All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Launched in 2003, the World Leaders Forum is an annual University-wide initiative that helps realize Columbia’s commitment to serving as a center for public discussion and debate on the large economic, political, social, and cultural questions of our time that cut across both traditional academic and international boundaries.
The Forum brings together a wide range of governmental leaders, influential citizens, and admired intellectuals from many nations to examine global challenges and explore cultural perspectives. Throughout the yearlong series of events, Columbia’s students, faculty, and alumni, along with members of the wider New York City community, gather to engage in an open dialogue with distinguished world leaders.
Program Archive
- His Excellency M. Jusuf Kalla, Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, moderated by Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science (September 22, 2017)
- “Mo Yan and Chinese Literature”with Mo Yan, 2012 Nobel Prize Recipient in Literature. Moderated by Lydia H. Liu, Wun Tsun Tam Professor in the Humanities (November 6, 2014)
- His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III, President of the Republic of the Philippines moderated by Duncan McCargo, Senior Research Affiliate, Weatherhead East Asian Institute (September 24, 2014)
- His Excellency Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan moderated by Gerald L. Curtis, Burgess Professor of Political Science (September 22, 2014)
- “Post-Crisis Thailand: Building a New Democratic Society” with Abhisit Vejjajjiva (September 22, 2009)
- His Excellency Nambaryn Enhkbayar, President of Mongolia (October 24, 2007)
- “Deepening ASEAN-U.S. Relations and ASEAN Integration” with Ong Keng Yong (September 21, 2006)
- “Tibetan Studies in the Modern Research University” with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama (September 26, 2005)
