Keynote Speeches, Lectures & Discussions
This section includes a collection of written documentation, photos and video footage from selected highlights of international conferences held by the ICD
Our Speakers
Over the years, the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy has been able to host a vast number of speakers, which has included renowned figures from international politics, high-profile representatives from the public sector, prominent stakeholders from civil society and media, and leading academics from the fields of economics, political science, and the social sciences. The ICD is grateful for their contributions.Watch Lectures & Speeches made by our Speakers in previous Events:
The Hon. Al Imam Al Sadig Al Mahdi
Former Prime minister of Sudan
H.E. Amb. Alessandro Minuto Rizzo
Former Deputy Secretary General of NATO; Former Acting Secretary General
The Hon. Ana Trišić-Babić
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia & Herzegovina
Col. Andrew Budd
Branch Chief, Strategic Policy&Concepts Branch, International Military Staff, NATO
Anna Maria Darmanin
Vice President Communication, European Economic and Social Committee, EU-
Bettina Muscheidt
European Commission - External Relations Directorate-General, Desk Afghanistan 
Dr. Bill Schneider
Senior Political Analyst for CNN
The Hon. Charles Clarke
Former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom
Christian Manhart
UNESCO - Chief, Section of Museums and Cultural Objects
Cletus A. Sieh
Former Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Liberia-
Daniele Riggio
Information Officer for Central Asia, Public Diplomacy Division of NATO 
The Hon. Emily Lau
Chairman of the Democratic Party of China; Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong; Former Chairperson, Hong Kong Journalists Association
Dr. Gerhard Sabathil
Director for Strategy, Coordination and Analysis, EEAS - European External Action Service, EU
Prof. Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President, Genocide Watch; Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention, George Mason University, Virginia, USA
Heiner Flassbeck
Former State Minister in the German Ministry of Finance, Director - Division on Globalization and Development Strategies UNCTAD, Geneva
Prof. Dr. Inge Kaul
Former Director of UNDP's Office of Development Studies
Jeff Baxter
World Renowned American Musician; Chair, Congressional Advisory Board on Missile Defense
Secretary Jim Nicholson
Former US Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Ambassador John R. Bolton
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations
The Hon. Dr. José António Pinto Ribeiro
Lawyer, Senior Partner J. A. Pinto Ribeiro & Associados; Former Minister of Culture of Portugal
The Hon. Jytte Hilden
Former Minister of Culture of Denmark
Katherine Marshall
Senior Advisor for the World Bank, Visiting Professor Georgetown University
The Hon. Kjell Magne Bondevik
Former Prime Minister of Norway
Loay El-Shawarby
Chairman of the Board of Directors - Nahdet El Mahrousa
The Hon. Lucinda Creighton
Minister of European Affairs of Ireland
The Hon. Sir Malcolm Rifkind
Former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom
The Hon. Dr. Marc Verwilghen
Former Minister of Justice of Belgium-
Marietje Schaake (MEP)
Member of the European Parliament 
Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter
Under Secretary of Education, US Department of Education
The Hon. Michael Chertoff
Co-Founder and Chairman, the Chertoff Group; Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security; Former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals
The Hon. Mike Kenneth Moore
Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Former Director General of the World Trade Organization
The Hon. N'Diaye Bah
Minister of Tourism of Mali
The Hon. Nahas Angula
Minister of Defense of Namibia; Former Prime Minister of Namibia
The Hon. Dr. Nazar Al Baharna
Former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain; Former Vice President For Academic Programs and Scientific, University of Bahrain
Nick Williams
Head, Operations Section, Operations Division, NATO-
H. E. Amb. Petko Draganov
Deputy Secretary General - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 
H. E. Amb. Philip D. Murphy
U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany
Philippe Kridelka
Director, UNESCO New York Office; Representative to the United Nations
President Pierre Nkurunziza
President of the Republic of Burundi
Phyllis E. Oakley
Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Hon. Richard Boucher
Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Dr. Rick Van der Ploeg
Former Dutch State Minister of Education, Culture and Science; Professor of Economics, Oxford University-
Prof. Dr. Rizwan Saeed Sheikh
Director, Department of Cultural Affairs, Organization of the Islamic Conference's General Secretariat 
The Hon. Dr. Rocco Buttiglione
Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies; Former Italian Minster of Culture; Former Italian Minister of European Politics
The Hon. Rufus Yerxa
Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)
The Hon. Ruud Lubbers
Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Hon. Dr. Sartaj Aziz
Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Vice-Chancellor of Beaconhouse National University in Pakistan
Prof. Dr. Scott M. Thomas
Senior Lecturer in International Relations and the Politics of Developing Countries, University of Bath, UK
The Hon. Stefan Antonov Sofiyanski
Former Prime minister of Bulgaria, Former Mayor of Sofia
Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat
Former US Ambassador to the EU; Former Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury; Former Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs
Undersecretary Tara D. Sonenshine
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, US State Department
Prof. Dr. Tariq Modood
Professor of Sociology; Director, University Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, University of Bristol, UK
The Hon. Judge Theodor Meron
President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
H.E. Amb. Thomas Stelzer
Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs at DESA, UN
Tomasz Sadzyński
Former Mayor of the City of Łódź
President Valdas Adamkus
Former President of Lithuania
Minister Victoria Saidu Kamara
Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Sierra Leone
The Hon. Vladimír Mečiar
Former Prime Minister of Slovakia
Willem Noë
Senior Administrator at the European Commission
William Davis
Director, UNDP Representation Office in Washington; Former Director, UN Information Center
William E. Moeller
Former Pol-Mil/External Chief, Political Section, U.S. Embassy Berlin
Judge Wolfgang Schomburg
Former Permanent Judge at the UN International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; Former Federal Judge at the German Federal High Court, Karlsruhe
Dr. Yasser Thabet
Journalist and author; Program Editor at Al Arabiya News Channel; Former Senior Producer at Al Jazeera
