High-Level Segment
"(re)Thinking the Commons, Acting Together"
"(Re)Thinking about the commons, acting together to protect them"
The high-level segment of UNESCO's General Conference took place on Thursday, November 9, 2023 from 3pm to 6pm in Room I.
The high-level segment focused on how the commons should be thought of and protected in the context of the major disruptions the world is currently experiencing, with a particular emphasis on climate disruption and digital transformation.
It was organized in two parts:
- 3pm-4pm: An inaugural lecture by Dipesh Chakrabarty on global public goods and how they need to be rethought in the face of the major disruptions the world is facing.
- 4pm-6pm: A high-level session on partnerships bringing together heads of state/government, CEOs, heads of multilateral organizations, civil society leaders and other eminent people to show how UNESCO is leveraging partnerships to address climate disruption and digital transformation in a way that benefits people and the planet.
High-Level Segment
Photo gallery of the sessions:
Intellectual keynote session
Speaker : Dipesh Chakrabarty
Speaker: Dipesh Chakrabarty
The current conflicts are a reminder, if ever one was needed, of how difficult remains the task of tending to the problems of the commons that increasingly mark our collective existence as humanity. Attending to these problems urgently requires the work of peacebuilding that in turn demands that we address the burning issues of justice and inequality that divide our passions. Yet the gathering crisis of climate change also tells us that struggles for justice and freedom today are inextricably linked to the fate of this warming planet that provides the ground for our existence. Using this understanding as its point of departure, this lecture argued how taking a planetary view of our contemporary history may allow us to shift our political imagination in ways that enable us to address peace, justice, and the planet together in our institutions and actions.
Plenary conferences to be held at 5 partner universities
The plenary conference at UNESCO Headquarters will be from Paris on 9 November from 3:00pm to 7:30pm to 5 partner universities (Mexico, India, Morocco, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Nigeria) where professors and students will discuss the same topic, with a view to leading a global debate on the subject.
This session is organised in collaboration with:
Key speakers from the 5 partner universities
A session on multi-stakeholder partnerships
UNESCO's action is strengthened by its rich ecosystem of partners. This session, brought together government officials, leaders from civil society, the private sector and intergovernmental organizations, and highlighted how multi-stakeholder partnerships can provide innovative, multi-dimensional responses to the challenges posed by climate change and digital transformation. These discussions will continue as part of the Partner Forum to be held at Saxony Hall from November 7 to 17.
“RETHINKING THE COMMONS, ACTING TOGETHER”
| Programme and panelists | |
|---|---|
| 15:00-15:05 – Welcome and Opening | |
| Master of Ceremony : Ms Samira Ibrahim, Journalist at France Médias Monde | |
| 15:05-15:45 – Opening lecture | |
| Mr Dipesh Chakrabarty, Indian historian and author, University of Chicago | |
| 15:45-15:50 Artistic interlude: Yarima Blanco (Cuba), Transcultura Programme | |
| 15:50-16:00 – Address by Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO |
4:00pm PARTNERSHIPS SESSION Multistakeholder partnerships in support of the climate and biodiversity
| Programme and panelists | |
|---|---|
| Moderated by Ms Annette Young, senior journalist at France 24, host and creator, “The 51 percent” | |
| Testimony of a young activist: Mr Antonio Diaz Aranda, Youth Climate Ambassador of Mexico for COP28, COP 27 and SB58, UNESCO Climate Action Steering Committee member | |
| Panel discussion with | |
| H.E. Mr Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation | |
| H.E. Ms Noura Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates | |
| Ms Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission | |
| H.E. Mr Mamman Nuhu, Ambassador, Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission | |
| Mr Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group | |
| H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma, Chair of the H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma Foundation, Traditional Leader and Leader of the MAMA-LIGHT Initiative | |
| Special Announcement: Presentation of the Futurekeepers campaign |
5:00pm PARTNERSHIP PANEL DISCUSSION Multistakeholder partnerships to address digital transformation
| Programme and panelists | |
|---|---|
| Moderated by Ms Annette Young, senior journalist at France 24, host and creator, “The 51 percent” | |
| Testimony of a young activist: Ms Luísa Franco Machado, Digital Development Expert, UN Young Leader for the SDGs (Brazil) | |
| Panel discussion with | |
| H.E. Mr Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania | |
| Mr Antonio Zappulla, CEO, Thomson Reuters Foundation | |
| Mr Vilas Dhar, President and Trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation | |
| Ms Awa Bousso Dramé, Researcher and L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talent, Founder/CEO of CoastGIS Research Institute | |
| Ms Mira Milosevic, Executive Director, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) | |
| Spotlight intervention: “AI for the Planet” initiative, presented by Mr Patrick Dupoux, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group | |
| 18:00 – Conclusion of the Partnerships Session | |
| Artistic performance by Yarima Blanco y Son Latino | |
| 18:30 – Special Session: PROTECT BIODIVERSITY AND RECONCILING WITH THE LIVING: the example of the Amazon project |
A session on multi-stakeholder partnerships
Protecting biodiversity, reconciling all forms of life
The high-level segment continued with a special session presenting UNESCO's partnership with member states (Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru) and a major private sector partner (LVMH) for the protection of biodiversity in the Amazon. This session shared the results of the program and presented a concrete example of how key players and partners can join forces to regenerate ecosystems.