Helge Lunde

Helge Lunde (1961) was the director of Kapittel, Stavanger International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech from 1998 – 2005. In the same period he coordinated Stavanger as City of Refuge for persecuted writers, and worked together with Norwegian PEN to develop and expand the network throughout Norway and beyond. When the International Parliament of Writers and its International Network of Cities of Asylum was disbanded in 2004, Helge Lunde was co-founding ICORN, the International Cities of Refuge Network in 2006. He became its first executive director, a position he has been holding since. Through his position he has represented the organization in the EU, UN and other international forums. He has organized annual ICORN network meetings/assemblies in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Paris, Pittsburgh and more, and has spoken about the role of cities in protecting democracy, human rights and freedom of expression at multiple events in Europe and beyond.

ICORN is an independent international organisation of at present 90 member cities and regions in Europe and beyond, offering safe havens for persecuted writers, artists and human rights defenders; advancing freedom of expression, defending democratic values and promoting international solidarity.