The Mortimer Dialogue - Reinterpreting the Responsibility to Protect

On June 12, 2023, the inaugural Mortimer Dialogue took place on the topic of "Reinterpreting the Responsibility to Protect."
Shashi Tharoor, MP for Thiruvananthapuram, India, and former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations, sat with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times, to discuss the matter.
This event was dedicated to the memory of Edward Mortimer, who was chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times. Edward then joined the United Nations as chief speechwriter for Secretary-General Kofi Annan and, from 2001 to 2006, was director of communications in the office of the Secretary-General when he worked closely with Shashi, who headed the UN Department of Public Information.
Edward, a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, was the inspirational chief program officer and senior vice-president of Salzburg Global Seminar from 2006 to 2012 and chair of the 21st Century Trust from 2011 until his death in 2021.
As with all of the speeches he drafted, Edward brought his formidable intellect, eloquence, and journalistic skills to Kofi Annan’s messages and commitment to peace, humanitarianism, and the rule of law. Edward drafted the speech for the Secretary-General announcing the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in 2005, a principle in which Edward and Kofi Annan passionately believed. We are sure Edward would have relished this evening’s re-examination of R2P, learning from experience and exploring ways of achieving a better future.
This event was held under the auspices of 21st Century Trust in partnership with Salzburg Global Seminar - Austria. We were kindly hosted by the Aga Khan Centre.
For more information on the 21st Century Trust, please visit 21stcenturytrust.org
For more information on Salzburg Global Seminar, please visit salzburgglobal.org