As Wilton Park has entered its 80th year, the world is once again deeply uncertain. The positive news is that we believe from our events that many of the root causes are increasingly now understood, and there are growing efforts to tackle them, with Wilton Park at the forefront of such efforts.

One key example is the future of NATO and our ability to protect Europe – including Ukraine and increasingly the High North – from hostile threats. These related tasks require deeper contributions and collaboration from NATO members, and we are working hard to support the trusted relationships and focused discussion required to deliver results for the alliance.

Such efforts only make sense within a wider set of trusted global partnerships within which the UK, and Wilton Park, remain key partners accelerating progress on such issues as climate change, economic growth and peaceful scientific progress.

Our recent event bringing together Small Island Developing States was a great example of how we can support genuine outcomes, and in doing so generate significant goodwill and soft power. This is a core and growing role for Wilton Park as the UK’s modern multilateral convenor.

Tom Cargill

Chief Executive

NATO and Ukraine: Lessons on Strategy, Deterrence, and Shaping

Earlier this month, we convened a strategic-level conference in partnership with NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the Swedish Defence Research Agency to examine how lessons from Russia’s war on Ukraine can inform NATO’s approach to strategy, deterrence, and long-term strategic shaping.

The dialogue was anchored in the Allied commitment reaffirmed at the 2024 Washington Summit, which recognised that a strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine is vital to the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area. Building on this political foundation, the conference focused on how NATO and Ukraine can move beyond predominantly operational and tactical assessments to more fully integrate strategic and political lessons into future Alliance decision-making.

SIDS Future Forum and partnering to build resilient oceans and blue economies

Small Island Developing States are at the forefront of ocean conservation challenges and solutions.

With the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’s BBNJ Agreement entering into force in January 2026, there’s renewed focus on how nations can work together to conserve marine biodiversity, share benefits fairly, and advance science and capacity building.

The SIDS Future Forum at Wilton Park brought stakeholders together to develop a Summary for Policymakers, closing evidence gaps and identifying actionable next steps for the years ahead.

With SDG14 receiving the lowest financial investment of any development goal, these conversations are more important than ever.

‘We are not small, actually – we are big ocean states.’

Karuna Rana of Big Ocean States Initiative explains why local communities are leading the way in developing solutions to global ocean challenges, and why it’s crucial their work is supported and funded.

Watch the playlist:

A Save Ukraine flag is displayed outside Wiston House

Reports you may have missed

Catch up on our recent reports, covering subjects from Europe’s nuclear future to the pursuit of criminal justice for Ukraine.

Read the reports

Wilton Park’s 80th anniversary

Thank you to everyone who has sent such warm messages marking Wilton Park’s 80th anniversary. We’ve been truly moved by the kind words from colleagues, friends and partners around the world. Your reflections are a wonderful reminder of the connections and impact built over eight decades of world-changing dialogue.

Find out more about our anniversary and learn about 80 years of bringing people together to tackle global challenges.

Upcoming events

Galvanising global efforts towards the prevention of conflict

With armed conflict at its highest levels for decades, the case for prevention has never been greater. Accordingly, global commitments towards prevention have recently been reinvigorated, most notably in the UN Pact for the Future. Yet, longstanding barriers to operationalising prevention remain and overcoming these will require enhanced collective action in addition to sustained political support.

This Wilton Park event will address this challenge.

It will foster open dialogue to enhance collective knowledge of the challenges to prevention, and identify tangible and innovative opportunities for cooperation and onward action.

Find out more

International solutions to carbon leakage

This event seeks to explore practical solutions to the challenge of carbon leakage by fostering international cooperation. Hosted at Wilton Park, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is partnering with E3G, an international climate think tank, to convene policymakers, experts, and civil society representatives for three days of focused discussion on how to work together to address carbon leakage risk.

Enhancing international cooperation on cyber regulation
Rapid digitisation and rising cyber threats are exposing critical vulnerabilities across global economies, while fragmented regulations increase costs and complexity for businesses, particularly SMEs.

This dialogue aims to develop a roadmap for establishing a more interoperable international regulatory landscape for cybersecurity. It will bring together governments and stakeholders from around the world to exchange views and agree next steps for future cooperation.

Aurora Forum 2026

In March, the Aurora Forum will take place at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. The Forum will bring together leaders from industry, government, academia and civil society, and will dovetail with a Round Table of European Ministers and State Secretaries from the UK and eight Nordic and Baltic countries, with Ministers also participating in the Forum.

This year’s themes include defence and security, geopolitics and the Arctic, inclusive economic growth, supply chains, innovation and skills, societal resilience, and energy and climate change. Given the current pace of change in world issues the themes will be confirmed nearer the event to maximise relevance.

Participation is by invitation from the Aurora Forum Steering Committee.

Reflections on Wilton Park: hear from our community

“Wilton Park is a space where your ideas are valued. Your contributions lead to a ripple effect of transformation.”

Digital health innovator Huguette Diakabana describes how Wilton Park dialogues and networks have impacted her career since her first visit during the West African Ebola crisis – a meeting she describes as ‘a masterclass in global cooperation and ingenuity.’

Learn more

Recent events

Human rights in a shifting world: broadening support, securing futures

This month, we hosted our 20th annual human rights dialogue. For over two decades, we and our partners, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, have brought together practitioners from across the globe to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the international human rights system.

At a time when geopolitical shifts, funding pressures and an increased focus on defence are reshaping the landscape, this dialogue offered a vital opportunity to take stock and look ahead.

Participants explored:

How recent developments are impacting human rights work globally
Possible scenarios for the future of the international human rights system
How to build popular support for human rights
Integrating human rights considerations into security and other policy areas

This year’s dialogue fostered inter-regional and inter-generational exchange — sharing knowledge and best practice across borders and between experienced practitioners and emerging voices.

Agenda 2063 in a post-ODA world: African agency for socio-economic transformation

Africa stands at a pivotal juncture.

With a rapidly growing population, abundant natural resources and dynamic young people, the continent holds immense potential to shape its own socio-economic future.

Our high-level policy roundtable brought together African policymakers, regional institutions and private sector leaders to chart practical pathways for transformation through collective action.

At a time of global uncertainty and shifting development landscapes, new approaches and stronger collective strategies are essential to drive forward the transformative vision of Agenda 2063.

Children’s Care Reform: from commitment to collective action

This Wilton Park Dialogue aimed to accelerate global progress in children’s care reform by building on the momentum of the Global Charter for Children’s Care Reform launched during the 2025 UN General Assembly. It provided a timely space to move from shared commitments to coordinated action.

Despite international frameworks and growing national efforts, an estimated 5.4 million children still live in institutional settings without the care of a family. The Charter has sharpened global awareness of the systemic barriers that slow reform, from social norms and data gaps to policy and funding constraints, challenges that no single actor can address alone.

This dialogue focused on confronting these cross-cutting issues, sharing practical strategies, and shaping a collective roadmap for the next phase of implementation.

The goal was to drive meaningful action that strengthens families, prevents unnecessary separation, and ensures that when alternative care is needed, it is family and community-based, progressively ending the institutionalisation of children worldwide.

Trusted partnerships for turbulent times