While serving as a UN official, Mr Picco was involved directly and personally in various negotiations to end wars.
Mr Picco was fortunate to be given the freedom of movement by the then UN Secretary General both on the issue of the Iran-Iraq war and the issue of freeing the Western hostages detained in the Middle East during the 80s.
No manual of diplomacy could have taught Mr Picco much about those unusual cases: to end a war he had to create a situation where one of the combatants was not even present, and in another, his individual presence was required—alone and blindfolded, taken from the streets of Beirut in the middle of the night (more than once)—to face the kidnappers.
In a world plagued by conflicts and increasing uncertainty, Mr Picco’s talk will highlight the importance of personal credibility, and the understanding of national aspiration for cooperation, in pursuing peace and the truth for freedom in the 21st century.