Convening on the heels of the announcement that South African jurist Navi Pillay had won the Nobel Peace Prize, and energized by a rich lineup of superb keynote speakers and panelists, more than 100 participants in the room and online at the 2026 G78 policy conference at the University of Ottawa came together to share perspectives and plan collectively in this unprecedented learning moment for Canada and the world. Among other things, conference delegates recommitted to reinvent the architecture for peace by opposing the rampant militarization of Canada’s economy, strengthening the rule of law by increasing support for the ICC and ICJ, and reforming the United Nations, while also pursuing purpose-built plurilateral coalitions and supporting grassroots movements of women and young people.
On Friday evening, October 9, our first keynote speaker, Ambassador Peggy Mason, emphasized the fundamental importance of strengthening multilateral institutions and urged Canadians to demand that its federal government table white papers on foreign and defence policy for public review, as promised during the recent election campaign. Former Iranian human rights prisoner and current NPSIA student Maryam Shapifour
reminded colleagues of the transnational reach of repressive regimes from her own personal experience.
On Saturday, October 10, our second keynote speaker, Sweden-based researcher and blogger Dan Smith, discussed the implications of five global hinge-points: world order and geopolitics, the ecological crisis, the forward march of technology, ddemography, and the rise of populism—and argued that it is up to us to maximize the positive outcomes and minimize the damage of these factors.
The third keynote speaker, former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, argued that by militarizing the Canadian economy, the current government will inevitably further integrate Canada into the US military system and thus reduce our sovereignty, not increase it. Referring to his own experience with the Responsibility to Protect and Mine Action campaigns, he also reaffirmed the need for governments to work closely with civil society as well as with states to build peace and strengthen international institutions and the rule of law. Reinvestment in Canadian development and diplomacy is essential.
A powerful session on women’s peacebuilding showed how it is necessary to understand the pain that is caused by resource exploitation for war and the brutality of gender-based violence. Further, community-based women’s peacebuilding is dynamic, not linear, and important gains can be made even in extreme contexts like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon and Colombia. In addition, an impressive panel of youth peace-movement leaders illustrated the effectiveness of youth-led organizations, and especially their expertise in mobilizing support for peace through digital campaigning at multiple levels. They spotlighted the important opportunity, and necessity, of inviting young people to co-create new and renewed peace structures.
Big thanks for putting together such an engaging and timely conference are due Richard Harmston, Chair of the G78’s Peace and Security Working Group, and the PSWG’s members: Manfred Bienefeld, Gordon Breedyk, Scott Burbidge, Roy Culpeper, Leah Darbyson, and Adam Muller, supported by Executive Secretary Maude Stephany. In the coming weeks, video recordings of the conference sessions will be posted on the website of the Group of 78 while work will continue by Chief Rapporteur Susanne Ure and her team of student rapporteurs along with other student volunteers to capture the key messages and action recommendations arising from the conference in a succinct report aimed at Parliamentarians and the Canadian public. Stay tuned!