COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, is set to deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Prince Zeid, whose career has spanned more than three decades in diplomacy, international law, human rights, peacekeeping and international security, will address delegates at the opening ceremony on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Following his keynote address, Prince Zeid, who is currently President of the International Peace Institute, will participate in an interview session with IBA President Claudio Visco and IBA Executive Director, Dr Mark Ellis.
The session will provide delegates with an opportunity to hear first-hand perspectives on developments in international law, diplomacy, human rights, peace and security. Delegates will also have the opportunity to put questions to Prince Zeid.
According to the IBA, discussions will focus on the changing international order and its implications for the rule of law and the legal profession, as well as current conflicts and crises, including developments in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.
The session will also examine how international institutions, states and the global legal profession should respond when established rules and institutions come under sustained pressure.
Visco said Prince Zeid’s extensive experience across diplomacy, peacekeeping, international criminal justice and the United Nations would provide a valuable perspective for the global legal profession.
“The IBA Annual Conference brings together a legal profession that is increasingly required to navigate a world in which law, diplomacy and geopolitics are closely intertwined,” Visco said.
He added that Prince Zeid’s career had given him an “extraordinary range” of experience in international affairs, expressing the expectation that the discussion would provide insight into the contemporary challenges facing international law, diplomacy and the rule of law.
Dr Ellis similarly described Prince Zeid as one of the few individuals with first-hand experience across several of the institutions and processes underpinning the international legal order.
He said Prince Zeid’s career, from peacekeeping operations to senior positions within the United Nations, would bring a broad perspective to the conference and enable delegates to examine the changing international environment through the experience of someone who had worked at the centre of many of its institutions.
Prince Zeid served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2014 to 2018, following a distinguished diplomatic career representing Jordan internationally.
He served twice as Jordan’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York and also served as Jordan’s ambassador to the United States. In January 2014, he served as President of the UN Security Council.
His involvement in the development of international criminal justice dates back to the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2002, he became the first President of the governing body of the Court, serving in that position until 2005.
Earlier in his career, between 1994 and 1996, Prince Zeid served as a UN civilian peacekeeper with the UN Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia.
In 2019, he was elected to The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by the late Nelson Mandela.
Over 5,000 delegates expected
The IBA Annual Conference, the association’s flagship event, is scheduled to take place at the Bella Center in Copenhagen from October 4 to 9, 2026.
The conference is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants representing over 2,700 law firms, corporations, governments and regulators from more than 130 jurisdictions.
The programme will feature more than 200 working sessions covering issues affecting the international legal profession and the wider global community.
The IBA said the conference would also provide opportunities for lawyers from different jurisdictions and areas of practice to engage in professional exchange, substantive discussions and networking throughout the week.
The Copenhagen gathering is expected to bring together leading international figures, government officials, general counsel and legal practitioners from across the global legal profession.
