Graduation Ceremony: Congratulations Class of 2023

Rector magnificus, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, 

Vice-dean, Mark Maloney

Esteemed faculty, honored guests, proud families, and most importantly, the brilliant graduates of the Paris School of International Affairs, 

Good evening! It is an honor and privilege to stand before you today in this magnificent city, a cornerstone of diplomacy and internationalism. As I address the Class of 2023, I must say it fills me with immense pride and hope to see such a diverse and talented group of individuals poised to venture into the world. If I am not mistaken, 110 countries are represented among you. Just gazing upon the youth in you, I feel a sense of hope brewing inside of me. You are about to take a step into a world that has never been as open, as fast paced, and as complex as it is today. And that is fascinating, and at the same time extremely demanding. Because where there is complexity, there is always the temptation of simplicity – the temptation to think hard problems have easy solutions. But this is never true. As I like to say – in complex times, only complexity can save us.

Class of 2023, I stand before you as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, an organization committed to fostering economic development and bridging the many divides that mark our world – in trade, in the digital economy, in international finance, in investment. 

But today, I’m not here just as a representative of an organization; I am here as a voice advocating for a world bound by the principles of internationalism, a voice which I hope many of you will echo in the times to come. Because much, dear students, will depend on it.

In this era, our world is undergoing rapid and unprecedented changes. Technological advancements, geopolitical shifts, and economic realignments are some of the forces that are reshaping the landscape we once knew. While change is intrinsic to human progress, change can be disconcerting. As I say – in times of rapid change, not everything changes at the same speed. In these bursts and lags there is a great deal of asymmetires that run the danger to become structural and not temporal. Making things worse, rising polarization, geo-economic fragmentation, and what I call the social-mediatization of internationalism (or ‘Instagram diplomacy’) mean that  those who need to understand this new world, are often lagging behind. Us internationalists must play catch-up.

We find ourselves at a crossroads, where the tenets of international cooperation that laid the foundation of post-World War II order are being tested out in the open. Some view post-cold-war style internationalism as an obsolete notion, a notion based on a naïve understanding of economic interdependence as a guarantor of peace and democracy, a notion leading ultimately to fragile systems that crumble at the first impact of a global shock. The 2008 Crisis, climate change, the COVID pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine are used (correctly) as examples of the failure of this system but at the same time as the failure of the, and the latter is the problem. 

To replace this old system, some are calling for a strategic, and ultimately conservative retreat from global engagement in the name of resilience. To de-risk the international order, we must make it smaller, more based on like-minded groups of countries and economies, with more conditionalities on AID and trade. 

But allow me to present a contrary perspective.

Internationalism is not just a political doctrine; it is the recognition that our destinies are intertwined, that the challenges we face do not respect borders. The solutions to these challenges lie not in retreating within, but in embracing the essence of our shared humanity.

I do believe that the system needs to be reformed, its governance needs to be more inclusive and reflect today’s world. Just think that when the Bretton Woods institutions and the Security council of the United Nations were created many of the countries of today were not independent. Our present system is not empowered enough to deliver on the big global agendas such as the SDGs and the Paris targets or to withstand systemic shocks. But, to me, the source of this fragility is not that we are interdependent – the source of this fragility is that our interdependence is asymmetric. 

It is asymmetric in the governance of the international financial architecture. It is asymmetric in access to funding and technology. It is asymmetric within countries and among countries. It is asymmetric among genders and geographies.

That, in my view, was in fact the lesson from the COVID pandemic, a lesson paid through immense suffering. As a rule, when a shock comes, the more unequal the system, the stronger and more painful the blow, and the slower and weaker the recovery. Us social scientist saw this happen again and again, almost everywhere one looked, with the certitude and accuracy of a universal law of physics. We saw it in labour markets. We saw it in the digital infrastructure. We saw it the classrooms. We saw it in households. We saw it in countries by level of income. Open gaps made us fragile. Closed gaps made us resilient. That is the iron law of inequality in the 21st century. And that is what our system is missing.

Let me add one more point to this argument. In a deeper sense, ‘strategic international retreat’ is flawed because it is ultimately impossible. Whether we stay or we retreat from this system, we will remain interdependent – in climate, in trade, and in a world of nuclear weapons – in peace and security too.

Those who read history will recognize that that was the lesson of the 20th century interwar period, the lesson of the failure of the League of Nations, despite all the efforts that took place here, in Paris, from 1919 onwards. Since the industrial age, all industrial countries live in a global society, whether we like it or not. Retreating from that fact is impossible and ultimately counterproductive.

If recent historical consensus is right on this, and not all the blame of the second world war was not the Versailles Treaty (which was watered down again and again during the interwar period), but much of it stems from the Great Depression, which was marked by a synchronized abandonment of the international system, and widespread lack of solidarity and multilateral action when the world needed it most, then retreat – not enforcement— was the main cause of war. In the common cartoon from the 1930s, we are in a sense ‘shackled’ to each other in a common chain. Our freedom of manouver is always curtailed. The only way to liberate ourselves is to work together, in tandem.

Humanism, dear graduates, is the key to the chain. The key to recognizing why we are all in this together. The key to closing the bridges of understanding that so often confuse and antagonize us. 

The motto of humanism was written many thousand years ago. All cultures and religions in the world have their own variation of this saying. I prefer the one from Terence, the North-African former slave, who became a famous playwright in Ancient Rome: “Homo Sum, Humani Nihil Me Alienam Puto”. I am human, and nothing human is foreign to me.

In closing, I ask of you, Class of 2023, to take that phrase with you wherever you go. To let it guide your curiosity, your sympathy, even your pain in the face of the atrocities that humankind is unfortunately capable of.

I am human, and nothing human is foreign to me. I ask of you to read – to interest yourself in the sacred texts and philosophies of cultures, to read the local literature wherever you go, to value diversity in all its forms – not only diversity of background, but also diversity of thought. 

I am human, and nothing human is foreign to me. I ask of you to engage in dialogue: in an age of echo chambers, take the initiative to engage in dialogue with those who hold different opinions. 

Because dialogue, as we often forget, means to talk but also to listen, and to listen with the intent of understanding. And there’s a strength in that. 

I am human, and nothing human is foreign to me. I ask of you to remember that the best way to stand up for our values is not to retreat and stay with those who think like us. The best way to defend our values is to never cease from engaging. To disengage is to give up. And class of 2023, I ask of you finally – never give up. Never give up on humanism, on internationalism, on the very prospect of a shared destiny.

Chancellor, faculty, parents, students:

I want to leave you with an image, an image which summarizes all I have been trying to say today. The image is that of Dame Julia Myrra Hess, a small, plump, English musician of Jewish descent. Myrra Hess is famous for organizing lunchtime concerts during the Blitz, to provide solace to a population suffering from the worst war. 

For six and a half years, Myrra Hess played these concerts in London, Monday-to-Friday, without fail, risking her own personal safety in the process. One particular piece became famous during these concerts – Myrra Hess’ piano rendition of the famous Bach choral, “Jesu, Joy of Man Desiring” (or Jesus bleibet meine Freude, in the German original). Hess would often end her concerts with that piece. And that, for me, is the enduring beauty of humanism – a Jewish pianist, playing a German song, to give refuge to the British, during Second World War. 

When I think back on this story, I immediately think of my own. My story also starts in the Second World War, though I was born some decades after. I am the child of Jewish refugees who came to Costa Rica after the war. 

My mother was born in today’s Ukraine, near the border of Poland. My father in Poland. They spent most of the war fleeing from one place to another, first in Russia, then in refugee camps in Cyprus where they met. My mother lost her parents (my grandparents) and many other family members to the Holocaust.

And she not only endured, but she transcended her pain to raise me and my two sisters in Costa Rica (a country that I love, from the bottom of my heart). Costa Rica gave my parents the freedom, and the respect to rebuild their lives . We were raised  as three strong women, women curious of the world, women free from fear and prejudice. It was my mother who inspired me to always look outside. To give my life to the service of people from all corners and cultures of the world. I owe it to my mother and to my country Costa Rica for the woman that I am. 

I was the daughter of an immigrant family, first generation born in Costa Rica, appointed, and elected to the highest posts of Government. It says a lot about a country don’t you think? But it could have been different. I could have been born in a country not democratic, free, and peaceful as Costa Rica. And my mother could have raised me very differently, but she didn’t. She, who saw the ugliest face of humanity never lost her faith in humankind. She never allowed it to be foreign to her.

Class of 2023, I now wish you all the luck and all the success in the world. Venture out into the world. Remain curious. Seek difference. 

May nothing ever be foreign to you.

Thank you.

Dear Class of 2023 – I can feel your excitement!

Yes, you have made it to the finish line!

Let me first thank your families and friends who have accompanied you in your journey

Merci aux familles et amis ici présentes

Gracias a todas las familias y amigos aquí presentes

This is a proud moment for you, but also for all of us who have been with you through the good days and the bad moments.

This ceremony has been long, and I know I am standing between you and a big party in St Thomas. But you will forgive me for taking this last chance to leave you with a few parting messages.

At the beginning of the academic year one of you asked: "If the world is broken, why should I care?"

I think that by now the answer to this question is clear. 

You have completed your journey with us because you want to be leaders. You don’t just want to watch events unfolding, you want to be able to shape our world. You don’t just want to see wars, aggression, violence, inequality, persecution, injustice, earthquakes happening. You want to act. 

And frankly, the world needs you to act.

This is what you have learnt in your time at our school: to be a leader; so far with a small "l." But with the ambition to soon become a leader with capital "L."

Leadership does not necessarily mean occupying the Oval Office, speaking from the lectern at the United Nations or ordering troop to march.

Leadership transcends titles and positions.

It is about embodying certain values: Compassion, Coherence, Commitment, Courage —the four Cs that form the bedrock of a leader's character. The moral compass.

Be compassionate, fight intolerance, reject injustice; defend human rights; there will be no future built on aggression, discrimination or grievances. We need fairness to be the bedrock of our policies and actions. Fairness in the fight against climate change, fairness in the energy transitions; fairness in international trade, fairness in development opportunities; fairness in your relations with future colleagues and partners. 

You will soon find that with leadership also comes the need to ensure coherence. Coherence between what you say and what you do; coherence between your actions at home and those abroad; coherence in policy-making – and let me tell you, it is much more difficult that writing tweets or posting videos in Tik-Tok! Incoherent leaders are inefficient; more importantly, incoherence breads mistrust. 

Good leaders are committed leaders. Their main preoccupation is not to hold on to power but rather to use it for a purpose. Our greatest challenge today is to avoid a new fragmentation of our world, between East and West, or between North and South; building a new international order requires maintaining spaces of cooperation and dialogue. Our existential threats, from climate change to nuclear proliferation, from pandemics to financial stability, we need more no less cooperation.

Leadership requires courage. Courage is daring to succeed but also to fail. You will stumble, you will fall, but through that you will learn and grow. Each time you encounter an obstacle, rise again. Keep trying, and if at first, you don't succeed, try again. It is your determination that will define your path.

You will learn that we rise higher together, I know some of you might have experienced this unity by generously sharing answers during exams, you know what I mean …

As this ceremony comes to an end, I am reassured that you are now prepared to be agents of change for more secure, just, and sustainable societies. 

The question you had at the beginning of the year has now turned into determination: “It’s because the world may be broken that I will care”

"Caring" is not just a sentiment of concern or attentiveness, it is also the active force that compels us to act. 

So, Class of 2023, let your voices resound, your ideas unleashed, and let your actions become the very embodiment of change.

I know Taylor Swift said “You are on your own, kids” but let me tell you, you are not; you may be leaving PSIA today but you are now part of the big alumni family. Wherever you will be, please keep in touch. Be generous helping those who will come after you, just like those who came before supported you.

On behalf of all of us at PSIA – faculty, academic team, central support services, the technical teams that have made this event possible, Mathias, Sergei, Mark and myself - let me wish you all the best for the future. Fly high!