“It Is Time to Choose Dialogue, Peace, and a Shared Future”
September 29, 2026
Photo: Kristinn Ingvarsson and the Höfði Peace Centre.
Events marking the 40th anniversary of the Reykjavik Summit.
Among those taking part in the programme is the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar. The photo was taken when she and the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, met for a discussion at Veröld in April.
You can learn more about Samtal and sign up to participate at talasaman.is.
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From 6 to 12 October, the 40th anniversary of the Reykjavík Summit will be commemorated through a wide range of events and initiatives. At the heart of the anniversary programme is Samtal, a nationwide initiative taking place on 10 October. On 11 October, international leaders will also gather at Höfði House to discuss some of the defining challenges of our time, including peace, trust, technological change and leadership in an era of profound transformation.
Among the international guests taking part in the programme are Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Christiane Amanpour, CNN journalist and anchor; Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Tristan Harris, American technology ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology.
The Reykjavík Legacy: Dialogue for a Changing World
Sunday, 11 October, will mark 40 years since United States President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for historic talks at Höfði House. The Reykjavík Summit became a defining moment in relations between the two superpowers and helped pave the way for landmark agreements on nuclear arms reduction.
Forty years later, the world once again faces profound change and pressing global challenges. To mark this historic anniversary, a series of discussions and events will take place during the second week of October, bringing people together to explore the challenges shaping our shared future, from peace and dialogue to artificial intelligence and technological change, and to reflect on our collective responsibility to generations to come.
Peace Exhibition from Hiroshima
The programme begins on 6 October with the opening of a travelling exhibition from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum at Reykjavík City Hall. The exhibition bears witness to the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, underscores the importance of safeguarding peace and serves as a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future
On 8 October, the focus will turn to artificial intelligence and the opportunities and challenges it presents. A documentary exploring the impact of AI will be shown in secondary schools across the country and broadcast on RÚV that evening. The film features Tristan Harris, who has long highlighted the effects of social media and emerging technologies on individuals, communities and democracy, issues that have also been a particular focus for the President of Iceland.
The following day, 9 October, the President, Harris and his colleagues will take part in a programme of words and music at Harpa, held as part of the Arctic Circle Assembly. The event will offer a thought-provoking perspective on the artificial intelligence revolution and what it may mean for humanity and our shared future.
That evening, the Imagine Peace Tower, Yoko Ono’s outdoor artwork on Viðey Island, will be illuminated. Inaugurated in 2007, the work carries the simple yet timeless message of Yoko Ono and John Lennon: a call for peace and a reminder of our shared responsibility to work towards it.
Intergenerational dialogue across the country
The centrepiece of the week is Samtal, taking place on Saturday, 10 October. People of different generations will be invited to come together for open and honest conversations around one central question: “What kind of society do we want to create together?” Young people will lead the conversations, which will be held in upper secondary schools and other venues across the country.
The ideas, hopes and perspectives that emerge from these conversations will then be brought together and shared at an event streamed live from Harpa on Sunday, 11 October. Young people will be at the heart of the event, alongside girls’ and men’s choirs, bringing different generations and voices together in a shared reflection on the future.
A New Reykjavik Summit at Höfði
On Sunday afternoon, 11 October, a group of international leaders will gather at Höfði House, where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met exactly 40 years earlier. In the spirit of the historic Reykjavík Summit, the gathering will bring together voices from politics, international affairs, technology, business and the media for an informal and forward-looking conversation.
Together, they will explore how leaders can help advance peace, rebuild trust and ensure that technological development serves humanity and the common good.
The Imagine Forum Peace Conference
The anniversary programme will conclude on 12 October with the Imagine Forum peace conference at Harpa. Among the highlights will be a conversation between President Nataša Pirc Musar, Mary Robinson and Christiane Amanpour on leadership in an age of division and uncertainty, exploring what lessons can be drawn from the 1986 Reykjavík Summit and how its legacy of dialogue and courage can inform leadership today.
“Dialogue is the prerequisite for change”
“The common thread running through these days is simple,” President Halla Tómasdóttir says of the programme. “We want to pause, listen and come together to talk about what matters most. The history of the Reykjavík Summit at Höfði reminds us that while dialogue alone cannot resolve every dispute, it is a prerequisite for change. The historic talks between Reagan and Gorbachev helped shape the course of world history. Forty years later, it is time to put dialogue, peace and the future firmly back on the agenda.”
A wide range of organisations and individuals have joined forces to make the anniversary programme possible, including the Office of the President of Iceland, the City of Reykjavík, Arctic Circle, the Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre, Samtal, Prevention Day 2026, government ministries and cultural institutions, upper secondary schools and universities, as well as numerous associations, choirs, organisations and individuals across the country.ls.
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