs, former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and UN Ambassador
Gillian Sorensen
former UN Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations; Honorary Chair of the Sorensen Center for International Peace
Dan Thomas
United Nations Global Compact
Chief Communications Officer
Columbia University
Adjunct Assistant Professor, SIPA;
Ralph Bunche Institute, CUNY Graduate Center, Visiting Scholar
Cornell University
Associate Professor in the Department of Communication
Carlotta Aiolla
UN Women
Communication &
Branding Specialist
Sophie Boudre
United Nations
Chief Strategic Communications of
UN Peacekeeping
Kirsten Olden
United Nations
Information Integrity Expert, Office of the Under-Secretary-General of Global Communications
Daniel Prada
Delegation of the EU to the UN in NYC
Deputy Head for Coordination of Press and Information
Anthony Lafauce
Clyde
Managing Director of AI Innovation
Anne Soiberg-Friedkin
United Nations
Facility Management & Art Curation
Ultravirgo
Creative Director
Associate Professor of Architectural History, Bard College; author of “Assembly by Design: The United Nations and Its Global Interior”
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Professor of Arts
Artist-Observer at the United Nations;
Chair, Art & Design Committee
day 3 ∙ Oct 23 ∙ cuny graduate center
Speakers
Roundtables and Workshops
Speaker lineup and workshop topics will be updated as confirmations are received.
In workshops and roundtables, experts will discuss emerging and
enduring communication challenges and opportunities
for United Nations organizations.
Miami University of Ohio,
Associate Professor of Strategic Communication
United Nations
Spokesperson for the
UN Secretary-General
Patrick Durgin-Bruce
Founder, Ultravirgo
Gustave Eiffel University (France),
Associate Professor of Communication
Dr. Di Zhang
Renmin University of China,
Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication
Dr. R.S. (Rhonda) Zaharna
American University, Washington D.C., Professor Emerita in the School of Communication
Dr. Eric Gordon
Boston University,
Director, Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact, Faculty in the College of Communication
Dr. Jack Durrell
United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), Head of Communications
Anuradha K. Herath
City College of New York, Adjunct Lecturer; Former Director General International Affairs, Sri Lanka Prime Minister’s Office
Editor-in-Chief, Envoy magazine; United Nations correspondent
Dr. Mengxiao Zhu
Full Professor and Funding Chair of ICA China Chapter
Devex, Senior Global Reporter
Expert Facilitators
Expert facilitator lineup will be updated as confirmations are received.
Throughout the conference, experts working at the intersection of communication and the United Nations will facilitate exchanges among participants during research panels and workshops.
Nina Brandt
United Nations Youth Office
Chief of Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications
Ramu Damodaran
Permanent Observer of the University for Peace and former Chief for UN Partnerships and Public Engagement and first Chief of the UN Academic Impact
Patrick Durgin-Bruce
Founder, Ultravirgo
Bijan Farnoudi
Former Spokesperson to Kofi Annan; Ex-Head of Communications ICRC Afghanistan, Nepal, South Sudan; Founder of the Coms Network
Nancy Groves [virtual]
UN Environment Programme
Chief of Digital Strategy
James Holtje
Columbia University, SIPA
Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs
Aleksandra Kuzmanovic [virtual]
World Health Organization; Leadership and Positioning Social Media Manager
Martin Nesirky [virtual]
former Director of the UN Information Service in Vienna and Spokesperson for former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Jesús Vicente [virtual]
International Telecommunication Union
Head of Visual Identity and Graphic Design
Chairs
Research Panels
Chair lineup will be updated as confirmations are received.
Our virtual and in-person research panels are chaired by renowned scholars and leading practitioners in the emerging interdisciplinary space of communication in international organizations. Expertise is drawn from fields such as art & design, social media, discourse and language, data visualization, branding and marketing, celebrity diplomacy, science communication, organizational communication, and United Nations Studies.
Dr. Peter J. Hoffman
Senior Fellow, Ralph Bunche Institute, CUNY Graduate Center;
Non-Resident Fellow, The Center on International Cooperation, New York University
Prof. Maria Ivanova
Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University
Lecturer at the School of International Relations and Public Affair; Curator of the science book series What Science Says
Prof. Bernard Simonin
Professor of Marketing and International Business, The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, President of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS)
Executive Director of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), Assistant Professor of the Practice at Georgetown University
Program
Throughout the conference, participants reflect on current communication challenges, learn from past approaches and achievements, and envision new pathways for how communication can build support for the multilateral system and advance solutions to global issues.
Check out the full program here.
Opening & Keynote
High-level United Nations officials and communication experts provide their perspectives on the UN’s communication challenges.
High-Level Discussions
Experts across sectors share and learn from one another’s reflections on the UN’s communication challenges, approaches, and ideas for solutions. Topics include emerging technologies and AI, information integrity, campaigns and social media, and visual communication.
Expert Workshops & Roundtable
Participants can learn from experts on UN communication in hands-on workshops and roundtables. Sessions include topics of critical importance to UN communicators, such as public engagement, policy communications, covering the UN, ethical use of AI, creative partnerships, SGD communication, and more
Networking Spaces
Participants will have the opportunity to meet, exchange with each other, and identify collaboration opportunities to jointly communicate for a better world.
Poster & Video Presentation
Selected practitioners and scholars present their insights in the form of visually engaging, large-scale posters or a video during networking events, allowing presenters to gain feedback from UN communication experts and other participants.
Research Panels
Scholars and practitioners share their research and exchange insights. Topics include communication aspects that relate to the UN system organizations and the global issues they seek to address.
FEATURING
Art & Design
Based on a joint project between Prof. Yann Toma, Prof. Daniel Naujoks, and Dr. Stefan Tschauko, the conference will feature an exploration of
The Impact of Art & Design
on International Cooperation
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Professor of Arts
Artist-Observer at the United Nations;
Chair, Art & Design Committee
Art and Design Sponsor
Meet the Organizers
With the support of our collaborators, we are organizing this conference together with colleagues and partners across Columbia University, the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), CUNY Graduate Center, and the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.
Dr. Stefan Tschauko, Creator & Chair
Adjunct Assistant Professor, SIPA
Visiting Scholar, Ralph Bunche Institute
Executive Committee; Interim Director, Ralph Bunche Institute
Lecturer, Baruch College-CUNY
Executive Committee; Faculty Director, U.N. Partnership Initiative
Lecturer in International and Public Affairs, SIPA
Co-Chair, Review Committee; Associate Professor of International Communication, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Dr. Jack Durrell
Co-Chair, Report Committee;
United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), Head of Communications
Co-Chair, Review Committee; Executive Director of Marketing and Communications; UF College of Journalism and Communications;
Vice President, AIGA
Chair, Operations Committee; Managing Director, United Nations Association USA (UN Foundation)
Chair, Programming Committee; Senior Fellow, Ralph Bunche Institute, CUNY Graduate Center
Our Sponsors
We thank our sponsors for their generous contributions.
Media Partner
Our Collaborators
We are very grateful for the support of our collaborators.
Additional collaborators
Columbia / SIPA
International Security and Diplomacy
Technology Policy and Innovation
ICA ∙ Public Diplomacy & International Relations
ISA ∙ International Communication Section
ISA ∙ ISA-UNAI Collaboration Committee
Keep Me Informed
We will keep you posted on speakers and program details.