Global Forum
Beyond Division:
Constructive Engagement in a Fragmented World
Around the world conflict is on the rise. Divisions seems to grow ever deeper, with people quick to jump to judgements and see the worse in those with whom they disagree. This is happening at a time when cooperation is even more vital to tackle global environmental, economic and political challenges.
The Global Forum marks the culmination of the 'Beyond Division' project coordinated by the Institute for Global Negotiation with local partners across the world. The Forum is highly interactive and is open to participants of all Beyond Division workshops and the wider public.
Program
The Global Forum will feature the premiere of the play Fragile Roots as well as breakout sessions with experienced practitioners on how to move beyond division and constructively engage in a fragmented world. The Forum is open to participants from all of the global workshops and the wider public. The full program will be released soon.
Fragile Roots
The Global Forum will begin with the world premiere of a reading of the short play Fragile Roots. The play was written by facilitators of the global workshops and depicts the escalation of a conflict between two neighbours in the northeast of the United Kingdom. The play will be performed by professional actors alongside conflict resolution and humanitarian practitioners who also have a background in acting.
Belinda Ncube
Belinda Ncube is a peacebuilder, mediator and dialogue practitioner with extensive experience in conflict resolution and facilitated dialogue in Zimbabwe and across Africa. She works with the Zimbabwe Institute, a dialogue-focused policy think tank advancing evidence-based research, consensus building and inclusive engagement among state actors, political parties and civil society. Her mediation experience spans gender-based violence, electoral disputes, land conflicts and ethnic tensions. She is also an experienced trainer and facilitator. Belinda holds a Master’s in Mediation in Peace Processes from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and a Master’s in Development Studies from the National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe.
Helen Pearson
Helen Pearson is an accomplished and well-known British actress who has enjoyed a varied career, working extensively in theatre - repertory, the London fringe and the West End – as well as in film and television. Helen became a house-hold name in the UK by playing Frankie Osborne in Channel 4's "Hollyoaks" for 15 years as a series regular as well as for her roles as a series regular in BBC's "EastEnders" and ITV's "Emmerdale." Theatre credits include Unleashed at Hull Truck, a season at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, directed by Alan Ayckbourn, and subsequently in the West End run of his play Comic Potential. More recently, Helen has appeared in the films Cold and Lorna.
John Biggins
John Biggins studied postgraduate drama at the Sherman Theatre, University College, Cardiff and became a professional actor in 1983. Since then, he has worked consistently on stage, television and radio. John has appeared regularly in most popular UK TV series, including Downton Abbey, EastEnders, Heartbeat, Casualty, Two Pints of Lager, The Bill, The Thick Of It, The Vice and Coronation Street. John has also been a regular in a number of other series over the years: Pobol y Cwm, City Central, The Armando Iannucci Shows, Breakfast Serials. On stage, John has toured extensively with Hull Truck and appeared at many leading regional repertory theatres, as well as in London. John has also worked as a theatre critic and scriptwriter, having written scripts for BBC television and radio, as well as the Children's Channel on cable/Sky.
Katie Goldfinch
Katie is a neighbourhood and intergenerational mediator for mediation plus based in East Sussex. As well as mediating Katie facilitates workshops teaching conflict resolution skills internationally. Katie's background is in the arts. She has performed on some of the west ends most iconic stages as well as acting in ITV dramas and feature films. She received a degree in drama therapy from the University of East London.
Francesco Segoni
Francesco Segoni is an aid worker with extensive experience in humanitarian interventions across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. A former journalist, he continues to contribute occasionally to various international media outlets. Among his main passions are literature and theatre. He is the author of the novel Mosul Melody, as well as several short stories published in Italian literary magazines. As a member of a theatre company based in Paris, he has taken part in theatre festivals across France, including the Festival d’Avignon. His company will perform Dennis Kelly’s Love and Moneyon 25 November at the MPAA/Saint-Germain theatre in Paris.
Keynote Speakers
The Global Forum will also feature breakout sessions with keynote speakers sharing their experiences. These intimate sessions will provide participants with an opportunity to engage and discuss with prominent practitioners in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution. Participants will be able to choose one session to attend.
Lynn Hastings
Lynn Hastings has over 25 years experience with the United Nations working across the UN’s main pillars of peacekeeping, political, humanitarian affairs, and human rights. She has worked in diverse conflict settings including the Balkans, East Timor, Pakistan, Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Middle East. Most recently, she was the United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator for Palestine. Now retired from the United Nations she is teaching conflict resolution and providing consultancy services based in Geneva.
Jo Berry
Jo Berry CBE is an international speaker, peacebuilder, and founder of Building Bridges for Peace. For more than four decades, she has worked to help individuals, communities, and organisations navigate conflict, build understanding across divides, and create lasting change through dialogue and human connection. She is increasingly recognised for her work on humanisation in a divided world, helping people understand how dehumanisation drives conflict and division, and how rehumanisation can transform relationships, communities, and societies.
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Vian Ahmed
Vian Ahmed is a senior humanitarian and women’s rights leader with nearly a decade of experience in founding, directing, and scaling regionally impactful programs for women and girls affected by conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Currently Vian serves as Regional Director of Lotus Flower NGO, where she plays a decisive role in shaping the organization’s vision, governance, operational systems, and strategic growth, transforming it from a start-up initiative into a regionally recognized women-led organization operating across multiple governorates. Since 2016, Vian has led and overseen integrated interventions that have directly reached more than 100,000 refugee and internally displaced women and girls, delivering protection, GBV prevention and response, MHPSS, livelihoods, and leadership development programs.
Support and Partners
The Beyond Division project is supported by the Dr. Tobias W. Langenegger Memorial Society which was founded in honor of the former Co-President of the Institute for Global Negotiation Tobias W. Langenegger. Its mission is to keep alive his memory through the support of projects and events in topics that were important to him, especially in the areas of climate action as well as negotiation and conflict management. The Beyond Division series was organised in collaboration with facilitators from the following partner organisations.
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