The American philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky will not be able to speak at the opening session of the Rototom Sunsplash Social Forum for medical reasons. This has been made known by the 95-year-old Chomsky’s family. His participation in the Social Forum was scheduled to take place via videoconference.

“From Rototom we deeply regret not being able to count on one of the most expert voices on international journalism, peace and human rights in an edition, that of 2023, dedicated precisely to peace; from here we wish him a speedy recovery,” said from the organization of the festival.

The Social Forum opening session of this year’s edition, which shares its name with the festival’s slogan, ‘United for Peace’, will be attended by Jesús A. Núñez Villaverde, economist, geopolitics expert and co-director of the Institute for Studies on Conflict and Humanitarian Action (IASHA), who will share the debate with the journalist and conflict expert Olga Rodríguez.Specialist in security issues, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, with a special focus on the Arab-Muslim world, Núñez has been president of the Spanish Committee of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) since April 2014.

A retired military officer, he has worked as a professor of International Relations at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the field of peacebuilding and violent conflict prevention.

Under the umbrella of ‘United for Peace’, the Social Forum, the festival’s debate par excellence, will talk about peace and the ways for it to win over war, but also about those other global scourges that, from other points of view, are a condemnation of humanity.

The climate emergency, as well as that of the migrant population in the Mediterranean, will be discussed by the activist Helena MalenoThe social crisis as evidenced by the violation of the right to housing; or the shaky freedom of the press, especially on war issues -which will be the focus of the session given by Julian Assange’s lawyer, Stella Assange– will parade this year in the Social Forum.