Shivan Fazil, the UK Justice for Kurds Student Ambassador was invited to participate in the first edition of the Middle East Mediterranean (MEM) summer summit, between August 16 – 24th, 2018 at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland. The week-long programme consisting on plenaries and seminars led to a two-day forum on 25-26th August where he featured on the panel “The Art of Foreign Policy Advising” alongside Philippe Étienne, foreign policy advisor to the President of France, Pascale Beriswyl, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Kamel Akrout, national security advisor to the President of Tunisia. The panel was moderated by Gilles Kepel, Professor of the PLS Paris Sciences et Letters-École Normale Supérieure.
Among other topics, the panel discussed the challenges facing the MEM region and the implications of instability in the region, particularly as it regards to the European region, and in private discussion. Mr. Etienne emphasized France’s close diplomatic ties with the Kurdistan Region as well as their role in ending the diplomatic blockade against the KRG following the September 25th, 2017 independence referendum.
(Photo caption: Shivan Fazil, UK JfK Student Ambassador with Philippe Etienne, diplomatic advisory to President Emmanuel Macron.)
The Middle East Mediterranean (MEM) summer summit is a ten-day program, consisting of a series of seminars and workshops, and a two-day forum, brining policy- and decision makers, business men and women, entrepreneurs and young change makers from the Middle East, Mediterranean, European, and North African countries. The first edition of MEM brought together 150 young leaders from 30 countries with the will and potential to work for the betterment of the MEM region, to develop a vision based on dialogue and a shared educational and cultural experiences. Proposals formulated by the youth participants during the seminar informed discussions with major policymakers in the international political, economic and diplomatic arenas during the two-day forum that concluded the summit.
More info on the summer summit (16-24th of August) https://www.mem-summersummit.
More info on the two-day forum (25-26th of August) https://www.mem-summersummit.