Societies around the world are increasingly struggling with the emergence of deep rifts among their populations. Topics such as Covid-19, Brexit, #MeToo and climate change can quickly become polarising, stifling debate and preventing meaningful action to address common problems. Societal conflicts are not simply a challenge for political actors but have a direct impact on our daily lives and how we deal with one another. This conference will examine the role that negotiating our past, present, and future can play in overcoming social divisions. Organized by the Institute for Global Negotiation in collaboration with the Chair of Political Philosophy and the Centre for Ethics at the University of Zurich, the goal of the conference is to link junior researchers and professionals with senior practitioners and academics to discuss contemporary topics in the field of global negotiation. To this end, the virtual conference will comprise of one keynote speech, and three expert-led panel discussions centred on the overarching theme of “Divided Societies: Negotiating the Past, Present, and Future”.