Rebooting regional cooperation

Past event

05Nov2019

starts 16:15

ends 18:00

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Summary

At a time when the global youth population is the largest it has ever been in history, young people continue to be under-represented in the world’s legislatures. Today’s world is home to 1.8bn young people, a huge generation with an unprecedented ability to connect with one another despite the geographic constraints of yesteryear. The way in which these shifting demographics in the world are leveraged is critical for the progress of not only our societies but also for the health of our planet.

While some speak of the risks of “slacktivism” and the dangers of all-powerful social media platforms, fake news and cyber-repression; others point to young people as the key to unlocking the world isolationism With the world’s 1.8bn young people forming history’s most-interconnected generation, mainstreaming youth participation in global decision-making was highlighted as a key tool for rebooting regional cooperation and countering the polarisation that increasingly blights political discourse in regions around the world.

As well as seeing young leaders from across Europe and the MENA region joining the debate in Brussels, this high-level policy insight saw 16 young leaders from across the MENA region share their thoughts through virtual connection. They were joined by high-level decision makers and political stakeholders from Brussels.

This high-level policy insight was run in association with the Anna Lindh Foundation and co-funded by the European Commission (DG Neigbhourhood and Enlargement Negotiations), launched by the EU High-Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

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Schedule

16.45 18.00

Including the youth perspective in global decision-making

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Expand Including the youth perspective in global decision-making

Across the European and MENA regions, there is a growing trust gap between young people and their governments, multilateral organisations and even international civil society. Reactionary political and media discourse has led to the alienation of youth from multilateral discussions rather than empowering them as essential partners for international dialogue and development.

Meanwhile, governments across the world have agreed on the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that calls for a bold transformation in policy and practice. Its 17 SDGs are based on the understanding that the challenges we face, such as poverty, environmental destruction, inequality, over-consumption and conflict, are all interconnected and cannot be tackled by individuals or separate countries. It’s time to acknowledge the importance of the contributions made by young people to build and maintain peace, bringing innovative ideas to conflict prevention and resolution, and to recognise that young people’s voices need to be heard and respected as equal partners for dialogue.

How do we counter the political indecisiveness that currently prohibits global cooperation? How do we enable young adults to make better use of their connectivity and join hands in their needs and concerns? How do we empower young people as agents of change and key actors in the implementation of the SDGs and sustainable development strategies?

Panel

Merna Nasralla

“Young Mediterranean Voices” delegate, Egypt

Maciej Popowski

Deputy Director General of the Southern Neighbourhood, Turkey, Migration, Refugees and Security Issues at the European Commission

Elisabeth Guigou

Former president of the French National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Trustee of Friends of Europe

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Speakers

Merna is a Legal Researcher focusing on terrorism and migration. She has an LLM in International Human Rights Law from Queen Mary University of London. Merna is a former Legal Intern at Redress, a human rights organisation seeking justice and reparation for torture victims. She has been active with Young Arab Voices and YMV as a debater and trainer since 2016, representing Egypt in summits in London and Malta. Merna is also an alumna of the Middle East Partnership Initiative programme (MEPI) at the University of Delaware and a former Congressional Intern at Senator Kristen Gillibrand’s office in Washington DC.

Maciej Popowski is a Polish diplomat, who previously served as deputy director-general of DG NEAR before assuming his current role. He is the former deputy secretary-general of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Popowski has also previously served as the head of Jerzy Buzek’s cabinet, Poland’s permanent representative in the EU’s Political and Security Committee, and deputy head of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union. At the time of Poland’s EU accession negotiations, he was the director for EU affairs at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Elisabeth Guigou is president of the Anna Lindh Foundation, a network of civil society organisations dedicated to promoting intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean region. Before this appointment, Guigou served as French Minister of European Affairs, member of the European Parliament, and member of the French National Assembly, among numerous other posts. In addition to this, Guigou was the first female to be appointed Minister of Justice in France, where she distinguished herself for her fight for a more independent justice system.

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