MEM Summer Summit 2020

This year due to the Coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, the Summit could not be held as planned. The circumstances have understandably imposed a review of the format of the MEM Summer Summit 2020.
The new online format brings together – from USI Lugano campus Aula magna and from remote - leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, scholars and intellectuals to discuss pressing issues of the MEM region: from geopolitical configurations to economic dynamics, to the role of art and literature to promote new and positive narratives of the region. As usual, young change-makers are given the extraordinary opportunity to actively participate in the panels by sharing their insights with the speakers and the audience.

01:29 Welcome address by Prof. Boas Erez, Rector of Università della Svizzera italiana
05:46 Welcome address by Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland
08:48 Young change-makers video - Introductions
11:57 Short film “Muted City” by Nour Nasrledin
17:07 Interview with Monika Schmutz Kirgöz Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon
26:05 Keynote speech by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic

43:04 Panel 1
From “Westlessness” to civil wars and social upheavals across the region: towards a new deal in Geopolitics of the MENA region.
Moderator: Gilles Kepel, Professor at the Università della Svizzera italiana and École normale supérieure Paris, Guests: Nassif Hitti, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Lebanon - Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), Russia - Dimitrios Papachristou, Young change-maker

1:33:10 Interview with Dr. Maha El-Adawy, MD and Director, Health Protection and Promotion, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt – by Claudia Sosai, Young change-maker
1:43:05 Young change-makers video – Current Situation

1:49:21 Panel 2
The Middle East Mediterranean area in the aftermath of rising tension and conflicts, COVID-19 and oil market crash: lessons from Libya
Moderator: Luca Fasani, RSI
Guests: Mustafa Sanalla, National Oil Corporation, Libya - Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman, Total, France - Giampiero Massolo, Président de l’ISPI (Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale), Président de Fincantieri - Dimitrios Papachristou, Young change-maker

2:33:26 Interview with Pio Wennubst, Permanent Representative, Mission of Switzerland to FO, IFAD, WFP in Rome, Switzerland – by Sofia Volpi, Young change-maker
2:41:58 Young change-makers video – Hopes
2:46:23 Keynote speech Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UNESCO, France

2:54:01 Panel 3
The challenging issues and opportunities of art and culture for the Middle East Mediterranean region
Moderator: Diana Segantini, Advisor for arts, culture, heritage and media
Guests: Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director, Culture and Emergencies, UNESCO, France - Ahmed Mater, Saudi artist and physician - Rachid Koraichi, Artist, Algeria - Yasmin El Habak, Young change-maker

03:46:31 Closing remarks by Prof. Gilles Kepel and Prof. Boas Erez, Rector of Università della Svizzera italiana, Professor at the Università della Svizzera italiana and École normale supérieure Paris
03:54:34 Aknowledgements

[hend]

I'm glad that finally religion has been clearly identified publicly as a real problem in the MENA region. Our work group was focusing on the same issue of religions and secularism back in MEM 2018 version. I hope that our group can resume work together in the near future. Hend, from Egypt.