UNPO is proud to announce the Re-Imagining Self-Determination Conference, taking place May 10–11, 2025, in Madeira, Portugal.
This two-day public event will bring together grassroots movements, communities, academics, and policymakers to explore how the right to self-determination—often sidelined or misinterpreted—can serve as a transformative framework for addressing today’s global crises. At a time when democratic participation, identity, and autonomy are increasingly under threat, this conference offers a space to rethink and revitalize how peoples can shape their own futures.
A Critical Time for Peoples’ Rights
Around the world, peoples’ rights are facing unprecedented pressure. From rising authoritarianism and digital surveillance to economic exploitation and forced displacement, the ability of communities to govern themselves and protect their identities is being systematically undermined. Disinformation, resource-driven conflict, and climate-induced crises are further destabilizing already vulnerable populations, exposing the deep limitations of existing global systems.
In this context, self-determination is more relevant than ever—not as a destabilizing force, but as a constructive response to inequality, marginalization, and governance failures. It offers a foundation for peace, sustainability, and pluralism in an increasingly fractured world.
Connecting Challenges to Action: A Conference with Purpose
The Re-Imagining Self-Determination Conference directly addresses these intersecting threats through three dynamic public sessions:
- The Right to Decide: Examines how shifting global power structures impact democratic participation, diplomacy, and the rights of stateless and marginalized peoples.
- Resisting New Forms of Colonization: Explores how old and new mechanisms of control—economic, territorial, and digital—continue to undermine autonomy, and how communities are responding.
- From Exploitation to Empowerment: Highlights the essential link between cultural and environmental rights, Indigenous sovereignty, and the broader fight for justice and sustainability.
Each session is designed to spark strategic dialogue, connect struggles across borders, and generate forward-looking solutions rooted in community-led experience and expertise.
Advancing UNPO’s Vision for Change
This conference marks a pivotal moment in UNPO’s broader Re-imagining Self-Determination Programme—an initiative launched to restore the legitimacy and relevance of self-determination in the 21st century. Through this event, UNPO aims to reclaim the narrative around self-determination and position it as a framework for peace, inclusion, and resilient democracy.
UNPO extends its deepest thanks to its members, Presidency Board, Management Committee, Advisory Board, and Secretariat, whose collective commitment has made this gathering possible.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with frontline voices, rethink international frameworks, and help co-create a more democratic and inclusive future.
️️ Tickets for individual public sessions are now available here.
✉️ For in-person participation, please contact the UNPO Secretariat at [email protected].
