Where is the Halifax International Security Forum held?

The forum is held in the city of Halifax, CAN.

What is the primary focus of the Halifax International Security Forum?

The forum primarily focuses on strengthening strategic cooperation among democratic nations to address global security challenges, as indicated by its topical agenda.

Who typically attends the Halifax International Security Forum?

The forum brings together leaders and experts from democratic nations, including government officials, military leaders, academics, and journalists.

Halifax International Security Forum 2026

Name: Halifax International Security Forum 2026
Start: 2026-11-21T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-11-23T00:00:00Z
Location: Halifax

Nov 21–23, 2026Halifax, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

The Halifax International Security Forum is a significant annual gathering held in Halifax, CAN, bringing together a diverse group of leaders and experts from democratic nations. The forum focuses on the most pressing global security challenges, fostering dialogue and collaboration to strengthen international stability and democratic principles. Its agenda consistently addresses critical geopolitical shifts and emerging threats, aiming to shape strategic responses from a democratic perspective.

Committees & topics

Topics
And So, Where Is the Security? Reassessing the Post-Cold War Order · Cold Weather, High Prices, Long War: Winter Resilience and the Ukraine Conflict · Tomorrow's Energy Needed Now: Security, Transition, and Industrial Policy · The Disinformation Nations: Hostage Diplomacy, Foreign Interference, and Economic Coercion · Food Security: Conflict, Climate, and the Global Food System · Mind the Gap: Maintaining Technological Superiority Over Strategic Competitors · H2O — Heatwave to Overflow: Climate Security and Water · The Future of Democracy? Democracy.

Why it matters

This forum holds particular importance as it convenes key decision-makers and thought leaders in a dedicated space for discussing global security. In an era marked by complex geopolitical dynamics, the forum provides a platform for democracies to coordinate strategies and reinforce their shared values. The discussions often lead to a deeper understanding of multifaceted crises, from regional conflicts to the implications of technological advancements on state security.

The emphasis on democratic principles is a core aspect of the forum's mission, distinguishing it from other security conferences. By focusing on how democracies can collectively address threats, the forum contributes to the resilience of the international liberal order. It serves as a crucial venue for identifying common ground and forging consensus among nations committed to open societies and rule of law, particularly in response to challenges posed by authoritarian regimes and non-state actors.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for the Halifax International Security Forum should engage in thorough research on the current geopolitical landscape, paying close attention to the specific topics outlined in the forum's agenda. Understanding the perspectives of key democratic allies, as well as the positions of nations like CHN and RUS, is crucial for effective participation. Reviewing recent policy statements and strategic documents from major international organizations and national governments will provide valuable context.

Furthermore, participants should consider the implications of various security challenges through the lens of democratic governance. This involves not only understanding the technical aspects of threats such as cyber warfare or climate change but also how these issues impact democratic institutions and societal cohesion. Engaging with resources on topics such as 'Dynamic Analysis' and 'Engagement Strategies' can help delegates frame their contributions effectively, ensuring their interventions are both informed and strategically impactful. Consideration of 'Hidden Stakeholders' in complex security scenarios can also enrich discussions.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Canada

As the host nation, CAN emphasizes multilateralism and the strengthening of democratic alliances to address global security challenges.

Role in topic

CAN plays a central role in facilitating the forum, providing a neutral ground for discussions and often advocating for inclusive approaches to security, including human rights and gender perspectives in conflict resolution.

United States

The USA views the forum as a critical platform for reinforcing transatlantic and Indo-Pacific security cooperation and countering threats to democratic values.

Role in topic

The USA is a primary participant, often shaping the agenda with its strategic priorities, including responses to aggression from RUS and the rise of CHN, as well as addressing emerging threats like cyber warfare and disinformation campaigns.

Germany

DEU supports the forum's focus on democratic resilience and collective security, particularly within the Euro-Atlantic context.

Role in topic

DEU contributes to discussions on European security, defense cooperation, and the broader implications of geopolitical shifts, often emphasizing diplomatic solutions and international law.

Ukraine

UKR utilizes the forum to highlight the ongoing challenges to its sovereignty and the broader implications for international security and democratic principles.

Role in topic

UKR's perspective is crucial for discussions on territorial integrity, the defense of democratic nations against external aggression, and the importance of international support for countries facing conflict.

Japan

JPN aligns with the forum's objectives by advocating for a free and open Indo-Pacific and strengthening alliances to maintain regional stability.

Role in topic

JPN contributes to discussions on maritime security, economic coercion, and the strategic balance in Asia, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in upholding a rules-based order.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

And So, Where Is the Security? Reassessing the Post-Cold War Order

The post-1991 security architecture was built on assumptions that have unraveled over the past decade: that great-power war in Europe was obsolete, that economic interdependence would discipline revisionist states, and that liberal democracy would steadily diffuse. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shattered the first assumption; China's military buildup, coercion in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, and its 'no limits' partnership with Moscow challenged the second; and democratic backsliding from Budapest to New Delhi has complicated the third. NATO has expanded to include Finland and Sweden, defense budgets across Europe and the Indo-Pacific have surged, and minilateral groupings such as AUKUS, the Quad, and trilateral US-Japan-ROK cooperation have proliferated. Yet the question 'where is the security?' captures a real anxiety. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza, instability across the Sahel, and recurrent crises in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa have stretched Western capacity. UN Security Council paralysis, driven by Russian and Chinese vetoes, has eroded the credibility of collective security mechanisms. The Halifax community has long argued that democracies must reorganize around shared threats rather than legacy institutions alone, but the practical shape of that coordination — burden sharing, industrial mobilization, and political will — remains contested. Delegates must weigh whether the existing alliance system can be repaired and extended, or whether a more explicit 'democracies' coalition is needed to deter authoritarian aggression while sustaining the rules-based order.

Key players

Cold Weather, High Prices, Long War: Winter Resilience and the Ukraine Conflict

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has produced not only a battlefield war but a sustained economic and energy war against Europe and Ukrainian society. Since 2022, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's power grid, heating, and water infrastructure, with intensified strikes each winter aimed at breaking civilian morale and degrading the economy. Europe simultaneously absorbed the shock of losing the bulk of Russian pipeline gas, replaced rapidly with LNG imports, accelerated renewables, and emergency demand reduction — at considerable fiscal cost to households and industry. As the war approaches its fourth winter, fatigue is a strategic variable. Inflation in food and energy has fed political polarization across NATO capitals, complicating sustained aid packages. Ukraine's air defense interceptor stocks, generator supplies, and grid repair capacity are recurring chokepoints, while sanctions enforcement against Russian oil price-cap evasion remains uneven. The G7+ coalition has channeled frozen Russian sovereign asset proceeds toward Ukraine, but the legal and political appetite for full asset seizure is still debated. Winter resilience is therefore both a humanitarian and a deterrence question: can democracies sustain Ukraine and their own populations through another cold season at war, and what mix of energy, financial, and military support is required?

Key players

Tomorrow's Energy Needed Now: Security, Transition, and Industrial Policy

The energy transition has shifted from a primarily climate-driven agenda to a security-driven one. The 2022 gas crisis exposed Europe's dependence on a hostile supplier; subsequent shocks in shipping (Red Sea attacks on tankers) and refining have reinforced that energy security and decarbonization must advance together. At the same time, AI data centers, electrified transport, and reshored manufacturing are projected to sharply increase electricity demand in advanced economies for the first time in decades, straining grids that were planned for flat or declining load. The response has been a wave of industrial policy: the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act, the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan and Net-Zero Industry Act, Canada's critical minerals strategy, and Japan's GX program. Yet these efforts collide with the reality that China dominates solar, batteries, and critical mineral processing, raising concerns about substituting one dependency for another. Nuclear power — both large reactors and SMRs — is enjoying a political revival, while permitting, grid interconnection, and workforce constraints slow deployment of every technology. Delegates must balance speed, affordability, and security: how to build clean and resilient energy systems quickly enough to meet demand and climate targets without ceding strategic supply chains to authoritarian competitors.

Key players

The Disinformation Nations: Hostage Diplomacy, Foreign Interference, and Economic Coercion

A cluster of authoritarian states — most prominently Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea — has refined a toolkit of gray-zone tactics targeting open societies. Hostage diplomacy has become routine: Iran's serial detention of dual nationals, Russia's imprisonment of journalists and executives for leverage in prisoner swaps, and China's detention of the 'two Michaels' in retaliation for the Meng Wanzhou case set precedents that have shaped Western consular policy. Foreign interference operations, documented by the FBI, CSIS, MI5, and ASIO, range from transnational repression of diaspora dissidents to covert influence on elections and the cultivation of local officials. Parallel campaigns of disinformation — amplified through state media, inauthentic social media networks, and increasingly generative AI — aim to fracture democratic publics and discredit institutions. Industrial-scale intellectual property theft, sanctions evasion through shadow fleets and crypto, and cyber intrusions into critical infrastructure round out the picture. Western responses have included the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations (2021), foreign agent registration regimes, export controls, and coordinated sanctions, but enforcement is fragmented and slow. The committee must consider how democracies harden themselves against these tactics without curtailing the openness that defines them.

Key players

Food Security: Conflict, Climate, and the Global Food System

Global hunger has risen sharply since 2019, with the FAO estimating that more than 700 million people face chronic undernourishment. The war in Ukraine disrupted Black Sea grain and fertilizer exports that feed much of Africa and the Middle East; Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2023 and its strikes on Ukrainian ports tightened markets further, though Ukraine has since reopened a corridor under its own naval terms. Conflict in Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, and the Sahel has created acute famine conditions, and the World Food Programme has repeatedly warned of funding shortfalls. Layered on top of conflict is climate stress. Successive droughts in the Horn of Africa, floods in Pakistan, and erratic monsoons across South Asia have damaged staple yields, while El Niño and La Niña cycles disrupt fisheries and grain belts. Fertilizer prices, tied to natural gas, remain elevated, and a small number of producers dominate key inputs — Russia and Belarus in potash, Morocco in phosphate, China in nitrogen export decisions. Export bans by major rice and wheat producers during shocks have repeatedly worsened price spikes. Delegates must consider how to insulate vulnerable populations from weaponized food supply, climate shocks, and protectionist responses while strengthening longer-term agricultural resilience.

Key players

Mind the Gap: Maintaining Technological Superiority Over Strategic Competitors

The diffusion of advanced technology — semiconductors, AI, quantum, biotech, hypersonics — has become a central axis of great-power competition. The United States and partners moved from a posture of broad technological openness toward selective decoupling beginning with the October 2022 export controls on advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment to China, tightened in 2023 and 2024 and joined in part by the Netherlands and Japan. The CHIPS and Science Act, the EU Chips Act, and Japan's Rapidus initiative aim to reshore leading-edge fabrication, while AUKUS Pillar II focuses on co-development of AI, undersea, and hypersonic capabilities. China has responded with massive subsidies under 'Made in China 2025' successor programs, indigenous lithography efforts, and export controls of its own on gallium, germanium, graphite, and rare earth processing technology. The competition extends to standards-setting at the ITU and ISO, talent flows, and academic research security. Open questions include how narrow the 'small yard, high fence' should be, how to handle dual-use AI models, and whether allied coordination can keep pace with the speed of commercial innovation. The risk is symmetrical: too little restriction lets capabilities flow to authoritarian militaries; too much fragments the global innovation ecosystem and pushes third countries toward the competitor.

Key players

H2O — Heatwave to Overflow: Climate Security and Water

2023 and 2024 were the hottest years in the instrumental record, and the World Meteorological Organization has documented compounding extremes: marine heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and catastrophic floods often in the same regions within months. Water is the medium through which climate change is most acutely felt — too little in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, northern Mexico, and the U.S. Southwest; too much in Pakistan's 2022 floods, Libya's Derna dam collapse in 2023, and recurrent flooding in the Sahel and Southeast Asia. Glacial retreat in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya and Andes threatens long-term flow to billions. These stresses have direct security implications. Transboundary river basins — the Nile (GERD), Indus, Mekong, Tigris-Euphrates, and Helmand — are sites of rising friction. Climate-linked displacement, both internal and cross-border, complicates fragile states and asylum systems. Militaries are increasingly drawn into disaster response, while critical infrastructure including ports, nuclear plants, and power grids face new design challenges. Adaptation finance remains far below need, with the Loss and Damage Fund agreed at COP27 still being operationalized. Delegates must consider water and climate not as a separate environmental file but as a core security challenge cutting across migration, conflict, infrastructure, and humanitarian response.

Key players

The Future of Democracy? Democracy.

Democracy has been on the defensive for nearly two decades. V-Dem, Freedom House, and the Economist Intelligence Unit all record sustained democratic backsliding, with more of the world's population now living under autocratic or hybrid regimes than at any point since the early 1990s. Recent stress tests include attempted or successful coups in West Africa (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon), constitutional erosion in member states of the EU and NATO, contested elections from Venezuela to Mozambique, and the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. At the same time, democracy has shown resilience. Voters in 2024 — the largest election year in history — turned out in record numbers across India, Indonesia, the EU, the UK, and the United States; courts and election administrators in multiple jurisdictions blocked attempts to overturn results; and pro-democracy movements have persisted under severe repression in Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and Venezuela. The Summit for Democracy process, EU rule-of-law conditionality, and a growing body of work on countering foreign interference and protecting information integrity represent institutional responses. The Halifax framing — 'The Future of Democracy? Democracy.' — insists that the answer to democratic crisis is more and better democracy. Delegates must grapple with how to defend electoral integrity, civil liberties, and the rule of law in an era of AI-enabled disinformation, polarization, and authoritarian alignment.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Halifax International Security Forum 2026.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Trump's Economic Reset

Arming an archipelago: Is time running out for Europe's oldest DMZ? | Euronews

Comprehensive approach to security: Federal Council launches consultation on Switzerland's security policy strategy

Georgia Considers Position in New South Caucasus Transit Era - Jamestown

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

Canada November 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

Halifax International Security Forum 2026

Nov 21–23, 2026Halifax, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
And So, Where Is the Security? Reassessing the Post-Cold War Order · Cold Weather, High Prices, Long War: Winter Resilience and the Ukraine Conflict · Tomorrow's Energy Needed Now: Security, Transition, and Industrial Policy · The Disinformation Nations: Hostage Diplomacy, Foreign Interference, and Economic Coercion · Food Security: Conflict, Climate, and the Global Food System · Mind the Gap: Maintaining Technological Superiority Over Strategic Competitors · H2O — Heatwave to Overflow: Climate Security and Water · The Future of Democracy? Democracy.

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Canada

As the host nation, CAN emphasizes multilateralism and the strengthening of democratic alliances to address global security challenges.

Role in topic

United States

The USA views the forum as a critical platform for reinforcing transatlantic and Indo-Pacific security cooperation and countering threats to democratic values.

Role in topic

Germany

DEU supports the forum's focus on democratic resilience and collective security, particularly within the Euro-Atlantic context.

Role in topic

DEU contributes to discussions on European security, defense cooperation, and the broader implications of geopolitical shifts, often emphasizing diplomatic solutions and international law.

Ukraine

UKR utilizes the forum to highlight the ongoing challenges to its sovereignty and the broader implications for international security and democratic principles.

Role in topic

Japan

JPN aligns with the forum's objectives by advocating for a free and open Indo-Pacific and strengthening alliances to maintain regional stability.

Role in topic

JPN contributes to discussions on maritime security, economic coercion, and the strategic balance in Asia, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in upholding a rules-based order.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

And So, Where Is the Security? Reassessing the Post-Cold War Order

Key players

Cold Weather, High Prices, Long War: Winter Resilience and the Ukraine Conflict

Key players

Tomorrow's Energy Needed Now: Security, Transition, and Industrial Policy

Key players

The Disinformation Nations: Hostage Diplomacy, Foreign Interference, and Economic Coercion

Key players

Food Security: Conflict, Climate, and the Global Food System

Key players

Mind the Gap: Maintaining Technological Superiority Over Strategic Competitors

Key players

H2O — Heatwave to Overflow: Climate Security and Water

Key players

The Future of Democracy? Democracy.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Halifax International Security Forum 2026.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Trump's Economic Reset

Arming an archipelago: Is time running out for Europe's oldest DMZ? | Euronews

Comprehensive approach to security: Federal Council launches consultation on Switzerland's security policy strategy

Georgia Considers Position in New South Caucasus Transit Era - Jamestown

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

Canada November 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

J.W. Dafoe Political Science Students’ Conference 2026

Leadersphere 2026 Conference

CIC Toronto: Canada in a Fragmenting World – Navigating Geopolitics, Alliances, and Emerging Security Challenges

Parliamentary Symposium: The Future of Middle Powers After the Rupture: Perspectives from Canada and Beyond

Implementing Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy

2026 CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE CONFERENCE (CANIC 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

J.W. Dafoe Political Science Students’ Conference 2026

Leadersphere 2026 Conference

CIC Toronto: Canada in a Fragmenting World – Navigating Geopolitics, Alliances, and Emerging Security Challenges

Parliamentary Symposium: The Future of Middle Powers After the Rupture: Perspectives from Canada and Beyond

Implementing Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy

2026 CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE CONFERENCE (CANIC 2026)

Frequently asked questions