AS GEOPOLITICAL tensions deepen, Penang is preparing to offer something increasingly rare — a space where different perspectives can meet, engage and search for common ground.
The inaugural Penang Peace Dialogue (PPD), to be held on September 5 and 6, 2026, at Jen Penang, Georgetown by Shangri-La, is shaping up as an important international gathering at a time when the world is confronting profound geopolitical, economic and social uncertainties.
Organised by the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns (CWC), the dialogue carries the theme “Bridging Civilisations in a Multipolar World” — a theme that reflects the rapidly changing international order and the need for greater understanding between countries, cultures and civilisations.
A platform for dialogue
The PPD is not intended simply as another international conference. Its broader ambition is to create a continuing platform for conversation, mutual understanding and cooperation on some of the major challenges confronting the world. At a time when strategic competition, military tensions and geopolitical rivalry increasingly dominate international discourse, the organisers believe there is an urgent need for spaces where differences can be discussed without confrontation.
Penang, with its multicultural and multireligious heritage and long history as a meeting point between East and West, provides a particularly appropriate setting.
The dialogue hopes to explore how countries and communities can navigate an increasingly multipolar world while preserving the principles of peaceful coexistence, respect and cooperation.
Voices from around the world
The PPD brings together an impressive range of international thinkers and contributors. Among those featured are former Indonesian president Joko Widodo, Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Professor Emeritus Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Professor Victor Gao and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Seng, Dr Peter TC Chang, Dr Wang Sheng-wei, alongside other scholars and public intellectuals.
The diversity of perspectives is central to the dialogue’s purpose. Rather than presenting a single interpretation of the changing world order, the PPD encourages discussion across different viewpoints.
NAC’s PPD Preview offers readers a glimpse of some of these perspectives through interviews with several speakers.
Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the Penang Peace Dialogue Preview
Jomo Kwame Sundaram makes the case for rediscovering the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement, arguing that the Global South has an important role to play in a world increasingly divided by great-power rivalry.
Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng looks at the transition from globalisation to multipolarity, China’s rise, and ASEAN’s changing role, while Kishore Mahbubani examines the broader transformation across Asia and the international system.
Dr Pascal Lottaz, whose work focuses on neutrality and peace, brings another important perspective — the potential role of smaller states and cities in today's increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
From preview to participation
The one-page PPD Preview is designed not merely as publicity material but as an invitation to join the conversation.
Its clickable QR codes allow readers to explore the interviews, announcements and background to the dialogue, making the event accessible beyond those physically attending in Penang.
This wider public engagement is important. Peace-building cannot be confined to diplomats, academics or political leaders. It also depends on citizens understanding the forces shaping their world and being willing to listen to perspectives different from their own.
The organisers are therefore appealing to the public, institutions and networks to share the PPD Preview widely and encourage participation.
Penang’s opportunity
The significance of the Penang Peace Dialogue ultimately lies in what happens beyond the two-day event.
If Penang can establish itself as a trusted venue for sustained dialogue between different regions, cultures and civilisations, the PPD could develop into a recurring platform for conversations on peace, cooperation and the future of the international order.
In a world increasingly defined by division, the most valuable contribution may simply be to keep the channels of communication open.
The invitation from Penang is therefore straightforward: come, listen, exchange ideas and find common ground.
The PPD Preview is the first step in that conversation. Now the challenge is to ensure that the conversation reaches as many people as possible. Click here to download your own copy.
Please share the preview widely. The more voices that join the dialogue, the greater the possibility that Penang can help build bridges in a multipolar world.
For more information on the Penang Peace Dialogue, click here to visit the official website. Click here to check out the Postscript NAC story, Penang Peace Dialogue: Bridging civilisations in a multipolar world
