Opening day of the WISC Conference: International Relations in a World of Flux: Understanding Continuity, Change and Contestation

On July 24, 2024, the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Warsaw hosted the Seventh International Conference of the World International Studies Committee (WISC) under the theme “International Relations in a World of Flux: Understanding Continuity, Change and Contestation.”

This conference marks the first event of its scale in Poland dedicated to the newly established discipline of International Relations, officially recognised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in October 2022. It is also one of the largest conferences of its kind globally. The event is organised in collaboration with the World International Studies Association, the Polish International Studies Association, and the University of Warsaw, with participation of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The first day of the conference featured 46 discussion panels addressing the most critical and pressing issues in contemporary international relations. After the panels, the official opening ceremony took place in the Auditorium Maximum. The ceremony was attended by the Rector of the University of Warsaw, Professor Alojzy Nowak; former Polish Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld; President of the Board of the Polish International Studies Association, Professor Edward Haliżak; President of WISC, Professor Pinar Bilgin; Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, Professor Andrzej Szeptycki; Director of the Foreign Policy Strategy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrzej Kindziuk; and numerous ambassadors from various countries.