UNPO’s Symbolic Return to The Hague, Thirty-Five Years on: Register Now for the 2026 Conference on Self-Determination

As UNPO marks its 35th anniversary, the organisation is returning to The Hague, where it was founded at the Peace Palace in 1991, to host the second edition of its international conference on “Re-imagining Self-Determination” from 27-28 August 2026.

Building directly on UNPO’s 2025 gathering in Madeira and its outcome report, Reimagining Self-Determination for a Changing World, this year’s gathering explores the question of what genuine representation and inclusion of unrepresented nations and peoples requires, and what it demands of movements, institutions, and international frameworks when existing systems continue to fail.

The conference is structured around three interconnected themes: representation, narratives and solidarity. It examines how power and influence operate not only through formal institutions but also through media, digital platforms and the broader realm of political discourse, and how communities can assert agency over their own narratives, counter disinformation, and reshape the terms of recognition in ways that advance their right to self-determination.

Confirmed speakers include Professor Nicolas Levrat, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, and Professor Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, alongside community representatives, legal practitioners, journalists, and experts in storytelling, documentation, and archiving from across the world.

Participants will include UNPO member delegations, UN Special Rapporteurs, civil society actors, legal practitioners, journalists, academics, policymakers, and grassroots movements from across the world. A welcome reception will take place on the evening of 26 August.