The Art of Peace-building and Reconciliation

Entering its 5th year, the Aspen Cultural Diplomacy Forum has been firmly established as the world’s premier cultural diplomacy convening. Independent and international, it is convened by the Aspen Institute Global Initiative on Culture and Society in collaboration with partners who contribute to its scope and mission.

The Forum examines cultural diplomacy as defined by the development and use of media, the arts, and cultural assets in international political, social, economic, and educational exchanges. The inaugural Forum was hosted in Paris in 2008 by the Aspen Institute and the Arts Arena of the American University of Paris under the dual themes of “Culture in Conflict” and “Culture on the Move”. The following year’s Forum took place in Aviles, Spain, and was organized in partnership with Centro Niemeyer to study “Culture and Security.” The 2010Forum was held in Washington, DC, in collaboration with the Phillips Collection and New York University’s Center for the Study of Congress, and focused on how the US can use culture to communicate with and understand the rest of the world. The 2011 reiteration of the Forum—the Creative Arts World Summit— was cohosted in Oman by the Aspen Institute and the Royal Opera House Muscat to probe artistic and cultural trends. 

The 2012 Aspen Cultural Diplomacy Forum is co-hosted by the Aspen Institute, International Christian University and the Japan ICU Foundation on the ICU campus in Tokyo, Japan. The Forum was designed in recognition of the need for a neutral platform to address culture’s role in peace-building and reconciliation. The Forum’s format is intended to foster participation through candid discussions of difficult issues and best practices alike in the field of cultural diplomacy.

Continuing the Aspen Institute’s tradition of bringing established leaders together for collegial dialogue in comfortable settings, the Forum will bring a powerful group of presenters to ICU’s campus to share their experiences and ideas and to facilitate conversation. The agenda reflects both the issues to be discussed and the profiles of participants from the fields of business, politics, diplomacy, international development, philanthropy, human rights, media, the arts and humanities, and religion. To provide an opportunity for the general public to take part in the Forum, provisions have been made for members of the community to attend select Forum activities. 

Participants will discuss the root causes of tensions and conflicts, significant case studies and peace-building and reconciliation strategies, and the contributions of women and diverse professional groups to citizen diplomacy. Debates will focus on cultural and socioeconomic issues, probing how areas as disparate as ethics, macroeconomics, and politics can influence behavior and trigger various responses inside and outside national boundaries. Sessions will assess the power of media, arts, and culture in promoting interaction between people of different backgrounds and beliefs. They will examine, from a cultural angle, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, mechanisms for national development and international cooperation, and the sustainability of peace. In recognition of the growing global interest in Asian perspectives on peace and security, the Forum will also touch on tensions within Asia and the ramifications of the region’s increasing global importance.

The Forum Agenda also includes artistic demonstrations and a cultural diplomacy stewardship award ceremony, during which distinguished personalities will be recognized for their achievement in the field. The Forum will conclude with policy recommendations and plans for continued exchange to help strengthen relations within Asia and among the regions of the world.

For additional information, please contact: 
Alina Dumitrasc 
Global Initiative on Culture and Society 
Aspen Institute 
alina.dumitrasc@aspeninst.org 
202-721-2328