The Darwin Dialogues are a new College initiative which aims to bring together Darwin’s students, Fellows, staff and alumni, as well as practitioners, policymakers and researchers from beyond the community, to explore responses to pressing global challenges.
Launched in 2026, the programme will host two in-depth events annually, with each Dialogue focused on a specific global challenge.
A defining feature of the Dialogues will be their inclusive, participatory, and collaborative approach. Each Dialogue will prioritise open discussion and the representation of a wide range of voices, perspectives, and forms of expertise. Through interdisciplinary exchange, the programme aims to foster new ideas, build connections, and develop innovative responses to complex global issues.
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The programme was launched on 28 April 2026 with an event designed to introduce the Darwin Dialogues and engage the College community in their development.
The day featured an inspiring keynote lecture by peace activist, ecologist, and educator Satish Kumar, followed by a series of interactive workshops exploring the potential format, themes, and outputs of the Dialogues.
Peace and sustainability are both widely recognised as urgent goals. Yet, they are often discussed separately and treated as distinct aims: with peace understood as the absence of war, and sustainability as the existence of durable environmental, economic, and social systems.
This first Darwin Dialogue brought the two concepts together, examining their many areas of overlap and intersection, and asking what this interplay reveals about the unsustainable conditions that shape contemporary societies and global interactions.
Following the in-person Dialogue, we warmly invite you to join us online on 28 October to continue the conversation and explore the connections between peace, sustainability, and the challenges shaping our world.
Two online events are planned to accommodate participants in different time zones, and ensure that voices are heard from across Darwin’s global community.
These will take place at 10am to 12pm, and at 3pm to 5pm, UK time.
In its 2022 Strategic Plan, Darwin College stated that it was “committed to a sustainable future, and to contributing to solving global challenges”.
To help realise this ambition, the College has developed a number of programmes designed to equip its community to make a difference and turn ideas into lasting change. The Darwin Dialogues are one such initiative.
