Migration is one of the major challenges that the world is grappling with, and how we think about future migration flows is an urgent topic of discussion. During this year’s Nobel Week Dialogue on 9 December at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg, three Nobel Prize laureates will share their experiences of living in one country but having their roots in another. Leaders from several international organisations will also meet in a unique conversation about migration in the world today.
Over the centuries, our societies have been shaped and reshaped by migration. All indications are that the factors that drive people to seek a new life elsewhere will increase – regardless of whether the cause of their displacement is famine or war, our changing climate or the desire for a better life.
Three Nobel Prize laureates will attend the conference to talk about their personal experiences. Literature laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah was forced to leave Zanzibar for England in the 1960s. His Nobel Prize citation commended him “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”. Physics laureate Steven Chu grew up in the United States as a second-generation immigrant. Also speaking at the event will be medicine laureate Ardem Patapoutian. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but when he was 18 years old he emigrated to the United States, leaving behind his friends and parents.
Leaders from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will meet in a unique conversation about migration in the world today.
Andrea Spehar and Ron Davis Alvarez will take a deep dive into how Gothenburg (Göteborg) has approached the issue of migration, both historically and in the present. The “Dream Orchestra” from Gothenburg will also participate in the programme. The orchestra was founded in April 2016. Today it consists of 184 children and young people from about 18 countries. Many came to Sweden in the autumn of 2015, others have lived here all their lives.
About Nobel Week Dialogue – The Future of Migration
The Nobel Week Dialogue, an annual event during the Nobel Week, offers discussions on a theme − both on site and online − with the aim of inspiring people to seek knowledge, ask questions and seek to understand and improve the world. This year’s Nobel Week Dialogue will be held at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre (Svenska Mässan) in Gothenburg. The conference is free of charge, but registration is required. The principle is first come, first served.
The programme will run from 10:00 to 15:00 on 9 December.
The Nobel Week Dialogue is held in Stockholm every other year and in Gothenburg every other year.
The Nobel Week Dialogue is organised by Nobel Prize Outreach in collaboration with Carl Bennet AB, the City of Gothenburg, the Volvo Group and Region Västra Götaland, with support from the Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture.