5th Presidential Conference to open in Jerusalem

The fifth annual Israeli Presidential Conference will open in Jerusalem next week. Hosted by Shimon Peres, the conference, titled “Facing Tomorrow,” will bring together prominent global figures from the fields of science, entertainment, politics and education.

The event’s lineup includes former British premier and special envoy to the region Tony Blair, AOL’s Tim Armstrong, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Albert of Monaco. Barbra Streisand will give a special performance and former US president Bill Clinton will speak. Clinton is also giving a talk the day before the conference on behalf of the Peres Academic Center.

“The conference has become an important meeting place for public figures and world leaders from all sectors,” Israel Maimon, chairman of the event, said in a statement. “It is unique in challenging us to think together about our collective tomorrow, with the expectation that we can work to shape our future.”

While the conference will start on a fun note, as participants celebrate Peres’s 90th birthday, the issues discussed during the subsequent three days will be of a more serious nature. “Tomorrow’s wars — no longer science fiction” and “Economic principles vs. Social values: harmony or conflict?” are two of the planned sessions.

Facing Tomorrow 2013 takes place June 18-20, 2013, at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center. The conference is organized in partnership with Hebrew University. More than 5,000 participants are expected to attend this year’s conference.