Comprehensive Security & Resilience | International Conference — 2026

Background Note

The current international security environment is undergoing a profound transformation, characterized by intense strategic competition, global fragmentation, supply chain vulnerabilities, targeting of critical infrastructure, and rapidly evolving hybrid threats. Caught in the vortex of geopolitical conflicts, security-vulnerable democracies seeking to safeguard their national sovereignty and strategic autonomy must make a qualitative transition from traditional, siloed defense models toward dynamic, multi-layered, and institutionalized national resilience systems.

In response to this urgent imperative, the Women & Global Security Architecture (WGSA) think tank will host the annual Comprehensive Security & Resilience International Conference — 2026 on September 17–18 in Yerevan. Operating under the motto “From Strategy to Action,” this year’s conference marks the third consecutive year of multi-stakeholder security dialogue. The participation and keynote address of the Prime Minister of Armenia, H.E. Nikol Pashinyan, for the second consecutive year underscore the strategic significance of the topics discussed and reflect the high priority accorded to them within the national policy context. Synthesizing international best practices, comprehensive resilience frameworks, and the specificities of Armenia’s security landscape, this leading platform focuses on practical security solutions tested under real-world crisis conditions, while simultaneously driving the search for and development of innovative, forward-looking solutions.

The conference features a structured, tiered agenda that progresses from high-level political vision to operational and sectoral solutions. The ‘Fireside Chats’ series explores critical dimensions of the security ecosystem, covering internal security and civil defense, the adaptation of international best practices, legal bases and parliamentary oversight, alongside economic diplomacy and foreign policy realignment. Thematic panel discussions will focus on countering hybrid threats, operationalizing whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, advancing the military dimension of comprehensive security and tactical sovereignty, and navigating the long-term Armenia–EU agenda, its achievements, opportunities, and challenges.

The outcomes of the conference will be consolidated into a policy paper, establishing a practical framework to reinforce national resilience across government, diplomatic, and public spheres.