More than 1,500 guests from around the world will take their places in this week’s second annual Facing Tomorrow global conference in Jerusalem, initiated last year by President Shimon Peres and co-sponsored by Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It will be held from Oct.20-22 in Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center.

Israel National News TV will broadcast live from the event beginning at 8:00 pm Tuesday until Thursday evening at 8:00 pm.

The Conference focuses on “our mutual tomorrow - investigating the trends that are shaping the future, and exploring actions that could and should be undertaken towards the betterment of tomorrow for Israel, the Jewish people and the world at large.”

“This year’s Conference,” the promotional literature further states, “will investigate the parameters of the various crises [that arose over this past year], assess the threats and opportunities that may surface, and consider the policies and decisions that should be implemented to address these grave challenges. We will focus on ways we can make today’s crises an opportunity - a gateway for positive change on our journey towards tomorrow.”

Among the guests who will be taking part are:

Christine Lagarde, Minister of Finance, France
Conductor Zubin Mehta
Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore
French philosopher and economist Jacques Attali
Former Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov
President of Skype Josh Silverman
Founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales
Garry Knell, President and CEO of Children's Television Workshop (the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street)
US Investment Strategist for Goldman Sachs Abby Joseph Cohen
Renowned architect Frank Gehry
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy
Tawfik Hamid, Author of “Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam”
Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer
Neuroscientist Henry Markram
Former US Administration officials Stuart Eizenstat and Elliott Abrams
Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Edward Luttwak
Dean of College of History and Culture at China’s Henan University Zhang Qianhong
Executive Chairman of the Rothschild Group Baron David de Rothschild
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL Tim Armstrong
Chairman and Chief Executive Office of Axel Springer AG Mathias Dopfner
Chief Executive Officer of Thomson Reuters Tom Glocer
Chief Executive Officer of TiVo Tom Rogers
Art Levinson, former Chief Executive Officer of Genentech
Futurist and inventor Raymond Kurzweil

Conference discussions and deliberations will take place on the following topics, among others:

The Global Economic Crisis - Building a Functioning World Economic System
Geopolitical Challenges of the 21st Century
Geopolitical Developments and their Impact on the Jewish People
A Greener Planet for Tomorrow
Judaism in the Age of the Internet
Islam: Between Moderation and Extremism
The Role of the New Media in Shaping our Future
The Individual in an Era of Crises and Change
In which Fields can Israel act as a World Hub?
Jewish Peoplehood – Unity versus Pluralism
The Future of Artificial Intelligence
What will we Eat Tomorrow?
The Challenges of Jewish Continuity in a Changing World