Conference

The Global Negotiation Academy (GNA) is the flagship in-person program of the Institute for Global Negotiation (IGN), held annually in Zürich, Switzerland. The Academy brings together an international cohort of participants for intensive engagement with negotiation in international affairs.

The program focuses on negotiation strategy, process, and decision-making in complex, multi-actor environments. Through practitioner-led sessions, interactive discussions, and applied learning, participants explore the political, institutional, and interpersonal dynamics that shape negotiation practice today. Since 2014, the Academy has convened participants in Zürich for focused, practice-oriented work on contemporary negotiation challenges.

A central component of the Academy is the multilateral negotiation simulation, in which participants represent states in a negotiation reflecting real-world diplomatic and institutional dynamics. The 2026 simulation focuses on Multilateral Cooperation for Global Health Resilience, drawing on recent global health crises and the negotiation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

Use of the Online Platform

This Moodle space serves as the Academy’s digital coordination and preparation platform in advance of the in-person program in Zurich. Participants will use this environment to access preparatory materials, connect with fellow delegates, and receive logistical information necessary for participation in the Academy.

Through this platform, delegates will be able to:

• Access background materials and practitioner resources provided by speakers and organizers ahead of the Academy

• Review session information and preparatory readings

• Receive travel and arrival information for Zurich, including accommodation options and logistical guidance

• Provide administrative information, including meal preferences and other participant details

• Connect with their assigned negotiation teams, which will represent member states in the final multilateral simulation

• Access simulation briefing materials and country-specific information

• Review the Academy schedule and updates from the organizing team

• Download session materials and reference documents

• Use shared spaces for notes, reflections, and collaboration with team members

The platform will remain available throughout the Academy week for program updates, materials distribution, and coordination among participants.

The aim of the simulation is to demonstrate to students the importance of procedural design on negotiation processes. Students begin by designing the process without knowledge of which party they will subsequently represent in a multiparty negotiation. Once they have designed a process they are assigned to a party and receive another group’s ‘process design’ which they have to use for their multiparty negotiation.

The tenth annual Global Negotiation Conference will take place from the ​11-14 July 2023 at the University of Zurich. The conference will include workshops and presentations on theoretical and practical aspects of negotiation before culminating in a simulation on negotiating humanitarian access at the United Nations Security Council.

The ninth annual Global Negotiation Conference will take place from the ​6-9 July 2022 at the University of Zurich. The conference will include workshops and presentations on theoretical and practical aspects of negotiation before culminating in a simulation on negotiating an international space treaty.