Program

11 - 13 SEPTEMBER 2026

👉 Friday September 11, 2026

🌍 SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION AVAILABLE →

• 09.30 Seminars about Membership, Rotaract and The Rotary Foundation

• 12.00 Lunch and official opening House of Friendship

TOPIC LITERACY

• 13.30 Welcome convenor Dr. Harriette Verwey and Co-convenor Massimo Ballotta
  Flag Ceremony 

• 13.45 Keynote: Mrs Carola Schouten
  Mayor of the City of Rotterdam

• 14.15 Keynote HRH Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands

• 14.45 Coffee / Tea break

• 15.15 Keynote Yinka Babalola
  President Rotary International

• 15.45 Keynote Dr. Theo Kemperman
  Cultural Institution executive

• 16.15 Keynote Dârini Vedarattiname
  Connecting Generations through Rotary Action

• 16.35 In conversation with 
  R.I. President Yinka Babalola

• 17.00 Wrap up and closing

19.00 MAJOR DONOR DINNER  

👉 Saturday, 12 September 2026

TOPIC Mental Health

• 09.00 Welcome and introduction to the topic Mental Health

• 09.10 Keynote John Hewko
  General Secretary / CEO of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation

• 09.40 Keynote Julien de Wit
  author, columnist, and entrepreneur

• 10.10 Panel discussion

• 10.30 Coffee break / House of Friendship

• 11.15 Break-out sessions

• 12.15 LUNCH AND HOUSE OF FRIENDSHIP

TOPIC  Environment

• 14.00 Welcome back

• 14.10 Keynote Allard Castelein
  former CEO Port of Rotterdam 

• 14.40 Keynote Bernice Notenboom
  polar explorer, survival expert, climate journalist

• 15.10 Panel discussion 

• 15.25 Tea break and House of Friendship

• 15.55 Break-out sessions: Literacy/ Mental Health/ Environment 

• 16.55 Summary by the moderators Break-out Sessions and take-home message

• 17.10 General remarks and closing

19.00  GALA EVENING 
On the iconic Steamship ss Rotterdam

👉  Sunday, 13 September 

• 09.30 Welcome

• TBD: Timing Summary and feedback from yesterdays breakouts            

• 09.40 Introduction Kids Rights 
  and Bana Alabed (15, Syria) winner of the International Children’s Peace Prize 2025

• 10.10 R.I. Director Emmanuel Katongole
  Impact of Rotary

• 10.30 R.I. President Yinka Babalola 
  Future perspective

• 11.00 Coffee  / Tea break 

• 11.30 Presentation of the International Rotary Convention in Barcelona 2027 and presentation of the Europe Summit 2027, Italy

• 12.00 Convenor Dr. Harriette Verwey
  Rotary Action Summit Rotterdam

• 12.15 Closing remarks and farewell

• 12.30 Lunch 

• 13.30 END OF SUMMIT

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