Global Negotiation Academy 2026 ⋅ Keynote Address
The Future of Multilateral Diplomacy
Tuesday, 7 July 2026
18:00 - 19:30 CEST
KOL-F-101, University of Zurich
The public keynote address is part of the annual Global Negotiation Academy. In 2026, Dr. David Chikvaidze will reflect upon his personal experiences at the heart of global negotiation and upon the challenges and opportunities for multilateral diplomacy.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. David Chikvaidze
Associate Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and former Chef de Cabinet of UNOG's Director General
Dr. Chikvaidze's career spans nearly four decades in diplomacy, international relations, and governance. He is a close observer of the challenges of multilateralism, of great power relationships, Eurasian geopolitics, security issues, and their combined impact on energy security, connectivity, and strategic stability and risk.
Chikvaidze’s UN career involved him frequently in important issues of the day, including humanitarian aid to North Korea, Western Sahara talks, Yugoslavia humanitarian aid needs, Afghanistan earthquake relief, post conflict needs assessment in Tajikistan, 2013 Geneva rounds of the EU-led P5+1 Talks on the Nuclear Program of Iran; mission assistance to UN Under-Secretaries-General J. Eliasson, P. Hansen, Y. Akashi, S. Vieira de Mello, J.A. Baker and K-J. Tokayev.
He advised five Directors-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) first as Senior Political Adviser and then Chef de Cabinet, providing “early warning radar” and back-channel diplomacy. Chikvaidze’s career includes significant contributions to institution-building, such as establishing the prototype of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. As Director of the UN Library and Head of the UNOG Cultural Diplomacy program, Chikvaidze implemented a new strategic direction, created synergies with the Library of Congress and other world libraries, and developed new forms of cultural and academic outreach of UNOG. He served as Senior Adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in charge of Communications and NGO relations and spokesman for various Human Rights Treaty Bodies.
Date and Venue
Tuesday 7 July 2026: 18:00 - 19:30
KOL-F-101, Main Building, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zürich