Program

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Time Stage 1
10:00

Conference Opening

Conference Hosts 
10:05

Welcome Address

Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner
10:15

Opening Speech

Evelyn Zupke, Federal Parliamentary Commissioner for the Victims of the SED Dictatorship
 
10:25
Panel

The Global Retreat of Freedom and Democracy: How to Reverse the Tide

Leopoldo Lopez, World Liberty Congress Secretary General and Co-Founder
Masih Alinejad, World Liberty Congress President and Co-Founder
Garry Kasparov, Vice President, World Liberty Congress and Chairman, Renew Democracy Initiative
Moderator: Annie Boyajian, President Freedom House
10:45

Speech

Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution and Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University
11:00

Virtual Speech

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Human Rights Lawyer, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize 
recipient (2022) 
 
11:15

Panel

Roya Mahboob, CEO Digital Citizen Fund
Shukria Barakzai, Women’s rights defender
Masih Alinejad, World Liberty Congress Co-Founder and President
11:30
Speech

Freedom begins with opportunities to shape the future

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Reuter, President of the German Savings Banks Association
11:40

Video Message

Irwin Cotler, International Human Rights Lawyer & International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for 
Human Rights
11:45
Panel

Political Prisoners and the Power of Civil Society

Brandon Silver, International human rights lawyer and Director of Policy and Projects, Raoul Wallenberg, Centre for Human Rights 
Followed by discussion on inter-governmental coordination in support of political prisoners 
Carine Kanimba and Paul Rusesabagina, Rwanda; Vladimir and Evgenia Kara-Murza, Russia
12:10

Impulse

Sebastien Lai
12:15
Keynote

The Role of Parliament

Julia Klöckner, President of the German Bundestag
12:30

Lunch Break
13:50
Speech

Innovating Education for African and Middle Eastern Changemakers

Mohamed Abubakr, President, The African Middle Eastern Leadership Project (AMEL)
14:00
Keynote

The Role of Education

Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
14:30
Artistic Interlude

Art, activism, and media: Comic book communication to the global Gen Z

Melissa Chan, journalist and author
Badiucao, activist, artist, and author
14:40
Keynote

Freedom, Responsibility, Co-Determination: The Market Economy in a Democracy

Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther, Director and Executive Board member, German Economic Institute
14:50
Discussion

The Role of Business

Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther, Director and Member of the Executive Board at the German Economic Institute
Felix Maradiaga, World Liberty Congress Academy Director and Excecutive Council Member
Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign For Uyghurs 
 
15:10

Keynote

Edmundo González, President elect Venezuela
15:30
Panel

The Role of Business

Kathrin Anselm, Managing Director Central and Eastern Europe, Airbnb
Mariana Oleskiv, Advisor for European Affairs of the World Travel and Tourism Council
Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises and Mayor of Berlin
Moderator: Anja Wehler-Schöck, Tagesspiegel 
15:50

Coffee Break
16:40
Leading from the Front

A Drone Commander's View of Ukraine's Defense

Lt. Yulia Mykytenko, Lieutenant, Ukrainian Army
16:50
Speeches & Discussion

The Role of Defense

First Counsellor Markus Woelke, Vice President of the Federal Academy for Security Policy
Maj. Philipp Wolf, Company Commander, Jägerbataillon 291, Franco-German Brigade
Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, Former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe 
Moderator: Damon Wilson, President and CEO, National Endowment for Democracy
17:30
Speech

The Role of Tech and Media: Confronting Transnational Repression

Hannah Neumann, Member of the European Parliament
17:35
Keynote

The Role of AI

Audrey Tang, Taiwan's Cyber Ambassador and 1st Digital Minister 
17:45

Panel

Audrey Tang, Taiwan's Cyber Ambassador and 1st Digital Minister 
Ahmad Ahmadian, President and CEO of Holistic Resilience 
Damon Wilson, President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy
Moderator: Leopoldo López, World Liberty Congress Secretary General and Co-Founder
18:10

Closing Remarks

Hosts
Time Stage 2
13:40

What are blind spots of liberalism that are exploited by anti-liberals?

Hosted by Zentrum Liberale Moderne
Ralf Fücks, Managing Director, Center for Liberal Modernity
Annie Boyajian, President, Freedom House
Garry Kasparov, World Liberty Congress Co-Founder
14:30
Panel

Ukraine: Hilfe in Freiheit, für Freiheit

Hosted by Radio3
Andreas Tölke, CEO, Be An Angel
Maj, Philipp Wolf, Company Commander of Jägerbataillon 291, Franco-German Brigade
Kateryna Rietz-Rakul, Head of Ukrainian Institute 
Moderator: Natascha Freundel
15:40
Panel

Freiheit in Gefahr: Was passiert, wenn die Demokratieförderung versiegt?

Hosted by Radio3
Annie Boyajian, President Freedom House
Mantas Adomenas, Secretary General Community of Democracies
James Kirchick, Global Reporter
Moderator: Katja Weber, Radio3
Time Stage 3
13:55

Ignite Talks

Nicholas Opiyo, Founder Chapter Four Uganda
Dr. Donja Hodaie, Lawyer, legal counsel and researcher
Ray Wong, Hong Kong activist in exile & Board Chair Freheit für Hongkong e.V.
Felix Hosse, CEO, Push To Leave
Sardar Pashaei, Human Rights Activist, Executive Director, Hiwa
Nia Demming, President, DemoLab
Moderated by Nikola Ilic, ChangeLac CEO, Democratic Leadership 
Professor at Georgetown University, Activist
 
15:00
Panel

Gender Apartheid

Masih Alinejad, Iranian Activist and Co-Founder & President of the World Liberty Congress, Leading Global Campaign Against Compulsory Hijab and Gender Apartheid in Iran
Roya Mahboob, CEO Digital Citizen Fund
Shukria Barakzai, Women’s rights defender