World Leaders Forum
As the premier platform in Chicago and the Midwest for keynote addresses by heads of state and government, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs offers members and the public opportunities to see, hear, and question the world’s most powerful decision makers. The Chicago Council has welcomed the following world leaders and influential policymakers to Chicago over the past several years.
2012
His Excellency Vaclav Klaus, President, Czech Republic "Europe Without Illusions: Reflections from the Czech President" May 22, 2012
His Excellency Abdullah Gül, President, Republic of Turkey "Turkey's Economic and Foreign Policy Priorities: An Address from the President" May 22, 2012
Admiral James G. Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and Commander, U.S. European Command, "NATO After Chicago: The Alliance and Its Role in Global Security" May 22, 2012
His Excellency Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan "Afghan Women: Commitment to Progress" May 20, 2012
Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State "Changemakers: Women as Leaders" May 20, 2012
His Excellency Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Poland, "NATO After Afghanistan" May 20, 2012
His Excellency Mark Rutte, Prime Minister, The Kingdom of The Netherlands, An Address by the Dutch Prime Minister The Transaltantic Relationship: Strong Foundations, New Vigor" May 19, 2012
President Barack Obama, "Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit" May 18, 2012
His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, "Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit" May 18, 2012
His Excellency Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, "Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit" May 18, 2012
His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills, President of Ghana, "Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit" May 18, 2012
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary, U.S. Department of State, "Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit" May 18, 2012
Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State "Madeleine Albright: What Prague's Past Means for NATO's Future" May 2, 2012
His Excellency Enda Kenny, T.D., Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, March 16, 2012
His Excellency Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance, Republic of India, January 28, 2012
2011
Her Excellency Lulama Xingwana, Minister, South African Ministry of Women, Children, and People with Disabilities on “Empowering Women for Economic Growth in South Africa,” October 25, 2012
His Excellency Werner Hoyer, Minister of State, Foreign Office, Federal Republic of Germany on “A Strong Europe in a Globalized World,” October 4, 2011
His Excellency Giorgi Baramidze, Vice Prime Minister and State Minister of Georgia for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, on “Georgia: Domestic and International Dynamics,” September 19, 2011
The Honorable Timothy J. Roemer, U.S. Ambassador to India, on "U.S.-India: The Next Strategic and Economic Chapter," May 20, 2011
His Excellency François Delattre, Ambassador of the French Republic to the United States, on "France and the United States: Confronting Threats in an Era of Instability," May 20, 2011
His Excellency Prof. Dr. Ivo Josipović, President, Republic of Croatia, on "Reconciliation and Criminal Responsibility for War Crimes," May 2, 2011
Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, on "The Asian Marketplace: Driving America's Economic Growth," April 14, 2011
His Excellency Ahmed Reda Chami, Minister of Trade, Industry, and New Technologies, Kingdom of Morocco, on “Morocco: A Reforming and Modernizing Economy,” April 11, 2011
His Excellency Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President, Republic of South Africa, on "Sustaining South Africa's Growth," March 31, 2011
His Excellency Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, at the “U.S.-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum,” January 21, 2011
The Honorable Gary Locke, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, at the “U.S.-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum,” January 21, 2011
His Excellency Wang Chao, Vice Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, at the “U.S.-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum,” January 21, 2011
2010
Henrique de Campos Meirelles, Governor, Central Bank of Brazil on “Perspectives for the Brazilian Economy in the Next Few Years,” November 4, 2010
His Excellency Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, at “The 2nd Annual U.S. – India Business Opportunities Summit,” September 20, 2010
His Excellency Zafer Çağlayan, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Republic of Turkey, July 19, 2010
General David H. Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command, on “An Update from U.S. Central Command,” May 18, 2010
The Honorable Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico, honored with the International Leadership Award, "Global Leadership Awards Dinner," May 12, 2010
Her Excellency Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, May 4, 2010
The Honorable Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, on “Lessons from the Financial and Economic Crisis,” April 27, 2010
His Excellency Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, on “Asia After the Financial Crisis: A Singapore Perspective,” April 15, 2010
His Majesty King Abdullah II, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, April 14, 2010.
2009
His Excellency Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, President of Somalia, on “Governance in Somalia: Challenges and Priorities,” October 5, 2009.
The Honorable Thomas Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, on “An Outlook on Global Agriculture and Food Security,” June 29, 2009
The Honorable Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, on “The Future of Kenya and Africa,” May 2, 2009
His Excellency Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, on “Defining the U.S.-China Economic Relationship,” April 28, 2009
The Right Honorable Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on “Faith and Globalization,” April 22, 2009
His Excellency Franciso Santos Calderón, Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, on “The Future of U.S. – Colombia Economic Relations and Cooperation,” February 24, 2009
His Excellency Joseph Nyagah, Minister of Cooperative Development and Marketing of the Republic of Kenya, on “Kenya: A New Vision for Trade and Investment,” February 20, 2009
2008
His Excellency Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, Minister of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on “Rebuilding Afghanistan,” October 15, 2008
His Excellency Dr. Alejandro Foxley, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, on “A Latin American Outlook: Regional Economic and Social Progress and the U.S. Presidential Elections,” September 29, 2008
His Excellency Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, on “NATO’s Past, Present, and Future: A View from Europe,” September 8, 2008
His Excellency Eduardo Sojo Garza-Aldape, Secretary of the Economy of the United Mexican States, on “The Future of U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations,” July 31, 2008
The Honorable Henry Paulson, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, on “The Global Economy and American Competitiveness,” February 29 , 2008
Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, U.S. Trade Representative, and His Excellency Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India, for the “U.S.-India SME Summit: Leveraging Global Supply Chains and Integrating the SME Community,” February 19-20, 2008
His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, February 8, 2008
2007
His Excellency Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia, on “Mongolia and the Future of Northeast Asia: Economics, Politics, and Security,” October 25, 2007
Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, on “Indonesia and the Southeast Asian Regional Integration Process,” October 2, 2007
His Excellency Lech Kaczynski, President of the Republic of Poland, September 25, 2007
His Excellency Ali Babacan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, on “Turkey, the European Union, and the United States: What Does the Future Hold?” September 20, 2007
The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, August 3, 2007
His Excellency Bo Xilai, Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, May 31, 2007
His Excellency Agustín Carstens, Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico, on “Mexico in a Globalized World,” May 31, 2007
The Honorable Barack Obama, U.S. Senator for Illinois and Presidential Candidate, on “The American Moment,” April 23, 2007
The Right Honorable Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand, on “The Role of Trade in Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization,” March 22, 2007
His Excellency Mandisi Mpahlwa, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of South Africa, on “Expanding the U.S.-South Africa Business Relationship.”
His Excellency Pham Gia Khiem, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on “Vietnam’s Reforms and the Emerging U.S. Economic Partnership,” March 14, 2007
2006
The Honorable Mike Johanns, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, "An Outlook on American Agriculture in the Global Trading System," August 5, 2006
His Excellency Dr. Hashim A. Yamani, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, "Economic Reform and Restructuring Strategy for Saudi Arabia," June 22, 2006
Ambassador Rob Portman, U.S. Trade Representative, "A Trade Agenda for Prosperity, Democracy, and Peace," May 19, 2006
The Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, May 17, 2006
Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, May 9, 2006
His Excellency Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, "The Czech's Role in an Artificially Unified Europe," April 27, 2006
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State, April 19, 2006
His Excellency Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil, honored with the International Leadership Award, "Global Leadership Awards Dinner," February 22, 2006
The Honorable John W. Snow, United States Secretary of Treasury, "After the G8 Summit: An Outlook on the Global Economy," February 16, 2006
His Excellency Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, "Europe's Strategy for a Globalized Economy," January 20, 2006
2005
The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, "The Economy, Trade, and American Competitiveness: America in the Worldwide Economy," November 9, 2005
His Excellency Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India, September 28, 2005
His Excellency Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania, "Democracy: The Lithuanian Experience," September 19, 2005
The Honorable Samuel Wright Bodman, U.S. Secretary of Energy, "Energy Security in the 21st Century," July 21, 2005
The Honorable Dr. Helmut Kohl, former Chancellor of Germany, honored with the International Leadership Award, May 23, 2005
His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, May 7, 2005
His Excellency P. Chidambaram, Minister of Finance of the Union Government of India, and Business Executive from the Confederation of Indian Industry, April 14, 2005
The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, April 14, 2005
General John Abizaid, Commander of U.S. Central Command, April 12, 2005
His Excellency Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine, April 4, 2005
2004
Natan Sharansky, Israeli Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs,“The Case for Democracy,” November 16, 2004
His Excellency Vicente Fox, President of Mexico, The Agustin S. Hart Jr. Lecture, June 17, 2004
The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld, United States Secretary of Defense, “An Update on the Global War on Terror," August 6, 2004
His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, cosponsored with the Economic Club of Chicago, June 11, 2004
His Excellency Hamid Karzi, President of Afghanistan, “The U.S.-Afghan Partnership: Creating a More Secure World,” June 10, 2004.
His Excellency Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor, Federal Republic of Germany, on “The Transatlantic Economic Relationship: A View from Germany,” February 26, 2004
2003
William Graham, Canadian Foreign Minister, “Towards Broader Horizons: Effective Diplomacy in a Global World,” November, 20, 2003
His Excellency Ehud Olmert, Israel Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade, Labor and Communications, “The Future of U.S.-Israel Economic Relations,” November 12, 2003
His Excellency Franz Vranitzky, former Chancellor of Austria, “Transatlantic Relations Reconsidered – a Temporary Rift or the Death of an Alliance?” November 4, 2003
His Excellency Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on “Pakistan Today,” October 7, 2003
His Excellency Jeong Se-Hyun, “Korean Unification Policy,” October 3, 2003
Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, “An Evening with Madeleine K. Albright,” September 25, 2003
His Excellency Ahmed Maher El Sayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt. September 24, 2003
The Honorable Lal Krishna Advani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of India, “Democratic Societies Against Terrorism: Indo-U.S. Cooperation,” June 12, 2003
Laurent Fabius, former French Prime Minister, “European Questions,” June 3, 2003
Jorge Castañeda, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, and Fernando Canales, Secretary of the Economy of Mexico, “World Affairs Symposium on U.S. – Mexico Relations,” May 29-30, 2003
His Excellency Alexander Erwin, South African Minister of Trade and Industry, “The Future of U.S.- South African Trade Relations,” May 14, 2003
Her Excellency Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, “Ireland’s Role in the World,” May 6, 2003
Minister Danuta Hübner, Secretary of States of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of the Committee for European Integration, Republic of Poland, “The Influence of the EU Enlargement on the Transatlantic Relationship,” April 30, 2003
His Excellency Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada, February 13, 2003