The second edition of TRT World Forum opens today in Istanbul. The event by eponymous English-language channel of Turkey's public broadcaster, will be "one of the most prestigious platforms for discussions," TRT Director-General İbrahim Eren says.

Dignitaries from around the world and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are expected to attend the two-day forum whose theme is "Envisioning Peace and Security in a Fragmented World."

More than 600 participants including intellectuals, policymakers and experts will join open and closed sessions at the forum. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) about the forum, İbrahim Eren said that the event is inspired by Turkey's efforts for global justice under the motto of the "World Is Bigger Than Five," a quote often repeated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in reference to member countries of United Nations Security Council.

This year's prominent guests and speakers include Jordan's Queen Rania, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former Lebanese President Fouad Siniora, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok, World Economic Forum president Borge Brende and U.N. Special Envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura. Four public sessions in the forum are entitled: "A World in or Out of Order?," "A Hundred Years Since WWI," "The EU and its Discontents," "The Rise of the Global South" and "The Leadership of Women in the World of Conflict."

İbrahim Eren says alternative solutions to problems discussed at the forum will be made public to offer "a perspective to policymakers."

"This will be one of the most prestigious platforms in the world for discussion. It will host experts who will offer a critical approach towards the West's intellectual hegemony," Eren highlighted.

The forum will be bookended by TRT World Citizen awards ceremony. Presented for the first time this year, awards will recognize outstanding "educators, communicators, youth and individuals with lifetime of contributions to society through service and leadership," as the awards website says.