Home>Youth & Leaders Summit 2022 : "Global Problems Demand Global Action"
27.01.2022
Youth & Leaders Summit 2022 : "Global Problems Demand Global Action"
What is the best possible approach to tackle global challenges like socioeconomic inequalities, environmental disasters, or pandemics? On January 17th, the panellists and keynote speakers of this seventh edition of the Youth & Leaders summit, organised by Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), consistently emphasised one vital ingredient to the recipe of solutions: ensuring the inclusion of everyone concerned.
This 2022 edition of the Youth & Leaders summit, first to be held hybrid, gathered 40 speakers to debate with hundreds of PSIA students on the theme of Inclusion for the Common Good: Protecting the Planet and Improving Lives. Sciences Po President Mathias Vicherat opened the Summit by dedicating it to Fariba Adelkhah, with whom Sciences Po stands in solidarity and in protest against her incarceration in Iran.
Global problems demand global action. That’s why all the panellists made it very clear that gathering all relevant voices – especially those underrepresented – will be a vital strategy to fight the most pressing issues of today. They emphasised, among other measures, to better include indigenous leaders in the global climate fight, provide women a seat at the table in peace-making processes, and even developing gender-responsive algorithms in artificial intelligence.
Inclusion Through Equality
Elisabeth Moreno, French Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Equal opportunities, was the first keynote speaker of the day. Her vision of inclusion focused on gender equality and fighting discrimination, both of which are exacerbated by Covid. She focused on tackling gender-based violence, creating inclusion and equality targets for companies, the importance of representation, and the media taking responsibility in representing diversity.
The following keynote panel circled around the pursuit of the common good in today’s interdependent world. As Arancha González Laya, Former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, put it: “solutions today will only come from international cooperation”. To illustrate the power of citizenship, Federica Mogherini, Rector of the College of Europe, shared a few micro-level anecdotes, which highlighted the importance of female role models. González Laya and Mogherini also brought examples of successful, inclusive processes in the multilateral sphere: the SDGs and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Giving their advice to PSIA students, González Laya pointed out that “this world is about strong convictions”. “Don’t think that smiling and being nice to people around you is a sign of weakness, it’s the contrary”, Mogherini added.
Protecting the Planet and its Biodiversity
The first panel’s speakers pleaded for the absolute necessity to include all relevant actors in the climate fight. Benito Müller, from Oxford Climate Policy, described inclusion of those affected by climate change not only as necessary to accelerate the fight - he said that “it’s practical, but also a moral imperative”. Hindou Ibrahim, Founder of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), then voiced the concerns of a largely underrepresented group - the indigenous peoples of our world - asking why current decision-makers are not giving them power and a seat at the table: “it is time that we sit at the driver’s seat, not as a passenger without any power to make decisions”, she said. But a seat at the table is not the only way to exercise influence. As for Tasneem Essop (Climate Action Network-International), she emphasized strongly that on-the-ground, local initiatives, without formal decision-making power, can also have a lot to say: “in any radical transformational change, and throughout history, that change has come about largely through the exercise of power by the masses of people”, she said. Watch the replay of the Panel "Protecting the Planet and its Biodiversity"
On the Question of Economic Inequality
“Imagine our planet is a human body” - student greeter Sofija Rakcejeva began the panel with an analogy. The discussion steered towards finance as a lever to pursue the common good, equitable distribution of climate-related costs, and history-conscious ways to get China and India to act. Executive Dr Frannie Leautier, Professor Scott Barrett, and PSIA student Martha Fiehn, also addressed the influence of politics on the common good, the role of nuclear energy, and the question whether it is time to waive intellectual property protection for COVID-19 vaccines. Chair Steven Erlanger of The New York Times, challenged the speakers’ views and probed deeper. Who is taxed how much? Where is this tax money spent? Can the Western industrialised countries, which have been the biggest CO2 emitters in the past, really demand that India and China reduce their emissions? These were just some of the questions being asked. Watch the replay of the Panel "Economic Inequality"
Equality in Cyberspace and AI Fairness
PSIA student Larissa Zutter opened this panel by stating that “the biggest challenge in technology is that it will not solve all our issues” - unless structural change is made. Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, from Women at the Table, and Ayumi Moore Aoki, from Women in Tech, argued for the need for inclusive and critical data collection, gender-responsive algorithms, feminist AI, and increased women representation, in order for technology to respond to the needs of all genders. AI fairness further relies on accountability of online platforms. Ms Kraft-Buchman evoked “the power of communities to take care of themselves” in online regulation, while Ms Zutter called for government and platform owners’ responsibility. The latter was emphasised, as Ms Schradie, Chair of this panel, pointed out, platform owners often have more money and power than governments. Watch the replay of the Panel "Equality in Cyberspace and AI Fairness"
On Building Trust
In her keynote speech, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan noted that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has been a valuable test to the strength of our international cooperative system on health issues. “This kind of sharing we have seen in the pandemic has never been seen before”. Praising this unity, she nevertheless emphasised the need to decolonize global health issues and to acknowledge the crucial role that non-western countries have played and will play in fending off the virus. Looking ahead, “it is very important for countries to build that trust [with the public]. And a way to do that, is to be open and transparent with data”.
On Human Rights and Justice
Student speaker Noemi Capelli and Amnesty International’s Agnès Callamard opened this panel by questioning the concept of human rights. "We have never been further away from the realisation of human rights. This is the outcome of policy choices. When it comes to global and national governments, we are in a leadership vacuum”. Unequal Covid vaccine rollouts exemplify this. Ms Capelli proposed to complement the human rights framework with “global public goods”. On a more positive outlook, Maina Kiai of Human Rights Watch, highlighted the energy and militancy of the young as hope. "People are taking power in their own hands. We have to take solutions ourselves and organise, and then hold [governments] accountable”. Finally, speakers reflected on the changing role of NGOs. In Mr Kiai’s words, “Human rights need to rethink their approach to politics to become more effective”. Watch the replay of the Panel "Human Rights and Justice"
Women, Peace and Security
It has been 22 years since landmark Security Council Resolution 1325 (WSP) was ratified, ensuring meaningful participation and remedies for women in conflict resolution remains crucial. Melanne Verveer (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security), and Bineta Diop (Femmes Africa Solidarité), stressed the need for women to be included in top-level settlement procedures and electoral processes. Student speaker Arthur Guillaume-Gentil highlighted the need for the WSP agenda to be expanded, and in particular to include the LGBTQ+ community, along with women, in high-level negotiations and monitoring.
As the last keynote speaker of the day, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shared her interpretation of the essence of ‘inclusion,’ she framed it as a mutual exchange. Reflecting on what it means to be an ally, she emphasised that not only animosity but unfamiliarity with the ‘other’ serves as a barrier for true inclusion. “We are unfamiliar with each other because we are unfamiliar with the stories of one another.” Ngozi Adichie outlined the importance of listening as well as intersectional introspection on privilege, illuminating the need for stories in the pursuit of true inclusion. Watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Keynote Speech
“Empathy Leads to Inclusion”
The Youth and Leaders Summit 2022 illustrated that, through engaging debates, fuelled by critical questions from students and valuable insights from prominent world leaders, creative solutions and ideas can be brought to life. Marking the end of the summit, Stephen Dunbar Johnson, President, International of The New York Times Company, the Summit’s media partner, offered some last reflections on how we can strengthen inclusion for the common good. Instead of “inclusion for the common good”, we could use the words “empathy for the common good” because, in his words, “empathy leads to inclusion”.
An article by PSIA students Tianyue Hu, Lara Patricia Gattermann, Rose Persson Esfandyari, Johan Gerhardsen and Marina Martinon.
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