rd THE ESSENTIALS 1 AND 2 OCTOBER 2020 PREVENTING WAR: RESPONDING TO NEW THREATS Publisher: Normandy Region Copywriting, design, editorial and layout conception: JMLC (Jean-Michel Le Calvez and Thierry Piers) Photography: Eric Biernacki (Normandy Region), Dominique Hureaux (Maison de la Recherche en Sciences Humaines), Solveig de La Hougue, Mattias Edwall Printer: La Petite Presse Print run: 125 copies Date of publication: December 2020 A note to readers This document is a compilation of summaries of the speeches given at the third edition of the Normandy World Peace Forum. The remarks made during this event do not represent the Normandy Region and do not reflect its position in any way. The summaries are not scientific articles. They include different points of view and key information from each event. The Normandy World Peace Forum was held in Abbaye aux Dames on 1 and 2 October 2020 on the theme of “Preventing war: responding to new threats”. Encouraging reflection and discussions, this annual event focuses on the future by providing geopolitical experts and representatives of governments, the academic world and civil society with an opportunity to debate. Because of the pandemic, the Forum was held in unprecedented circumstances and many people could not attend. This year, more than any other, we wanted to provide you with a publication which would allow you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this third edition. Summaries of the conferences, the debates, the interviews and the key events at the Forum have been compiled to help you to feel as if you attended this event, organised by the Normandy Region. The Normandy World Peace Forum in a few figures: 6,000 visitors and audience members, including 3,400 young people, who enjoyed conferences and debates, exhibitions, workshops and the other key events of this edition 122 panellists from 34 countries attended in person or via video, 30 partners contributed to debates or were present in the Village for Peace, sharing a single objective: raising awareness about how to prevent conflict and build peace 85,000 views of the videos broadcast live on the Normandy for Peace and Normandy Region Facebook pages We hope you enjoy reading this document and look forward to seeing you next year! The Normandy Region Watch the recordings of the Forum’s plenary conferences and find out the latest news from Normandy for Peace throughout the year on normandiepourlapaix.fr/en THE NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM - THE ESSENTIALS | 3 CONTENTS BARBARA HENDRICKS PAYS TRIBUTE TO MEDICAL STAFF. .6 OPENING SPEECH OF HERVÉ MORIN, PRESIDENT OF THE NORMANDY REGION, FORMER FRENCH MINISTER OF DEFENCE ..................7 - 11 P.12 THE PLENARY CONFERENCES 1. REASONS FOR ANGER: THE SOCIAL, DEMOCRATIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FACING PEACE ............................................................14 - 21 ON THE SPOT ................................................................22 2. WOMEN AND PEACE-BUILDING: ELLE AT THE NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM ..................................23 - 28 ON THE SPOT ................................................................29 3. TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTIONS: FOR BETTER OR FOR WAR? ..........................................................32 - 36 ON THE SPOT ................................................................ 37 P.38 THE DEBATES IMAGINING TOMORROW’S WORLD AFTER THE PANDEMIC: THE POST COVID-19 WORLD? ............... 40 - 42 AMAZONIA: A GLOBAL ISSUE ......................................... 43 - 45 FREEDOM IN A TIME OF CRISIS ........................................ 46 - 48 GLOBAL CHALLENGES, LOCAL RESPONSES: WHAT SOLUTIONS FOR THE CLIMATE? ............................... 49 - 51 WATER DIPLOMACY: SHARING BLUE GOLD. 52 - 54 4 | THE NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM - THE ESSENTIALS CONTENTS RECONSIDERING THOSE WHO WORK FOR PEACE THE EU ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE: WHAT RESULTS? ........................................................ 55 - 57 CHILDHOOD IN CONFLICT ............................................. 58 - 60 WHICH FUTURE FOR MULTILATERALISM AND THE UN?. 61 - 63 THE SAHEL: REGIONAL INITIATIVES FOR PEACE AND SECURITY? ........................................................ 64 - 66 WHAT IS AN ALLIANCE WORTH TODAY? ............................. 67 - 69 EXPLORING INTERNATIONAL DIVISIONS ETHIOPIA, A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR AFRICA? ....................... 70 - 72 (IM)BALANCED GLOBAL ECONOMIES ................................. 73 - 75 THE MIDDLE EAST: REBUILDING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES. 76 - 78 RESTORING TRUST? .................................................... 79 - 81 ASIAN DYNAMICS IN A TIME OF CRISIS ............................... 82 - 84 THE EVENING EVENTS SCREENING OF THE DOCUMENTARY ‘‘THE CAVE’’ Revealing a subterranean story ........................................... 85 - 87 LITERARY EVENING | WRITERS AND PEACE Writing for peace .......................................................... 88 - 89 ACHIEVEMENTS Parliamentarians for Peace ................................................... 90 THE NORMANDY INDEX to assess the threats to peace and democracy around the world .............................................................. 91 FREEDOM PRIZE on behalf of Loujain Al-Hathloul and all her sisters ...................... 92 - 93 In a nutshell .................................................................... 94 Acknowledgements ............................................................ 95 THE NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM - THE ESSENTIALS | 5 © Mattias Edwall © Mattias CONCERT The third edition of the Normandy World Peace AN Forum was an emotional one. There was real emotion at being able to meet up (while ensuring compliance EMOTIONAL with strict health and safety requirements) after OPENING months of lockdown. There was real emotion at being able to discuss peace and the current state EVENT of the world, just a few days after fighting began in Nagorno-Karabakh. And there was real emotion at being able to welcome even more young people than in previous editions while encouraging them to take action and to get involved. Barbara Hendricks pays tribute to medical staff The 2020 Normandy World Peace Forum opened on 30 September with an emotionally charged concert. After the concert began with the opening act Strange O’Clock, a local group from Coutances, Barbara Hendricks and her Blues Band put on a thrilling show in Abbaye aux Dames for medical staff from Normandy. This concert was organised for medical staff involved in the fight against Covid-19 and was an opportunity to pay tribute to their brave service throughout this pandemic. In their honour, the world-famous singer sang “The Road to Freedom”. The brilliance of Barbara Hendricks and her musicians transported the concert-goers to the United States of the 1950s and 60s, to the heart of the struggle for civil rights. Among the blues songs which were performed and the excerpts from speeches by activists which were quoted by the artist, the lyrics of one song were particularly striking: “keep your eyes on the prize, hold on”. A powerful message for all medical staff. 6 | THE NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM - THE ESSENTIALS OPENING SPEECH HERVÉ MORIN, PRESIDENT OF THE NORMANDY REGION, FORMER FRENCH MINISTER OF DEFENCE Ladies and gentlemen, ministers, ambassadors and presidents, thank you all for being here, despite the current circumstances in which we find ourselves. Normandy for Peace was created four years ago and I must say that opening this event always evokes real emotion. An emotionally charged Forum There is the emotion of knowing that here today. Thank you to the teams of we will address some of the most teachers and head teachers for their serious issues facing mankind during commitment throughout the year to this two-day event: life, death, self- developing educational programmes sacrifice, the disruption of the natural inspired by this Normandy World order of things, displaced populations, Peace Forum. Normandy for Peace is violations of human and women’s an event which is particularly focused rights, threats to democracy. on the younger generations. You are I am moved to see so many young its custodians. faces here in this room. Normally, we welcome veterans who spend time ‘‘You are the successors to our with students from our region, but the veterans, those young men who remaining eyewitnesses of the events were not much older than you of 6 June cannot be with us today because of the risk to their health. when they came to our beaches I am sure that they were willing to on a June morning in 1944 to brave the danger of the virus: after liberate our country and to landing on Omaha and Utah in a hail restore European democracy.’’ of machine-gun fire and surviving, this virus must seem an unlikely threat. In Although thousands died, many any case, we are thinking of them and were lucky enough to survive, to their families. recount their comrades’ extraordinary But many young people have come bravery and to share a message THE NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM - THE ESSENTIALS | 7 both of freedom and, perhaps even more global, with more guests, more more importantly, a message of workshops and more debates. I would responsibility. Just like the flame of also like to thank all of our media resistance, you must ensure that the partners who have been closely flame of the heroes of 1944 is never involved in this two-day programme. extinguished. We wanted to make progress towards Collaboration at the heart peace, following in the footsteps of great Normans who were driven by of Normandy for Peace questions of democracy