This article was written by Giulia TROMBELLI, master's student in International Security.

QUOTES

• Arancha González: “This world needs leadership in the form of inspiration, courage, compassion, as imagination, as the ability to deal with complexity and the desire to connect with others”.
• Michelle Bachelet: “When you don’t have a big military capacity or a huge economic capacity, you are not a threat. So, you can build bridges with others”.
• José Ramos-Horta: “Leadership is empathy […] The future is yours but especially of those who really believe”.

LEADERSHIP AND SOLIDARITY

In a reality where new crises add up to the old ones and the institution that should ensure the balance of the international system has proven to be weak and dysfunctional, Dean Arancha Gonzalez decided to inaugurate the 9th edition of the Youth&Leaders Summit with an assertion: this world needs leadership. Although the meaning of this word is often flattened to holding a position of pre-eminence with a commanding function, the very essence of leadership lies in a specific attitude towards life which manifests itself in the willingness to operate change and to have a say in the future. 

What is leadership itself about? Inspiration, courage, compassion and imagination, but most importantly the ability to understand that it is only by connecting with others that we will be capable of coping with the complexity of this world. Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile, has been clear about this: “Leadership is important, but it is not enough: we need solidarity”. It was this combination of the urge to take a stand and of being able to work together that drove the keynote speech, and further the entire summit. 

HOW TO OPERATE REAL CHANGE: STANDING TOGETHER

Both speakers, Michelle Bachelet and José Ramos-Horta, president of Timor-Leste, kicked off the panel by emphasizing the need for the international system to be reformed. From the rules of financing to the veto right in the Security Council, the system as it is proved to be insufficiently flexible and adaptable to face todays’ lack of a “global anchor” as stated by Arancha Gonzalez. Especially for small countries such as Chile and Timor-Leste, “our great interest is a world that is rule-based” said José Ramos-Horta. 

Therefore, it is essential to rethink the international institutions into representing today’s geopolitical reality and no longer that of the post-World War II era. In order to do so, small countries need to “bulldoze [their] way into the international organizations” urged José Ramos-Horta, and to take with them their particular way of living in the global space: building bridges with others. The culture of multilateralism is particularly present in Latin America where, as stated by Michelle Bachelet: “when you need to work, this happens in a collective way with the others. This is the way we have to influence”.  

The reform of the multilateral system also involves the uncontested protection of human rights and the unacceptability of impunity: the whole international community must monitor over the respect of its own rules and unanimously raise its voice whenever its fundamental values are put under question. Furthermore, as declared by Michelle Bachelet,  it is crucial to support the NGOs, since “they are really close to the field, the reality”.

A CALL FOR ACTIVISM

“Let’s stop finger-pointing, '' claimed José Ramos-Horta while talking about climate change. Shaping up to be a major future challenge for the world’s smaller economies, the climate crisis must be considered above all as a vehicle of instability and as a human rights issue. As the president of Timor-Leste pointed out, “we all benefited from the industrial revolution – some more, some less – but now the planet is damaged”. 

Therefore, it is necessary to less investigate the causes, and instead start taking concrete action. “Each of us, we do what we can '' he stated while telling the audience about how Timor-Leste managed to replant 300,000 trees in 10 years. Michelle Bachelet also echoed the call for action by emphasizing that “we cannot give up. We have to hope that the world can be better”. In order to do so, she suggested being pragmatic in the Greek sense of the word: “to be pragmatic is the possibility to transform your dream into reality” by being aware that it is not possible to do everything. 

Thus, it is by following the values we embrace that we will identify our priorities and the battles that are more important to us. Putting our weight behind the ideas that are dear to us, that will achieve change.

WE CARE

“We shouldn’t take anything for granted” declared Michelle Bachelet: neither democracy, nor human rights. That is where youth participation reveals itself as the key to a future we must keep hoping for. Both panelists agreed on that: young people are the present and the future, and that is why they have to raise their voices and expose their indignation towards injustice and inequalities. 

Michelle Bachelet made an appeal to the new generation of leaders: “Never give up, because the people on the field need to know that they are not alone, that the world cares. Let them know that you care”. It is in these two simple words, “I care”, that lays the core of the leadership of the future. “We care” does not just mean that we are determined to have a say on our future, but also that we want to make ourselves accountable for it.

This article was written by Oana-Cristina SCUTARIU, master's student in International Governance and Diplomacy.

As panel chair Catherine Porter, a New York Time Reporter, declares upon commencement, low youth engagement with politics can be considered an “evergreen story”. Referring back to articles she and her colleagues published across the last two decades, she mentions how polling stations could at times resemble senior conventions, due to decreasing yout presence.  Besides going to the polling stations, however, youth engagement could be directly viewed from the perspective of candidates. As such, if youth does not vote, for varied reasons, would they be willing to get involved in political elections? If so, what is keeping them back?

AGE AND FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO YOUTH POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT 

Kicking off the panel, Pilar Garrido, the OECD Director for Development Cooperation, mentions how various reasons, from legal aspects such as age requirements to financial struggles, usually prevent the youth from directly participating in politics. Turning to her own experience as Minister in Costa Rica, she mentions how discussions around the age of participants, or their length of involvement, can serve as limitations. Additionally, citing an OECD survey, she mentions that for the great majority, funding for campaigns is also a limiting factor. Echoing the same feelings, Luisa Porritt, former PSIA student and former European Parliament Member, indicates that often limited financial support from political leadership roles can also leave youth struggling. 

COMMUNITIES: FROM LOCAL ENGAGEMENT TO WOMEN IN POLITICS

Another topic of the day was the power of community-engagement and professional networks, the latter specifically highlighting the challenges women face in politics.  Benedicta Lasi (Secretary-General of Socialist International) declares that regardless of political opinion differences from her own family, she found it necessary to “have conversations also within traditional political systems” and stated “it is a duty to ourselves (and to everyone else) to become engaged.” The need for understanding local communities “knowing the community and the issues, because you’ve lived and experienced them”, as stated by Luisa Porritt was similarly important. On the basis of community, professional networks were also deemed as pivotal in political formations, especially from the perspective of women in politics, which can face biases. Thus recalling her experience in the European Parliament, Luisa Porritt notes “There was some form of solidarity. There was a network to learn from each other”.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT: SOLUTIONS AND THE LEGACY CANDIDATE

Considering the named barriers to youth engagement such as age and community involvement, the attention therefore turned to possible solutions. To create an easier path to engagement, Luisa Porritt mentions how automatic sign-up for elections could  help youth to turn up to election polls. Along the same lines, the lack of visibility or trust of candidates, something which may particularly affect younger politicians, was mentiontioned by reporter Catherine Porter. In such contexts, Antonia Pup, the PSIA student speaker of the panel, insisted that strengthening of youth participation should come from developing a critical or analytical eye towards policy and politicians: “what makes young people invest their time is seeing there is a possibility for sustainable change”.

Interestingly, student questions also brought to attention “political families”, their “legacy candidate”, their influence on the political scene, or how that may change to allow more diverse or young voices to be heard. In such a case, rather than viewing it as an irremediable phenomenon, both Luisa Porritt and Benedicta Lasi agree that the attention should turn to the necessity of political education. Namely, an ideal situation is where families and youth are comfortable discussing politics, thereby driving natural involvement. 

This article was written by Giulia TROMBELLI, master's student in International Security.

QUOTES

• Valentina Bruno: “Marques said he wanted peace with open eyes. However, how is this possible if the world is not looking in the right direction?”
• Helen Clark: “In conflict prevention, you have to go back to the roots of poverty and inequalities”.
• Comfort Ero: “What keeps me hopeful is that all these countries that criticize the UN, that are unsatisfied with the current state of the international system and question its values talking about double standards, none of them has walked away from the UN”.
• Zabihullah Ziarmal: “The international trade is the key to achieve international cooperation among nations”.
• Patrice Bergamini: “Goodwill people and people who want to make a difference have to break ground together. Walking together with positive energy from both the public and the private sector is key”.
• Tobias Sauer: “We need something we can approach […] We need real political participation, not tokens”.

TO THE ROOTS OF INSECURITY

How is it possible to achieve peace if the world is not looking in the right direction? Where do we look for solutions? Why should we have faith in an institution that proves to be failing its mission? And most importantly, how can we involve young people in the process? 

Those are some of the questions the speakers addressed during the panel while discussing international security in a world that, according to the words of Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, has become “rather uncertain”. Both Helen Clark and Comfort Ero, President and CEO of Crisis Group, agreed on saying that in conflict prevention it is necessary not to stop at the surface of insecurity. As a matter of fact, the paralysis of the Security Council and the overall dysfunctionality of the UN are the reflection of their member States’ domestic situations. As stated by Comfort Ero: “If institutions are weak, it is because their members are weak and fragile, victims of the polarization”. 

Thus, to enable reforms in the international organizations, it is the inefficiencies at the domestic level that must be taken care of. In order to do that, “you have to go back to the roots of poverty and inequalities” urged Helen Clark. Even if it is very hard to come down to the very sources of conflict prevention, two aspects have been often emphasized during the conversation: the proper functioning of justice in the global system and the peace education of young generations. 

TRADE AND GLOBAL CONNECTIONS TO PRESERVE PEACE

Another milestone in shaping peace is international trade. Neither Zabihullah Ziarmal, Chairman of the World Trade Center Afghanistan, nor Patrice Bergamini, Vice-President of CMA CGM, have doubts about this. As stated by Patrice Bergamini, global trade is to be considered as a “pivotal peace supporter” since commercial relations allow people to exchange and to share. Therefore, they nurture and empower international cooperation among nations, both directly and indirectly. That is the reason why “economy and political leaders need to work together” claimed Zabihullah Ziarmal, and it could not be any different in a reality in which “political transition without economic transition is impossible” echoed Patrice Bergamini. Related to this, the two panelists also stressed the need for more business leaders who should be dedicated in working hand to hand with political leaders. 

This kind of tight collaboration becomes even more relevant when applied to peacebuilding contexts. The failed case of Afghanistan provided the audience with an example of how the political mismanagement of international funds allocated to restoring the Afghan economy through development projects led to the loss of 2 trillion dollars and no substantial improvement in the lives of the Afghan population. However, the question of international trade raises another issue: its environmental sustainability. As already stressed in other panels, climate change is something that cannot be disregarded when talking about international security. As Helen Clark stated, “the energy transition itself if it is not properly managed risks to be a source of conflict and division”.

TO PREVENT THE WORLD FROM FALLING APART

“Youth needs to open the eyes of the world”. Those are the words employed by Valentina Bruno, PSIA student and panel presenter. Today, not only do younger generations have a double task – changing the world while preventing it from falling apart – but they also have to face more than one barrier to succeed in effectively engaging politically and making their voices heard. The fact that States tend to have elder leadership is evidence of this. 

Therefore, as Tobias Sauer, PSIA student speaker, claimed, the frustration among young people is motivated. There is the need to “get young people into positions where they can politically participate” and to create equal opportunities by financing the education system. Comfort Ero was on the same page: “it is important that we make sure that we have educated people in an educated society, and that we listen to what their voices are saying”. 

This article was written by Oana-Cristina SCUTARIU, master's student in International Governance and Diplomacy.

QUOTE: Chen Qiufan: “What if? What if we change a bit of reality?”

As emphasised repeatedly by current crises, wars, political tensions, the world is moving into unknown territory. Venturing into the unknown thus also raises questions on decision making strategies, and potential solutions, all which severely shape our society. However, as PSIA student moderator Jacob Arnstein notes during the opening sequence of the panel, “a lack of imagination from the current leadership community” is being sensed. Indeed, in the background of the climate crisis or new threats to world security like Artificial Intelligence (AI), creativity can be deemed as essential in overcoming challenges.

LITERATURE: MEANS OF COMMUNICATION and INSPIRATION

In this sense, literature is a way to emphasise and communicate the needs of society when responding to challenges.  Specifically, speculation, an element familiar to the Science Fiction genre, is essential in imagining new possibilities in the face of advanced technology or climate disasters. Writers, therefore, can create and describe worlds our leaders should either aim to avoid or create. Certainly, writers like Chen Qiufan are no strangers to such feats. The Guangdong-native author of the acclaimed novel “The Waste Tide”, a work depicting human-technology and “viral” interactions in post-2020 China, has made it a habit to approach the trials of humanity in writing. 

Indeed, for his talk at PSIA, one of the first aspects discussed was the need for literature alongside governance, especially in providing lessons from past challenges, and thus also inspire the next generation of leaders. “Science Fiction allows us to see some patterns in the past and see a scenario, a possibility”, an action which can therefore evoke emotion and understanding across wider communities. As such, science fiction, whether it depicts technology or human-created concepts like castes, can in fact inspire a desire for change even in politics. 

WIDER COMMUNITIES and YOUTH ENGAGEMENT THROUGH LITERATURE

On the topic of wider communities, Chen Qiufan also discussed the need to understand different societies, and how his experience of discovering the world beyond his native town relates to the experiences of younger generations finding a purpose. His experience of discovering Beijing during his university studies, having grown up in the South of China, was exemplified to describe the need to see the wider-picture of communities, and inspire dialogue. “I tried to navigate the most vulnerable communities: in Nigeria, in India - how could people react to AI? How do they leverage technology to empower themselves rather than be consumed by it?” mentioned the writer. Fundamentally, literature is supposed to unite people beyond a political aim, encouraging the political engagement of the youth as they are mobilized towards achieving a goal. 

THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE and SOCIAL MEDIA. GIVING VOICE TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

Goals, however, are set in the context of stringent need. In the last part of the panel, student-led discussion therefore centered around climate change. Climate change, a topic of Qiufan’s writings like “Net Zero China”, was brought up to discuss the links between youth advocacy and governance changes. According to the author, storytelling has the capability to educate the youth about such challenges, inspire advocacy, and thus mobilize the next generation of leaders. Such a generation would as a result be able to acknowledge multiple points of view, both the positives and negatives of situations.  Indeed, literature and building new worlds in the context of failed governance have something in common: it all starts from “What if? What if we change a bit of reality?”, as Qiufan stated. Thus, the hope of the new generation driving positive change in governance survives yet another day. 

This article was written by Juliette FEKKAR, master's student in Environmental Policy.

QUOTES

• Michel Forst : “Passion is my driver and pragmatism is my working method.”
• Eleanor George  : “If there is sustainable agriculture, then that means more stable jobs for everyone, that’s better for the economy, for the country.”
• Selina Leem : “I will never whisper from now on.”
• Felix Finkbeiner: “Protecting biodiversity is just as important as caring about the climate.”

THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS

At a time when the climate crisis is intrinsically connected to how young people envision future challenges and possibilities, environmental defenders are key players in shaping these narratives. Climate activist Selina Leem explains that she started when she was fifteen years old, wanting to “break down the barriers” and make it easier for young people to act. “If you don’t speak up, how will they know?”, she questioned the audience. 

For PSIA student speaker Eleanor George, the most important when communicating the climate crisis, especially to young people, is to strike a balance between being “completely nihilistic or completely naive”. Walking that fine line, to her, resides in focusing on what active role each person can play : “for me, it helps to tackle what I can tackle, which are small, incremental battles”, she points out.

Felix Finkbeiner, founder of Plant-for-the-Planet, further emphasized that a core challenge is to empower young people to act. He argued that it is essential to convince those who thought climate change was an ‘unsolvable issue’ that pragmatic and sustained action can lead to real change. 

He also called for more visibility around the biodiversity crisis and global action towards forest ecosystem restoration. “Protecting biodiversity is just as important as climate,” he explained. Seeing environmental issues only through a climate lens can prevent people from accurately understanding how inextricably linked the climate crisis and the collapse of biodiversity are. 

HOW TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS

However, protecting the agency and rights of climate activists has also become essential, analyzes Michel Forst, the United Nations’ first Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders : “everywhere in Europe, activists are facing the same patterns of oppression.” The conversation therefore moved to recent measures taken to fight campaigns of vilification and legal repression that many environmental defenders face. 

For him, campaigns of vilification are particularly dangerous because they aim to silence a voice, and discredit a cause. Consequently, he explains that Environmental Defenders are entitled to seek protection from the UN. However, he warns that “protection is good but prevention is more effective.”

Student speaker Eleanor George added on that by calling for a better protection of scientists. Often forgotten when talking about environmental defenders, she explains that they play a crucial role in producing scientific evidence on the impacts of climate change. 

For Selina Leem, it is vital to see the oppression of environmental defenders through an intersectional prism - how it is interconnected with other forms of oppression. She explains that when she started activism; as a young brown girl, she faced acknowledged forms of silencing. “Are you not scared?” people asked her when she stood up to politicians and world leaders. But the Marshall Islands are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, which is affecting “not only her future, but her family’s and her community’s” and so she felt she “had to speak up.”

This article was written by Juliette FEKKAR, master's student in Environmental Policy.

THE ROLE OF BUSINESS IN GOOD GOVERNANCE 

Sudanese-British businessman and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim started the session by tackling the question of how business can foster or impede good governance practices on the African continent. 

A leader in the field of good governance with over twenty years of experience in the telecommunication business, he founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in 2006, with the aim to encourage better democratic governance in Africa. He also initiated the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which evaluates countries' performance, and created the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, awarded to African heads of states for demonstrating democratic leadership and efficient governance. 

“Business has driven governance for hundreds of years, sometimes with disastrous effects, sometimes usefully,” he stated. He highlighted how, in order to push forward good governance, businesses and civil society need to get an equal ‘seat at the table’, in order to bring transparency in the decision-making process and foster a more balanced democratic conversation. To him, this is key to establishing long term good governance in Africa. 

THE AFRICAN ‘UBUNTU’

“The concept of ubuntu means ‘I am because you are’, your humanity is linked to the humanity of others, we are all linked together,” stated Senegalese PSIA student moderator Fary Gueye. Mo Ibrahim built on that remark, explaining why he thought this concept was specific to African countries: “In France, the state creates a safety net for its people. In Africa there is no state safety net, so we create our own safety net : communities.” According to him, local communities could therefore be instrumental in the construction of better democratic systems.

THE LIMITS OF TODAY’S INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE

Mo Ibrahim made his opinion clear regarding the state of today’s world order : “we are living in a world in which the international order is breaking down, the rule book has been thrown out of the window. I blame the liberal democracies for what is going on now. They failed to live up to their own values. They wrote the rulebook but do not respect it. They built international institutions, but they built them for their own interests.” 

He argued for a common market, similar to that of the European Union, to be implemented on the African continent - with free movement of people and capital. For him, this would lead to African countries having more leverage on the international stage. He compares the populations of the African continent to that of China, explaining that the latter is considered a “bigger player” because it acts as a singular voice. 

TACKLING CORRUPTION AND FISCAL LOOPHOLES 

Mo Ibrahim then moved on to the key issue of large scale corruption in Africa, which he linked to bad business practices from multinational corporations working in the continent. “For every corrupt government official, there are at least twenty corrupt businessmen. African politicians are not corrupt by themselves. Who is corrupting them?”, he asked. To him, fighting corruption is intrinsically linked to ensuring better governance. “We need decency as a basic value for all leaders. Working for good governance starts there,” added PSIA student moderator María Bermúdez. She drew a parallel between governance issues in Latin America, based on her experience of Colombian politics, to those faced in the African context. 

Mo Ibrahim also mentioned profit shifting as a major issue for African states. A series of tax planning strategies used by companies to pay less taxes to African states than they should, profit shifting represents “hundreds of millions of euros leaving Africa.” A large part of the profit made in African countries by Western companies is therefore taxed in the country where that company is based, often in Europe or the United States. “That [money lost in taxes] cannot compare to UN aid that we [Africa] receive,” he stated.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND GENERATIONAL CHANGE

The session finished with a reflection on the importance of youth engagement for more democratic governance to emerge in the continent. Mo Ibrahim argued that a drastic change has to take place, which has to be for and by the new generations. 

“Young people need to vote. Please make your voices heard,” he concluded, addressing the young faces in the audience.  

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY DEAN ARANCHA GONZÁLEZ

“The world is not binary, it’s not black or white, it is a lot of shades of gray. And it’s within these shades of gray that we need to find our place”