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"THE COURAGE TO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND SOLIDARITY IN A WORLD FALLING APART"In a time of global unrest, shrinking solidarity, and rising threats to free expression, few speak with the moral clarity and experience of Jan Egeland. This year’s ICORN Lecture at the Kapittel Festival marks 20 years since the founding of the International Cities of Refuge Network in Stavanger, and honours that legacy by inviting one of the world’s leading humanitarians to the stage.
The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion. Participants to be announced.
We live in trying, challenging times. The values of human rights, freedom of expression and international solidarity are under increasing pressure across the world. As unresolved crises mount up in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, we are left to ask: What are bold statements and political alliances worth, when aid is cut on a global scale, and borders are closing to those in greatest need of protection?
Jan Egeland has served as Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council since 2013. With over 30 years of experience from international work with human rights, humanitarian crises, and conflict resolution, he was among the initiators of the peace negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO in 1993. Egeland has also held a number of other important positions, including State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs with Kofi Annan, Europe Director for Human Rights Watch. In June 2021 he was appointed Eminent Person of The Grand Bargain Initiative.
20 years with ICORN in Stavanger
In 2025 we mark 20 years since a small group of cities gathered in Stavanger and decided to establish the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). Since then, 350 persecuted writers, artists and journalists who were persecuted because of their work have found safety in one of ICORN’s 87 Cities of Refuge around the world.
ICORN’s Secretariat is based at Sølvberget in Stavanger.
Former ICORN lectures at the Kapittel Festival:
Svetlana Alexievich, Andrè Glucksman, Masha Gessen, Carsten Jensen, Anne Applebaum, Erika Fatland, Andrei Kurkov, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Wole Soyinka and others.
Arrangementet er en del av Kapittel - Stavanger internasjonale festival for litteratur og ytringsfrihet, 17. - 21. september 2025. Mer informasjon, program og billetter finner du på www.kapittel.no.
Ved enkelte arrangement på Sølvberget og under Kapittelfestivalen tar vi bilder og video for dokumentasjon og til bruk i sosiale medier.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Stavanger Domkirke, Haakon VIIs gate 2, 4005 Stavanger, Norge, Stavanger, Norway
Tickets
