Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to bring decades of experience in diplomacy, human rights and international law to the IBA Annual Conference 2026
Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose career has taken him from UN peacekeeping and diplomacy to the UN Security Council (UNSC), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the highest levels of the international human rights system, will be the keynote speaker on Sunday 4 October 2026 at the Opening Ceremony of the International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
After delivering his speech, Prince Zeid, the current President of the International Peace Institute, will participate in an interview session with IBA President Claudio Visco and IBA Executive Director Dr Mark Ellis, offering international delegates an opportunity to hear from a figure who has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of international law, diplomacy, human rights, peace and security. Following the interview, delegates will have the chance to ask Prince Zeid questions.
Mr Visco said: ‘The IBA Annual Conference brings together a legal profession that is increasingly required to navigate a world in which law, diplomacy and geopolitics are closely intertwined. Prince Zeid has experienced these developments from an extraordinary range of positions. His career has given him a perspective on international affairs spanning diplomatic representation, peacekeeping and the development of international criminal justice. We look forward to an illuminating conversation about what his experience tells us about international law, diplomacy and the rule of law today.’
Dr Ellis commented: ‘There are very few people who can speak with first-hand experience about so many of the institutions and processes that underpin the international legal order. Prince Zeid’s extensive work has taken him from peacekeeping on the ground to the highest levels of the UN. His words will bring a remarkable breadth of experience to Copenhagen and will give IBA delegates an opportunity to consider the changing world through the eyes of someone who has been at the centre of it.’
A conversation about a changing international order
The conversation will explore the changing international landscape and its implications for the rule of law and the legal profession, current conflicts and crises, including developments in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine, as well as the wider question of how international institutions, states and the global legal profession respond when established rules and institutions face sustained pressure.
A career at the heart of international affairs
Prince Zeid’s career has given him a perspective on international affairs spanning the fieldwork of peacekeeping, diplomatic representation, the development of international criminal justice, the UNSC and the global human rights system.
Prince Zeid served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2014 to 2018, following an extensive diplomatic career representing Jordan internationally. He served twice as Jordan’s ambassador to the UN in New York and as Jordan’s ambassador to the US. In January 2014, he served as President of the UN Security Council.
Prince Zeid’s connection with the development of international criminal justice dates back to the establishment of the ICC, when in 2002, he became the first President of the governing body of the Court, serving until 2005. Earlier, from 1994 to 1996, he served as a UN civilian peacekeeper with the UN Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia.
In 2019, Prince Zeid was elected to The Elders, the independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela.
Bringing the global legal profession together
The IBA Annual Conference – the Association’s flagship event – is a leading fixture in the international legal profession’s calendar. It brings together the global legal community, including leading international figures, government officials, general counsel and legal practitioners from all sectors, for a week of substantive discussions, professional exchange and networking. Its annual programme provides a rare opportunity for lawyers from different jurisdictions and disciplines to meet in one place and examine developments affecting the international legal profession and the wider world.
The 2026 conference takes place at the Bella Center, Copenhagen, from 4–9 October and has attracted more than 5,000 attendees representing over 2,700 law firms, corporations, governments and regulators from more than 130 jurisdictions. The programme comprises more than 200 working sessions, alongside a substantial programme of social and networking events.
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Notes:
- The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rule of law globally, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world’s bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
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