KURDISTAN AND IRAQ'S PREMIER FORUM DEDICATED TO PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
KURDISTAN AND IRAQ'S PREMIER FORUM DEDICATED TO PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
ABOUT
About the Middle East Peace and Security (MEPS) Forum
Kurdistan and Iraq's premier forum is dedicated to peace and stability in the Middle East. The American University of Kurdistan (AUK) has been a critical venue for official and non-official initiatives, intellectually rigorous debates, and policy analysis designed to address a wide range of political, economic, and socio-economic challenges in Iraq and the Middle East. Since its establishment in 2019, the MEPS Forum has been an annual summit hosted by the AUK to provide a space for candid discussions on the most pressing issues facing the Middle East and North Africa. The Forum gathers senior decision-makers in Erbil and Baghdad, the wider Middle East, Europe, the United States and China. Through inclusive discussions and academic research, our aim is to promote understanding, resolve conflicts, and enhance stability in the Middle East. We encourage innovative ideas and initiatives that will contribute to achieving lasting peace and security in the region. The MEPS Forum has partnered with the United States Institute of Peace, Oxford University, Carnegie Corporation, Crisis Response Council, and Middle East Institute.
Building on the success of previous years, the MEPS Forum 2023 will focus on great power competition in the Middle East and the region's prospects of securing stability and de-escalation, including the future of the United States and Europe in the region, China's growing engagement and the future trajectory of the Iraqi state. With the MEPS Forum 2023 taking place in close proximity to COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, we will be renewing our focus on climate-related challenges in the region, alongside a focus on sustainable governance and economic growth.
Previous speakers
The previous speakers and experts of meps forum 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
President Abdul Latif Rashid
Federal Republic of Iraq
Former President Barham Salih
Federal Republic of Iraq
Former Prime Minister Mustafa Kadimi
Federal Republic of Iraq
Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi
Council of Representative of Iraq
President Nechirvan Barzani
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Prime Minster Masrour Barzani
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Deputy PM Qubad Talabani
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Dr. Fuad Hussein
Foreign Minister of Iraq
Speaker Rewaz Faiq
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim
Hikma Movement
Dr. Bernard Kouchner
Former Foreign Minister, France
Lord Francis Maude
Former Cabinet Minister, UK
Mr. Aziz Ahmad
Deputy Chief of Staff to PM Barzani
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
Former U.S. Special Envoy
Mr. Zach Vertin
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Dr. Mohammed Shummary
Senior Advisor, Hikma Movement
Sayyid Kazzem Sadjadpour
Islamic Republic of Iran
Ambassador Peter Galbraith
Former U.S. Special Envoy
Dr. Mohammed al-Hakim
Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister
Dr. Younes Abouyoub
United Nation
Dr. Dalia Dassa Kaye
UCLA, Burkle Center
Dr. Frederic Wehrey
Carnegie Endowment
Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown
Brookings Institution
Dr. Howard Shatz
RAND Corporation
Dr. Karen Young
Columbia University
Dr. Ranj Alaaldin
Brookings Institution
Mr. Majid Jafar
Crescent Petroleum
Dr. Matthew Zais
Atlantic Council
Mr. Stephan Shakespeare
YouGov
Dr. Elham Fakhro
Exeter University
Dr. Morgan Kaplan
Palantir Technology
Dr. Linda Robinson
Council on Foreign Relations
Dr. Ken Pollack
American Enterprise Institute
Mr. Brian Katz
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Ambassador Ramon Blecua
Spanish Foreign Ministry
Dr. David Pollock
Washington Institute
Ms. Dareen Khalifa
International Crisis Group
Dr. Taha Ozhan
Fmr. Member of Parliament, Turkey
Dr. Ariel Ahram
Crisis Response Council
Ms. Jennifer Cafarella
Institute for the Study of War
Dr. Elie Abouaoun
United States Institute of Peace
SPONSORS
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
MEPS Forum partners with regional and international policy institutions by convening roundtables and closed-door workshops on the sidelines of the forum.