SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The international conference - featuring a commemorative ceremony, roundtable sessions, and related events - will be held under the theme "The Moment of Chaos: Planetary Consciousness and Future Politics."
From September 19th (Friday) to 20th (Saturday) at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Hall and the Seoul Campus
The International Day of Peace Week is taking place from Monday, September 15, through Saturday, September 20.
The Kyung Hee University System (Chancellor Inwon Choue) annually hosts the Peace BAR Festival (PBF) to commemorate the United Nation's declaration of the International Day and Year of Peace, initially proposed by its founder, the late Miwon Dr. Young Seek Choue. At its 36th session on November 30, 1981, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the International Day of Peace—originally observed on the third Tuesday of September and, since 2001, on September 21 - as well as the International Year of Peace (1986). This year's 44th PBF, themed "The Moment of Chaos: Planetary Consciousness and Future Politics," will take place from Friday, September 19th, to Saturday, September 20th, at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Hall and other venues.
The commemorative ceremony on September 19th will explore pathways to peace and coexistence amidst this era of chaos. Kyung Hee University System Chancellor Inwon Choue will deliver a commemorative address under the title "The Moment of Chaos: A Quest for Holistic Engagement." His address will reflect upon contemporary crises and future prospects while proposing new conceptualization of peace in this emergent era. Following the commemorative address, Professor Naomi Oreskes of Harvard University will deliver a keynote speech titled "From Global to Planetary Society: A New Pathway Toward Human Civilizations." Her speech will highlight the need for a planetary transition to move beyond the current global crisis.
Following the ceremony, a special panel discussion titled "The Moment of Chaos: The Future of Planetary Politics," will feature Chancellor Inwon Choue, Professor Naomi Oreskes, and Professor G. John Ikenberry of Princeton University and the Global Eminence scholar of Kyung Hee University. They will examine current crises facing humanity and explore the paradigm shifts in politics and civilization required to address them.
That same afternoon, the Havel Dialogue will highlight the spirit of Václav Havel, an iconic symbol of Czech democracy. The session, titled "Revisiting the Havel Spirit for Civic Values and Engagement," will feature leading international scholars, including Tomáš Sedláček, Director of the Havel Library.
Subsequently, a roundtable discussion, "Breakthrough or Breakdown: Planetary Consciousness and Transformative Politics," will gather leading global intellectuals and practitioners to explore humanity's trajectory at this crossroads of civilizational transition and envision a new global solidarity.
The speakers will include Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway's first woman Prime Minister, and Founding member of The Elders—a globally respected leadership group and the first recipient of the Miwon Peace Prize last year—and Paul Shrivastava, Co-President of the Club of Rome.
The Kyung Hee University System has designated September 15th (Monday) to 20th (Saturday) as "The International Day of Peace Week," featuring diverse events. On September 20th(Saturday), a colloquium and a Youth Peace Forum will address "Climate Justice and Intergenerational Justice: A Road Toward Planetary Citizenship," fostering dialogue on the vision for a planetary society with younger generations. A variety of parallel events will also take place, including commemorative activities for civil society and students, a digital short-form contest co-hosted by Kyung Hee University-affiliated institutions, global citizenship booths, and a Humanitas writing contest.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Kyung Hee University System Hosts 44th Peace BAR Festival in Commemoration of the UN International Day of Peace
- Having secured the fully driverless commercial permit in mid-November 2025, the partners have launched fully autonomous ride-hailing service via the AutoGo app.
- Initial operations cover Yas Island, with phased expansion planned for Reem, Al Maryah, and Saadiyat Islands.
- The launch marks a critical step toward the partners' goal of deploying hundreds of vehicles by 2026 and building Abu Dhabi's largest fully driverless fleet.
ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) today announced that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, and AutoGo, a leading UAE-based autonomous mobility company, have officially launched the fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the emirate. The launch of the service, now available via the AutoGo app, marks a major milestone in the commercialization of autonomous driving in the Middle East. The service has launched initially on Yas Island, where users in Abu Dhabi can now download the app to hail fully driverless rides.
The collaboration between Baidu's Apollo Go and K2's AutoGo began in March 2025, when they announced the partnership to build Abu Dhabi's largest fully driverless fleet. Building on that momentum, the companies secured one of the inaugural permits for fully driverless commercial operation in Abu Dhabi in mid-November 2025 and signed a next-phase agreement to scale the fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026. With the service now available to the general public through the AutoGo app, the partners are actively advancing their goal of establishing the emirate's largest fully driverless fleet.
"Moving from an initial partnership agreement to launching live, fully driverless operations for the public in a span of just a few months is a remarkable milestone," said Liang Zhang, Managing Director of EMEA at Baidu Apollo. "This speed of execution highlights the technical readiness of Apollo Go, the strong operational capabilities of our partnership, and the steadfast support of local regulatory bodies."
"AutoGo's transition to live robotaxi operations marks an important milestone in Abu Dhabi's autonomous mobility journey," said Sean Teo, Managing Director of K2. "Launching the service at the start of the year reflects our focus on execution and long-term value creation. By introducing robotaxi services in real urban environments and scaling across key districts, we are moving decisively from development to deployment—delivering autonomy that is practical, safe, and ready for everyday use."
The initial operation covers Yas Island, a premier leisure and entertainment hub in Abu Dhabi, now designated as a permitted zone for fully driverless operations. This service allows users to simply download the AutoGo app, request a ride, and experience a journey in a vehicle with no human driver behind the wheel.
Following the initial launch on Yas Island, the service will implement a phased geographic roll-out across Abu Dhabi. The expansion will begin with Reem Island, Al Maryah Island, and Saadiyat Island. Over time, the service will continue to expand across additional areas, with the long-term objective of operating across the wider Abu Dhabi emirate.
Apollo Go's rapid expansion into the UAE is backed by its industry-leading autonomous driving technology and proven real-world operational expertise. As a leading autonomous ride‑hailing service provider globally, Apollo Go has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers, of which over 140 million kilometers were completed in fully driverless mode. With a global footprint across 22 cities, Apollo Go's weekly ride count has recently surpassed 250,000, and the service has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides as of October 31, 2025. Looking ahead, Apollo Go and AutoGo will scale fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing services to reach more users and advance Abu Dhabi's smart city vision.
About Baidu
Founded in 2000, Baidu's mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under "BIDU" and HKEX under "9888." One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.
Media Contact
intlcomm@baidu.com
ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) today announced that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, and AutoGo, a leading UAE-based autonomous mobility company, have officially launched the fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the emirate. The launch of the service, now available via the AutoGo app, marks a major milestone in the commercialization of autonomous driving in the Middle East. The service has launched initially on Yas Island, where users in Abu Dhabi can now download the app to hail fully driverless rides.
The collaboration between Baidu's Apollo Go and K2's AutoGo began in March 2025, when they announced the partnership to build Abu Dhabi's largest fully driverless fleet. Building on that momentum, the companies secured one of the inaugural permits for fully driverless commercial operation in Abu Dhabi in mid-November 2025 and signed a next-phase agreement to scale the fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026. With the service now available to the general public through the AutoGo app, the partners are actively advancing their goal of establishing the emirate's largest fully driverless fleet.
"Moving from an initial partnership agreement to launching live, fully driverless operations for the public in a span of just a few months is a remarkable milestone," said Liang Zhang, Managing Director of EMEA at Baidu Apollo. "This speed of execution highlights the technical readiness of Apollo Go, the strong operational capabilities of our partnership, and the steadfast support of local regulatory bodies."
"AutoGo's transition to live robotaxi operations marks an important milestone in Abu Dhabi's autonomous mobility journey," said Sean Teo, Managing Director of K2. "Launching the service at the start of the year reflects our focus on execution and long-term value creation. By introducing robotaxi services in real urban environments and scaling across key districts, we are moving decisively from development to deployment—delivering autonomy that is practical, safe, and ready for everyday use."
The initial operation covers Yas Island, a premier leisure and entertainment hub in Abu Dhabi, now designated as a permitted zone for fully driverless operations. This service allows users to simply download the AutoGo app, request a ride, and experience a journey in a vehicle with no human driver behind the wheel.
Following the initial launch on Yas Island, the service will implement a phased geographic roll-out across Abu Dhabi. The expansion will begin with Reem Island, Al Maryah Island, and Saadiyat Island. Over time, the service will continue to expand across additional areas, with the long-term objective of operating across the wider Abu Dhabi emirate.
Apollo Go's rapid expansion into the UAE is backed by its industry-leading autonomous driving technology and proven real-world operational expertise. As a leading autonomous ride‑hailing service provider globally, Apollo Go has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers, of which over 140 million kilometers were completed in fully driverless mode. With a global footprint across 22 cities, Apollo Go's weekly ride count has recently surpassed 250,000, and the service has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides as of October 31, 2025. Looking ahead, Apollo Go and AutoGo will scale fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing services to reach more users and advance Abu Dhabi's smart city vision.
About Baidu
Founded in 2000, Baidu's mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under "BIDU" and HKEX under "9888." One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.
Media Contact
intlcomm@baidu.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Baidu's Apollo Go and K2's AutoGo Commence Fully Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service on Yas Island, Announce Phased Expansion Across Abu Dhabi
