Rethinking Spaces for Dialogue

Snøhetta, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), and key voices from Nobel Peace Center, Elman Peace, and Inclusive Peace invite you to a public symposium titled “Rethinking Spaces for Dialogue,” held in the Oslo Opera House—a space where art, public life, and society intersect.

This event is a key side symposium to the Women, Peace, and Security Focal Point Network meeting in Oslo in the same space and marks the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. At a time of rising polarization, escalating conflicts, and eroding trust in formal arenas for dialogue, this symposium asks a fundamental question:

How can physical space—its design, accessibility, and symbolism—contribute to inclusive, sustainable dialogue?

The Opera House, rising from the Oslo Fjord, offers more than a setting—it embodies transparency, participation, and common ground. It is an invitation to walk the roof, to gather, and to sense. Building on this openness, we bring together leading voices in architecture, peacebuilding, and indigenous leadership to rethink how space can serve dialogue—not just reflect it.

Speakers and contributors include:

• Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Architect and Co-founder of Snøhetta, Norway
• Ilwad Elman, Peacebuilder and Director of Programs & Development, Elman Peace, Somalia
• Kjersti Fløgstad, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Center, former Secretary General of UNICEF, Norway
• Daniel Proietto, Dancer, Actor, Choreographer, Know Nation
• Thania Paffenholz, Founder of Inclusive Peace, researcher, mediator, and thought leader for inclusive dialogue, Switzerland / Kenya
• Chandra Roy – Indigenous lawyer from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, specializing in the rights of indigenous peoples, with experience working at the United Nations

The program will take place from 16.30-19.30. Following the symposium, you are warmly invited to continue the conversation over refreshments at Snøhetta’s studios, a short walk from the Opera House.

This is an open invitation to all who believe in the power of space—not only to hold us, but to shape the futures we must now imagine, together.

The event is made possible through the generous support of Hydro.