Research & Studies
The Winter School is organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies Kőszeg (iASK) in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair for Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainability, the Institute for Social and European Studies Foundation and Ludovika University of Public Service.
The 8th UNESCO MOST Winter School brings together scholars, policymakers, students, and civil society actors to explore how peace can be reimagined as a long-term, anticipatory process grounded in ethics and sustainability. As a key networking event, it connects emerging leaders, NGO representatives, and members of the United Nations University and UNESCO communities with diplomats, artists, and scientists working across academia, policy, and culture. This year’s program examines how culture, education and science can promote lasting peace and human security.
Topics:
Cultural program:
Detailed program will be coming soon.
Application deadline:
– December 1, 2025 (for applicants who need visa)
– January 12, 2026 (for all other applicants)
The application deadline has been expired.
Applicants should fill out the Application form (WS2026_application form) and upload the following files within:
(If, for some reason the upload is not successfull, please send the documents to [email protected].)
Eligibility: Advanced MA and PhD students and young researchers, as well as social entrepreneurs, who have a keen academic or professional interest in the topics.
The organizers provide:
Participants cover:
Accommodation expenses for a limited number of applicants are covered by the institute every year based on the Selection Committee’s decision. They will be informed after the whole selection process ended.
For Applicants who needs visa will be notified of the outcome of the evaluation by 8 December 2025.
All other Applicants will be notified by 23 January 2026.
Kőszeg is called “The Jewel of Pannonia”. This beautiful medieval town borders 5 countries (Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary). This provides a rich cultural and regional added value, and the opportunity for strong cross-border cooperation. In a region where the iron curtain was built, developing a regional knowledge centre is exceptional and contributes to supporting opportunities furthering cooperation in an age of increasing uncertainties.
For more information please contact: [email protected] OR call 0036-94-200-530!
Sunday, February 22nd
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Guest arrivals and coffee
3:30 Welcome Speeches:
3:50 pm – 6:10 pm Roundtable: Lasting Peace and Human Security
The roundtable will reflect on the inter-connected challenges of our time, including armed conflicts, climate change, social inequalities, and the accelerating overall impact of transformative technologies. It offers a practical space for dialogue across disciplines and sectors, bringing together politicians, diplomats, researchers, policymakers, and civil society actors. The discussion emphasizes how integrative approaches can generate new pathways toward peace and resilience.
Keynote Speech: Tshilidzi Marwala (South Africa; Rector of the United Nations University Japan; Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations)
Comments: László Palkovics (AI Commissioner, Hungarian Government) TBC
Viktor Orbán (Prime Minister of Hungary) or Gergely Gulyás (Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary) TBC
Roundtable moderator: Ferenc Miszlivetz
Participants:
6:10 pm – 7:10 pm Capella Savaria concert (Venue: Synagogue, Kőszeg Várkör 38.)
17:10 Dinner Reception
Monday, February 23rd
8:30 am – 8:50 am Registration and coffee
8:50 am – 9:15 am Welcome Speeches:
9:15 am – 11:15 am Panel: The Global Vortex: Geopolitical Alternatives and Local Perspectives
The panel explores how economic competition, technological dominance, energy dependencies, and regional ambitions are redrawing the global map. The discussion will examine how states navigate uncertainty, assert influence, and adapt to a geopolitical environment that is increasingly multipolar and unpredictable.
Keynote Speech: László Palkovics (Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence, Hungary) TBC
Chair: Elira Luli (Luarasi University Albania, iASK Hungary)
Keynote Speech: H.E Malkhaz Kakabadze (Tbilisi. Georgia)
Panelists:
11:15 am – 13:00 pm Panel: Ambassadors for Peace Initiative: Pathways and Challenges to Cooperation
The panel explores innovative peace initiatives that foster cooperation across sectors and communities to strengthen resilience in the face of interconnected global risks. As conflicts, climate change, and technological disruption increasingly shape human security, the discussion focuses on how collaborative approaches in governance, education, and culture can prevent violence, support recovery, and promote long-term stability.
Chair: János Bogárdi (iASK Hungary; Ludovika University of Public Service)
Keynote: Xiaomeng Shen (Vice-Rector in Europe & Director of UNU-EHS, Germany) TBC
Panelists:
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch break and coffee
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Panel: The Complexity and Paradoxes of Military Defense: Fear, Uncertainty, Technology and Causes of War
The panel examines the paradoxes of military defense and underlying causes of war in the contemporary world. Moving beyond immediate political triggers, participants explore deeper structural and psychological factors such as fear, inequality, competition for resources, and arms race over emerging technologies. The panel aims to identify ways to transform these root causes into opportunities for dialogue, prevention, and collective resilience.
Chair: Ferenc Miszlivetz (Director of iASK, Hungary)
Panelists:
3:30 pm transfer to Szombathely
Visit to the Bishop’s Palace in Szombathely
Tuesday, February 24th
9:30 am Registration and coffee
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Panel: The Future University and Citizen Science:
Bridging Nations through Knowledge, Culture and Education
Beyond formal diplomacy, universities and cultural institutions play a growing role in fostering peace through education, research, and international collaboration. The panel examines how these institutions contribute to dialogue across borders, promote mutual understanding, and support long-term efforts toward stability and reconciliation.
Chair: Tamás Novák (iASK Hungary)
Panelists:
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch Break and coffee
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Panel: The Revival of Local Civil Societies and the Imperatives of Cross-Border Cooperation: A New Generation for Peace
Across the world, a new generation is breathing life into civil society and redefining peace as a shared civic duty. The panel explores how contemporary movements renew social engagement and solidarity. By combining creativity and digital mobilization, these initiatives move beyond traditional diplomacy and show how civic action can become a powerful force for dialogue, non-violence, and social transformation.
Chair: Jody Jensen (iASK, Hungary)
Panelists:
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Coffee break
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Roundtable discussion: Citizen Science as a Two-way Street
The panel will discuss the need for, and feasibility of, benefits of citizen-science partnerships as co-development initiatives, with value flowing to the citizens at the grassroots and to the scientists and the institutions that provide their funding. Three projects will be discussed: an EU-wide tick and tick-borne disease surveillance network; an effort to document and assess the significance of microbial pathogens circulating in schools in Vienna; and the parataxonomist concept in Costa Rican conservation areas.
6:00 pm Károly Binder Concert: “Bartók and His World”
Venue: Synagogue, Kőszeg Várkör 38.
Wednesday, February 25th
9:30 Registration
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Panel: Multifaceted Human Security: Human Wellbeing in the Age of Global Turmoil
Security today extends far beyond borders, weapons, and geopolitics. It is about food on the table, clean water, meaningful work, and resilience to a changing climate. The panel includes practitioners and policymakers to discuss the multidimensional nature of human security. By connecting global frameworks with local realities, the discussion highlights how sustainable peace depends on our ability to safeguard human dignity and planetary health.
Chair: Balázs Barta (Pannon Business Network; iASK Hungary)
Panelists:
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch break and coffee
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Panel: Transformative Technologies, Sustainability and Digital Peacebuilding
Digital technologies are transforming how societies communicate, govern, and respond to conflict. The panel explores how innovation in data analysis, automation, and digital connectivity can support peacebuilding, social inclusion, and sustainable development but also challenge them. The panel discusses how new tools can transform societies, increase productivity and improve sustainability while addressing ethical challenges, inequalities, and risks of misuse.
Chair: Ivana Stepanovic (iASK, Hungary)
Panelists:
3:30 – 4:00 pm Coffee break
4:00 – 5:00 Workshop: Spatialising Cooperation: Public Spaces for the Common Good
Led by Boglárka Jakabfi Kovács (MOME, Hungary)
This interactive workshop explores how public spaces can enable cooperation, trust, and shared responsibility in everyday life. Participants will examine how spatial arrangements influence social interaction, inclusion, and access to collective resources, and how these dynamics shape cooperation across diverse communities. Through discussion and practical reflection, the workshop invites participants to rethink public space as an active social environment that supports collective wellbeing and civic engagement.
5:00 pm Béla Básthy (Mayor of Kőszeg, Hungary) – Kőszeg 500, developments
Wine tasting
Thursday, February 26th
9:30 Registration
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Panel: The Balkans and the Caucasus: Culture, Dialogue, and the Conditions for Peace
The panel explores how culture, education, and dialogue can support reconciliation and stability in the Balkans and the Caucasus. Drawing on regional experiences of transformation, participants will discuss how shared histories, creative expression, and cross-border collaboration can build trust and lasting peace in two of Europe’s most dynamic and emerging regions.
Chair: Igor Stipic (iASK Hungary)
Panelists:
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch break and coffee
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Panel: Africa: Emerging Pathways to Peace through Culture and Education
Focusing on Africa as a continent of innovation and renewal, this panel examines how culture and education contribute to dialogue, social cohesion, and peacebuilding. It highlights examples of community-based initiatives, creative industries, and academic cooperation that strengthen resilience and create the foundations for sustainable and inclusive peace.
Chair: Izabella Agárdi (iASK, Hungary)
Panelists:
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Senegal Dance and Drum Show
Venue: Zwinger, Kőszeg, Chernel str. 16.
Friday, February 27th
9:30 Registration
10:00 am – 11:00 am Roundtable Discussion: The Futures We Choose: Peace, Social Transformation, and Shared Responsibilities
The final roundtable invites participants to reflect on the challenges and possibilities that lie ahead for building peaceful and resilient societies. In a world shaped by uncertainty, inequality, and rapid change, peace must be understood as an active, ongoing process grounded in dialogue, cooperation, and long-term thinking. The conversation will explore how cultural institutions, education, governance, and civil society can contribute to meaningful social transformation, while maintaining stability and a sense of shared responsibility for the future.
Chair: Jody Jensen (iASK, Hungary)
Panelists:
12:00 pm Certificate Award ceremony
Uploading