The election of Donald Trump changed the world – for a second time. Just days after U.S. vote, and as COP29 opens in Baku in a world more divided than ever, world leaders came together at the 7th edition of the Paris Peace Forum at the historic Palais de Chaillot and other locations across Paris. Under the theme Wanted: A Functioning Global Order the Forum once again convened leaders, decision-makers, and civil society representatives from around the world to discuss and find solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges, including geopolitical tensions, climate change, digital governance, and inequality.
In the face of global tensions, renewed dialogue to solve the big problems of tomorrow can only be possible when we recognize and tackle the conflicts and rivalries that divide us. This is even truer at a time when leaders like Donald Trump shake up the global paradigm.
With that in mind, the Forum hosted a number of dedicated sessions on geopolitics, peace, and conflicts: on the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and Sudan, the impact of the recent US election and the global order viewed by China, as well as debates on how to revitalize the United Nations (and elect a woman as the next Secretary-General), and how to ensure freedom of media in conflict zones.
As well as sessions on hot crises, the Forum focused heavily on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI)with more than ten sessions on the topic, esp. on access for the global South and voluntary commitments by AI frontier model companies, starting the countdown to the AI Action Summit taking place in Paris in February 2025.
Global leaders also joined Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot for a session on “Closing the North-South Gap: The Paris Pact for People and the Planet and the Reform of Global Institutions” – looking at how to build on existing progress on the 4P and the need to take 600 million people out of poverty worldwide. Other sessions looked at issues as broad as information integrity, reforming the international financial system, taxes on the super-rich, African agriculture, equal access to AI and the environmental impact of artificial intelligence technologies and tackling global malnutrition. All sessions can be replayed on our YouTube channel.
“For multilateralism to survive in the second age of Trump, we must regroup and convene all the actors who stand for coordination and cooperation,” said Dr. Justin Vaïsse, Director-General of the Paris Peace Forum. “Global governance is severely hampered by US-China tensions and by conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, and in turn the lack of global governance and good stewardship of public goods will make conflicts more likely in the future.”
“We can still make progress on the issues that bring us together and that will define the next 50 years,” added Fabienne Hara, Deputy Director-General of the Paris Peace Forum. “This year’s edition saw concrete advancement on the bread-and-butter policy issues around global public goods, addressing emerging transnational challenges and building the foundations for sustainable peace.”
Prominent Speakers and Participants
The Forum featured distinguished guests including:
Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Nataša Pirc Musar, President, Republic of Slovenia
Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel
Fu Ying, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic of China
Nasser Al Kidwa, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority
Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships
Celso Amorim, Chief Advisor of the President, Federative Republic of Brazil
Rebecca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD and former Vice-President of Costa Rica
María Fernanda Espinosa, former President of the United Nations General Assembly and former Foreign Minister of Ecuador
Ghassan Salamé, Professor Emeritus of International Relations, Sciences Po and former Culture Minister of Lebanon
Mo Ibrahim,Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Elina Valtonen,Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Finland
Arancha Gonzalez,Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po and former Foreign Minister of Spain
Ibrahim Mayaki, former Prime Minister of Niger and Special Envoy for Food Systems, African Union
Susana Malcorra,former Foreign Minister of Argentina
José Ángel Gurría,President of the Paris Peace Forum and former Secretary-General of the OECD
Mabel Miao,Co-founder and Secretary-General, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)
Patrick Achi,former Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire
Alexia Latortue,Assistant Secretary, International Trade and Development, Department of the Treasury, United States of America
Gareth Evans,former Foreign Minister of Australia and President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group.
Comfort Ero,President and Chief Executive Officer, Crisis Group
Yi Zeng,Founding Director of the Beijing Institute of AI Safety and Governance and Center for Long-Term AI, Member of the UN High-Level Advisory Board on AI
Scaling Up Ambitions: 10 New Civil Society Projects Supported by the Paris Peace Forum
Continuing a now seven-year tradition, the Paris Peace Forum selected 10 new projects for its Scale-Up Program, launched in 2018 to provide year-long customized support towards the development of civil society projects. Each year, ten projects are selected by a jury of experts and announced at our annual event. This cohort is provided with customized, transformational (non-financial) support from the PPF for the following year. SCUP helps project leaders identify and approach new partners and funders, reach out to new actors and gain visibility, influence positive change in their ecosystem, and strengthen their organizational development.
The current cohort presented their work with posters in the SCUP Gallery and during pitch sessions, while a new group of 10 projects was also unveiled. This year’s projects are:
AI for Climate and Biodiversity, led by C MindsFrom Mexico, Implemented in South AmericaTheme: Biodiversity and Artificial IntelligenceThis project combines AI and Indigenous-led practices to protect biodiversity and tackle economic vulnerability, focusing on jaguar habitats and expanding conservation efforts across LATAM.
Tespack Smart Mobile Micro-Grid, led by TespackFromFinland, Implemented in AfricaTheme:ClimateTespack’s mobile micro-grids provide decentralized energy and internet in remote areas through solar power, benefiting sectors like education, healthcare, and agriculture.
Community & Livelihood Support in Afghanistan, led by Uplift Afghanistan FundFromUnited States of America,Implementedin South AsiaTheme:Conflict prevention and resolutionThis project supports vulnerable Afghans, especially women and girls, by providing humanitarian aid, cash-for-work programs, and digital payments to marginalized households.
Mapping for People and Planet, led by Nippon Foundation – GEBCO Seabed 2030 ProjectFromMonaco,Implemented internationallyTheme:OceansThis project aims to map the world’s seabeds to support sustainable marine management, coastal planning, and hazard assessment, particularly aiding coastal and island states.
Dalil, led by Siren (Siren Associates and Siren Analytics)FromLebanon,Implemented internationallyTheme:Quality information and media freedomDalil is a web platform that uses AI to combat misinformation in the MENA region, enabling fact-checkers and policymakers to access verified information. It is expanding to new regions like the Western Balkans.This project was selected for a second year, which is the first time this has happened in the history of SCUP.
Minerals for Peace and Development– Madini Kwa Amani Na Maendeleo,led by International Alert on behalf of the Madini consortiumTheme:Transition mineralsFromDemocratic Republic of Congo,Implemented inAfricaThe Madini project improves safety and livelihoods in artisanal mining areas by supporting governance reforms and conflict resolution, advocating for international standards in mineral sourcing.
CyberPeace Builders, led by CyberPeace InstituteFromSwitzerland,Implemented internationallyTheme: CybersecurityCyberPeace Builders mobilize cybersecurity volunteers to protect NGOs from cyberattacks, providing essential support to build cyber resilience in the nonprofit sector worldwide.
Get Heard, led by Youth Empowerment Society (YES)From Morocco, Implemented in AfricaTheme: Gender equalityThis project empowers Moroccan women to combat gender-based violence by sharing personal stories via podcasts. It offers training in podcast production and laws protecting women’s rights, aiming to break the silence on harassment and abuse.
Ustawi: The Power of Community, led by Green String Network (GSN)FromKenya,Implemented in AfricaTheme: Conflict prevention and resolutionUstawi provides mental health support and economic empowerment to African youth through a digital platform with peer support circles and resilience training, aiming to reduce poverty, violence, and trauma.
MIT Climate Pathways Project, led by MIT Sloan Sustainability InitiativeFrom United States of America, Implemented internationallyTheme: ClimateUsing sophisticated interactive simulations, this project educates global leaders on climate policy, encouraging evidence-based actions to combat climate change.
This year, the Scale-Up Program’sSolutions Hub received financial support from Postcode Lottery, a longtime partner of the Paris Peace Forum.
Starting the Countdown to the AI Action Summit
As Paris prepares to host the Action SummitonFebruary 10-11, 2025, the Paris Peace Forum has worked to support the cause of “AI for Good” – notably organizing a Call for AI Projects, which received an impressive770 submissions from 111 countries, underscoring the global enthusiasm for harnessing artificial intelligence to tackle critical global challenges. A panel of experts will soon review all submissions and select the top 50 projects, which will be showcased at the Action Summit in Paris. The announcement of the selected projects is expected in mid-December 2024.
Africa Feeding Africans: Growing the ATLAS Initiative for Agriculture
The June 2024 Spring Meeting of the Paris Peace Forum In Benguerir, Morocco, saw the launch of agricultural Transitions Lab for African Solutions (ATLAS), a permanent platform for policy dialogue and collaboration between the Global North on the one hand and Africa and the Global South on the other. ATLAS will advocate for a globally shared vision on a sustainable African agricultural transformation, based on a better understanding of African needs, breaking away from North and South divides, and seeing agriculture and climate as partners rather than adversaries.
ATLAS saw new impetus at the November Forum, announcing it would be launching its Investment Barometerin December measuring for the first time all public, private and philanthropic investments going into African agriculture each year, a tool which is lacking today for the assessment of the financing gap and the tracking of progress. Finally, ATLAS is gathering a coalition of players aiming to double their investments in African agriculture by 2030, and will soon be launching this “2×30 Challenge”.
Greening the World: Securing Global Governance of Transition Minerals
The 2024 Spring Meeting of the Paris Peace Forum also brought together high-level individuals to found theGlobal Council for Responsible Transition Minerals, including: former EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard; former Chile Mines Minister Jobet Juan Carlos; and former Botswana Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Kenewendo Bogolo.
On the 10th of November, the members of the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals adopted a set of recommendations to advance global cooperation across sectors and regions in securing responsible mineral supply for the energy transition. Taking stock of the heightened demand for energy transition minerals to meet Paris Agreement goals and reach net-zero targets – and its associated financial, geopolitical, social and environmental challenges and opportunities – the recommendations emphasize integrated and collaborative approaches across climate, industrial and mineral multilateral strategies.They also call for enhanced global governance tools and the exploration of value-creation opportunities.
These recommendations will be presented as an interim report on the sidelines of COP29.
Tackling Malnutrition: Opening the Way to the Nutrition for Growth Summit
Ahead of the 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris, an Independent Expert Group on Nutrition, convened by the Paris Peace Forum and led by Shawn Baker (Helen Keller Intl.), released transformative recommendations to elevate global nutrition as a top priority. Recognizing nutrition as a powerful economic investment—yielding an average $23 return for every $1 spent—the group highlighted its role in fostering human capital and economic growth. Their recommendations, taking a comprehensive systems approach through agrifood, health, education, social protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), urge action from governments, civil society, and the private sector. The upcoming N4G Summit will serve as a platform to secure political and financial commitments to combat global malnutrition.
Spreading Across Paris: The Forum Opens Up to Its Host City
Following a day of panels and roundtable discussions at the Palais de Chaillot on 11 November, the second day of the Forum,12 November, will feature thematic events hosted by partner organizations across Paris. These sessions will delve into critical global issues such as nutrition, agriculture, cyberspace, and the management of critical minerals, among others.
You can find the list here.
The Forum will also showcase projects aimed at scaling up initiatives in areas such as climate change, digital governance, and peacebuilding.
