ICORN lecture 2025: Jan Egeland

When: Friday 19 September
Venue: Stavanger Cathedral (Stavanger domkirke)

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ICORN-lecuture 2025: Jan Egeland - The courage to fight for freedom, justice and solidarity in a world falling apart

We live in trying, challenging times. The values of human rights, freedom of expression and international solidarity are under increasing pressure acvoss 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.