Youth & Leaders Summit 2021

The 6th edition of the Youth & Leaders Summit is dedicated to Wars and Peace: Solving Conflicts, Building Human Security and was held online over three days on 18-19-20 January 2021. #YLSummitPSIA

Student Involvement

Student participation is at the very heart of the Summit. Some 70 volunteers were selected among PSIA students and were directly involved in the Summit. For more information, see the volunteer roles' description. 

Guest speakers

Over 50 distinguished guest speakers participated, from all over the world, including diplomats, practionners and academics. In addition, PSIA students also took part in the panel discussions alongside leaders. Read the guest speakers' biographies. 

Partners

PSIA thanks Microsoft for their support of the Youth & Leaders Summit and The New York Times for their media partnership.

Program of the Summit

World leaders and PSIA students tackled this overarching issue of Wars and Peace through a range of keynote speeches and panel discussions covering the vast array of issues at stake today in the world. For an o>verview: please check the program outline to see the schedule at a glance.

Monday 18 January 2021

Opening Session (12:00-13:30)

Welcome Remarks

• Frédéric Mion, President, Sciences Po
• Enrico Letta, Dean, PSIA, Sciences Po; former Prime Minister, Italy

Keynote Speech: “NATO 2030 – Safeguarding Peace in an Unpredictable World”

• Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General, NATO; Former Prime Minister of Norway 
• Chaired by Enrico Letta, Dean, PSIA, Sciences Po; former Prime Minister, Italy

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE OPENING SESSION

Panel 1: The Changing Nature of Armed Conflicts (13:45-14:45)

Chaired by: Thierry Balzacq, Professor of Political Science, Sciences Po; Professorial Fellow at CERI-Sciences Po. | Student Greeter: Mathea Bernhardt, PSIA student, Master in International Development.

• Niagalé Bagayoko, Political Scientist, Chairman of African Security Sector Network
• Jean-Michel Betran, PSIA student, Master in International Security
• Angela Kane, former UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and Under-Secretary-General for Management in the United Nations ; PSIA Faculty
• Nadine Machikou Ngameni, Professor of Political Science, University of Yaoundé II, Cameroun
• Peter Maurer, President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ A SUMMARY OF PANEL 1

Panel 2: Waging War in the Markets: How to Sustain Economic Peace (13:45-14:45)

Chaired by: Natacha Valla, Dean of the School of Management and Innovation, Sciences Po. | Student Greeter: Martha Fiehn, PSIA student, Master in International Economic Policy. 

• Taeho Bark, President of Lee&Ko Global Commerce Institute and Professor Emeritus, Seoul National University; Former Minister for Trade, South Korea
• Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Center
• Merit Janow, Dean, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University 
• Pascal Lamy, Chair of the Paris Peace Forum; Former Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Stefan Maukner, PSIA student, Master in International Economic Policy

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 2

Panel 3: Soft Power as a Lever for Peace: the Case of Arts, Culture and Sports (13:45-14:45)

Chaired by: Frédéric Ramel, Professor of Political Science, CERI, Sciences Po. | Student Greeter: Jakob Brunnengraeber, PSIA student, Master in International Economic Policy.

• Danka Bartekova, Vice Chair of the Athlete Commission, International Olympic Committee; Skeet Gold Medallist
• Alioune Diagne, Choreographer, Visual Artist, Senegal
• Jyoti Hosagrahar, Deputy Director for the World Heritage Center at UNESCO
• Kate Mosse, Novelist, Playwright and Cultural Commentator, UK
• Mareike Peschau, PSIA student, Master in International Security

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 3

Breakout Sessions (15:00-16:00)

Exclusive sessions between one Leader and a small group of PSIA students, led by a PSIA Student Chair.

Keynote Speech (16:15-17:00): "Can the European Union become a global actor?"

Chaired by: Steven Erlanger, The New York Times. Student Greeter: Miriam Aitken, PSIA student, Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action

• Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; former President of the European Parliament; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE KEYNOTE SPEECH

Closing Address (17:00-17:30)

Chaired by: Enrico Letta, Dean of PSIA

• Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, France

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE CLOSING ADDRESS

Tuesday 19 January 2021

Keynote Speech (13:30-14:30): “The world we live in”

Chaired by: Mark Maloney, Vice Dean, PSIA. Student Greeter: Louise-Anne Baudrier, PSIA student, Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action

• Susana Malcorra, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Argentina; former Chief of Staff to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon; current Dean of IE School of Global & Public Affairs, Spain

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE KEYNOTE SPEECH

Panel 4: Migratory Crises and Human Security (14:45-15:45)

Chaired by: Sergio Carrera, Senior Research Fellow, Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS). | Student Greeter: Kathrin Walter, PSIA student, Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

• Amanda Alden, PSIA student, Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action
• Pascal Brice, former Director-General of the Office français de protections des réfugiés et apatrides (OFPRA); President, Federation of Solidarity Actors
• Fabienne Keller, Member of the European Parliament; former Mayor of Strasbourg, France; former Senator, France
• António Vitorino, Director-General, International Organization for Migration
• Catherine Wihtol De Wenden, Senior Researcher Emeritus at CNRS - CERI, Sciences Po

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 4

Panel 5: Lasting Peace and Social Justice: Solutions for More Inclusive Societies (14:45-15:45)

Chaired by: Jean-Pierre Filiu, Professor of Middle East Studies, Sciences Po, PSIA/CERI. | Student Greeter: Yiyin Zhang, PSIA student, Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action.

• Gabriela Bucher, Executive Director, Oxfam International
• Paul Collier, Professor of Economics, Oxford University; PSIA Faculty
• Ollin Pérez Raynaud, PSIA student, Master in International Public Management
• Vandana Shiva, Activist; Founder of Navdanya Association

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 5

Panel 6: Governing New Technologies for a More Secure World (14:45-15:45)

Chaired by: Stéphanie Balme, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Sciences Po; PSIA Faculty. | Student Greeter: Eli Scher-Zagier, PSIA student, Master in International Security.

• Bruno Caïtucoli, Retired French Air Force General Officer; Advisor to the CEO at EDF-Renewables France; PSIA Faculty; Scientific Advisor for the Master in International Security, PSIA
• Vanessa Evers, Director, NTU Institute of Science and Technology for Humanity, Singapore
• Alexandra Geese, Member of the European Parliament
• Casper Klynge, Vice President of European Government Affairs, Microsoft 
• Marusa Rus, PSIA student, Master in International Public Management
• Jamie Susskind, author of “Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech” (Oxford, 2018)

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 6

Breakout Sessions (16:00-17:00)

Exclusive sessions between one Leader and a small group of PSIA students, led by a PSIA Student Chair

Keynote Speech (17:15-18:00): “How to adapt modern diplomatic action to the new challenges of our century”

Chaired by: Roger Cohen, The New York Times. Student Greeter: Esther Bensadon, PSIA student, Master in Advanced Global Studies.

• Pierre Vimont, former Executive Secretary-General, European External Action Service (EEAS), European Union; former Ambassador of France to the United States

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE KEYNOTE SPEECH

Keynote Speech (18:00-18:45): “Peace as a Sysiphian endeavor”

Chaired by: Roger Cohen, The New York Times. 

• Ghassan Salamé, former UN Special Envoy to Libya; founding Dean, PSIA, Sciences Po; former Minister of Culture, Lebanon

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE KEYNOTE SPEECH

Wednesday 20 January 2021 

Keynote Speech (13:30-14:30): "Wars and Peace: the Lessons of the Balkans"

Chaired by: Liz Alderman, The New York Times. Student Greeter: Moritz Bender, PSIA student, Master in International Public Management

• Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister, Sweden; former UN Special Envoy for the Balkans

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE KEYNOTE SPEECH

Panel 7: Fighting Drugs, Terror, Organized Crime, Corruption: a Different War (14:45-15:45)

Chaired by: Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Deputy Executive Director for Advocacy, Human Rights Watch ; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Costa Rica ; PSIA Faculty. | Student Greeter: Jelena Solovjova, PSIA student, Master in International Security.

• Alfredo Durante Mangoni, Coordinator for Anticorruption, Chair G20 ACWG, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy
• Shervin Majlessi, Chief of Conference Support Section, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• Paulina Rios Maya, PSIA student, Master in International Security
• Susan Rose-Ackerman, Henry R. Luce Professor Emeritus of Law and Political Science and Professorial Lecturer in Law, Yale University, USA

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 7

Panel 8: Natural Resources and Global Commons: New Stakes, New Tensions (14:45-15:45)

Chaired by: Sébastien Treyer, Director, IDDRI (Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales). | Student Greeter: Aji Fajri, PSIA student, Master in International Energy. 

• Ushi Eid, Former Chair of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB); President of the German-African Foundation
• Elena Grifoni-Winters, Head of Cabinet of the Director-General, European Space Agency
• Naoko Ishii, Executive Vice President, Professor and Director for the Center for Global Commons, the University of Tokyo; former CEO of the Global Environment Facility
• Xinqing Lu, PSIA student, Master in Advanced Global Studies
• Lucile Maertens, Lecturer in political science and international relations, University of Lausanne; Associate Research Fellow, CERI, Sciences Po
• Caitlin Ryan, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations and International Organization, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 8

Panel 9: Reforming Democracy for a more Peaceful World (14:45-15:45)

Chaired by: Christian Lequesne, Professor, Sciences Po. Student Greeter: Sophia Otoo, PSIA student, Master in International Development.

• Charlotte Osei, UN International Elections Commissioner; former chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Ghana; Lawyer
• Akshaya Jose Devasia, PSIA student, Master in International Security
• Ivan Krastev, Chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies, Bulgaria; Permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences, Austria
• Mohamed Mahmoud Mohamedou, Professor of International History and Chair of the International History Department, Graduate Institute of Geneva
• Kati Piri, Member of the European Parliament

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF PANEL 9

Breakout Sessions (16:00-17:00)

Exclusive sessions between one Leader and a small group of PSIA students, led by a PSIA Student Chair

Keynote Speech (17:15-18:15): “From hawk to dove”

Welcomed by: Lakhdar Brahimi, Elder; Chairman, Strategic Committee, PSIA, Sciences Po; former UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Special Envoy; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Algeria; former Ambassador, Algeria

Chaired by: Cornelia Woll, Full Professor of Political Science, Sciences Po. 

• Juan Manuel Santos, former President, Colombia; Nobel Peace Prize laureate

WATCH THE REPLAY AND READ THE SUMMARY OF THE KEYNOTE SPEECH

Concluding remarks (18:15-18:30)

• Lakhdar Brahimi, Elder; Chairman, Strategic Committee, PSIA, Sciences Po; former UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Special Envoy; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Algeria; former Ambassador, Algeria  
• Enrico Letta, Dean, PSIA, Sciences Po

WATCH THE REPLAY OF THE CONCLUDING REMARKS

Contact

For any queries about the Youth & Leaders Summit, please contact: psia.events@sciencespo.fr