PEACE TALKS Edition 1: 2026 Global Peace Index
2026-06-17 15:30 - 17:00 (Europe/Copenhagen) | UN City, Marmorvej 51, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
Book your spot here: Peace Talks Edition 1: 2026 Global Peace Index
PEACE TALKS:
Peace, Power and the Future of International Cooperation
🕊️ The First Edition
The first edition of Peace Talks will centre on the launch and discussion of the 2026 Global Peace Index (GPI) – published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
Widely regarded as the world’s leading measure of peacefulness, the Global Peace Index covers 163 countries and territories, and assesses trends in societal safety and security, ongoing conflict, and militarisation.
The findings of the 2026 Index will serve as the starting point for a broader conversation on peace, power, and the future of international cooperation.

International cooperation is facing profound change.
The number of armed conflicts is increasing and has become more complex and protracted. Geopolitical competition is intensifying. New centres of economic and political influence are emerging and reshaping global collaboration. Technological disruption, climate pressures, and a disregard for the norms and principles of rules-based world order challenge the premises that have underpinned international cooperation for decades.
At the same time, the challenges confronting humanity have become increasingly interconnected. Conflict, displacement, climate change, food insecurity, pandemics, and emerging technologies transcend national borders and cannot be addressed by any country acting alone.
The institutions and norms that have helped manage international relations since the end of the Second World War are facing increasing strain, yet the need for international cooperation has arguably never been greater.
Against this backdrop, fundamental questions are re-emerging:

Is peace more than the absence of violent conflict?
How are changing power dynamics reshaping the prospects for peace and security?
Can international cooperation adapt to a more contested and multipolar world?
And are the assumptions that have guided the international system for the past 80 years still fit for purpose?

🇺🇳 These questions sit at the heart of Peace Talks – a new conversation series by UN City Copenhagen
Bringing together leading thinkers, diplomats, policymakers, academics, and practitioners, Peace Talks explores how peace, security, development, and international cooperation are evolving in a rapidly changing world.
💬 Join us for an afternoon of evidence, dialogue, and reflection on some of the most defining questions of our time.

Agenda

03:30 PM – 03:35 PM – Welcome

Noa Valentin Katz Søgaard

Introduction to Peace Talks and the themes of the inaugural discussion – moderated by Noa Valentin Katz Søgaard, Head of Communications, UN City Copenhagen

03:35 PM – 04:05 PM. – Presentation of the 2026 Global Peace Index

Thomas Morgan

Presentation of key findings, global trends, and emerging challenges identified in the latest edition of the Global Peace Index – presented by Thomas Morgan, Senior Researcher, Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)

04:05 PM – 04:35 PM – Peace, Power and the Future of International Cooperation

Mona Sheikh, Henrik Fredborg Larsen

How are conflict dynamics evolving? What do the findings reveal about the state of peace today? What are the implications for international cooperation, development, and multilateralism? Conversation with Mona Sheikh, Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and Henrik Fredborg Larsen, Director, UNDP Nordic Representation Office

04:35 PM – 05:00 PM – Q&A
Open discussion

docUNight: Queens of Joy
2026-08-11 17:00 - 19:30
Book your spot here: Queens of Joy

In celebrating Pride, join us for a screening of ‘Queens of Joy’ and a conversation on queer resilience in wartime.

Join us to celebrate the power of storytelling, community, resilience, and solidarity.
As part of UN City Copenhagen Pride, we invite you to a special docUNight screening of Queens of Joy — an intimate documentary following three Ukrainian drag queens, Diva Monroe, Marlen Scandal, and Aura. Instead of fleeing, they choose to remain in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion, and fight: for freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and their very existence.
From the glamour of the stage to the brutality of war, the documentary captures their extraordinary journey — filled with loss, fear, and indomitable courage. A charity performance they organise in support of Ukraine becomes a powerful symbol of unity, defiance, and queer resilience.
Following the screening, join us for a conversation about the realities of being LGBTQIA+ in times of conflict, the role of solidarity, and the resilience of queer communities in the face of war — with:

Asya Adamenko — a Ukrainian activist and programmer at MIX CPH (Copenhagen’s LGBTQIA+ film festival) working to create spaces for LGBTQIA+ stories and amplify queer voices in Ukraine
Ulla Müller — Director of the UNFPA Nordic Representation Office, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency
Moderated by the UN City Copenhagen Pride Group

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Run time: 1h 30 minutes
Language: Ukrainian and Russian (with English subtitles)
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please bring a valid photo-ID to get through security at UN City and set aside time for the security check prior to the event.

Please note that the check-in will open at 16:00 and close at 16:50. It will not be possible to enter UN City after this time.

Please reserve each ticket under each person’s name due to the security check upon entry to UN City. DO NOT book tickets under your name for someone else.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
PROGRAMME
17:00 Welcome Remarks
17:10 Screening of ‘Queens of Joy’
18:40 Panel Discussion with Asya Adamenko and Ulla Müller and Q&A
19:30 End of event
