When Peace Seemed Possible

Following the 80th anniversary of the United Nations in 2025, Thant Myint-U joins us for a conversation looking back to the 1960s, a period when international cooperation and peace appeared genuinely possible, and considering what that moment reveals about the state of diplomacy today.

Drawing on the story of U Thant, the Burmese diplomat and UN Secretary-General who played a central yet often overlooked role in crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Congo, Vietnam, and the Middle East, the discussion examines a formative era in global governance. It explores what has been lost since that high point of multilateral diplomacy, the challenges now facing the UN, and what role the institution can realistically play in a more fragmented and volatile world.

Event Schedule

6:00pm: Pre-event socialising and networking
A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:15pm: Event begins

7:30pm: Event ends

Speakers

Thant Myint-U is an award-winning writer, historian, conservationist, and a former international public servant. He has served on three United Nations peacekeeping operations as well many years with the UN in New York as chief of policy planning. For over a decade, he helped lead reform efforts in Burma (Myanmar), including as a peace mediator and the founding chair of Yangon Heritage Trust. The author of five books, he is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Hala Gorani is an international correspondent for NBC News. She previously spent more than two decades at CNN International, as an anchor and correspondent, and presented Hala Gorani Tonight. A seasoned war correspondent, Gorani has reported from conflict zones and major geopolitical flashpoints around the world. She is the author of But You Don’t Look Arab, a personal reflection on identity, journalism, and life between cultures.

This event is in collaboration with Pranvera Shema Smith, Founder of On Front Line.