By Reaven D’Souza
Executive Managing Editor
Making diplomacy the driving force for peace and cooperation will be one of the main objectives of the fourth iteration of Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2025), hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, that is scheduled to take place on 11–13 April, in Antalya, Türkiye.
The theme for ADF2025, ‘Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World’, reflects the pressing need for diplomacy to reassert itself as a stabilizing force, amid rising global fragmentations.
The forum will aim to make better use of diplomacy to tackle global challenges in the current state of affairs by adopting a novel understanding of diplomacy, beyond its essential and traditional framework of dialogue.
For that purpose, The Antalya Diplomacy Forum will provide its distinguished participants an interactive and thought-provoking platform to address the challenging issues shaping the global and regional agendas, and to discuss innovative tools to advance diplomacy in times of turmoil.
The Forum, held under the auspices of the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will bring together heads of states and governments, ministers, diplomats, business leaders, academics, intellectuals, youth and media representatives for an all-encompassing debate on the role of diplomacy in a changing world. Kuwait will be represented at the Forum by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya.
Growing geopolitical rifts, deepening global inequalities, surge in violence targeting civilians, intolerance towards divergent views, uncertainties driven by technological disruptions and multidimensional impact of climate crisis have all shaken common sense of justice and eroded trust in international institutions. The inability of the current international system to find solutions to these contemporary challenges has further strained the already struggling cooperation efforts, and undermined the predictability of the environment in which states operate.
Additionally, the world is faced with ongoing geopolitical turmoils that are leading to structural changes in the global political, economic and security landscape. In this era of heightened instability and unpredictability, marked by complex challenges and multiple crises, the Antalya Diplomacy Forum aims to evaluate the systemic problems of the multilateral order and foster dialogue on reclaiming diplomacy in a rapidly evolving international environment.
Delegates gathering at this year’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum will explore how diplomacy can turn the tide and navigate us through a fragmented world to find a common ground for collective action. The Forum aims to inspire dialogue to redefine the role and core principles of diplomacy in an increasingly polarized atmosphere.
By discussing root causes of various problems, the Forum will encourage policymakers to reconsider how diplomacy can manage these turbulent times, with a focus on innovative tools for conflict resolution, mediation strategies and regional cooperation mechanisms.
To help create a more effective and cohesive international system, the Forum will look for new solutions to address the failures of global governance, by examining the dysfunction and lack of trust in international organisations. The role of non-governmental stakeholders complementing traditional diplomatic efforts will also be elaborated to discover how diplomacy can become more inclusive, adaptable and resilient.
To make better use of diplomacy to tackle global challenges in the current state of affairs, we will need to adopt a novel understanding of diplomacy, beyond its essential and traditional framework of dialogue.
The Forum will provide a forward-thinking platform for participants from all around the world to work on joint strategies to make diplomacy the driving force for peace and cooperation.
