GYLF 2024 Agenda

8:30 – 10:45

Radio Free Europe Visit and Debate

Venue: Radio Free Europe, Vinohradská 159a, Prague 10

8:30 – 09:00

Security Check

09:00 – 09:40

Tour of the Radio Free Europe Premises

09:40 – 10:45

Discussion: In the eye of the Storm: Can Media Still Defend Democracy?

Media freedom today is facing significant challenges globally, with varying levels of restriction depending on the region. In many countries, especially those with autocratic leadership, governments are increasingly tightening control over the press through censorship, legal harassment, and the use of surveillance to intimidate journalists. In democratic countries, while press freedom remains stronger, there are growing concerns about the impact of disinformation, the concentration of media ownership, and political polarization on the ability of the press to function freely. Social media platforms are both a tool for spreading independent journalism and a battleground for misinformation and hate speech, further complicating the landscape of media freedom.

• What role can independent media and journalists still play in defending democracy, at home and from abroad?
• What ‘fair play’ tools are still available to media in the face of legal, narrative and financial pressures from the ‘alternative’ and state-sponsored media outlets?
• What role can societies play in supporting independent journalism?

Speakers:

• Jereemy Bransten Director, Europe
• Kambiz Fattahi Persian Service Director
• Natia Zambakhidze Director, Georgian Service Director

14:05 – 14:50

GYLF Chat: Shifting Sands: Can Democracies Ever Outrun Disinformation?

Venue: Palmovka 3, Hotel Hilton Prague

The spread of disinformation has posed a significant threat to democracy and stability of societies across the world for well over a decade. The saturation of false or misleading information erodes public trust in democratic institutions and processes, leading to increased cynicism and disengagement from civic life. Most recently, we are seeing a surge across formerly democratic societies of politicians in power using disinformation in an attempt to control the narrative, undermine opponents, or sow discord both domestically and internationally. Over two years into the war in Ukraine, with tensions in the Middle East rising close to a boiling point and the US presidential elections just around the corner, the role disinformation continues to play becomes impossible to ignore.

• What new and dangerous disinformation trends, including the rising power of AI, do we need to pay attention to the most and why?
• How can we tackle disinformation effectively >when the governments themselves are the sources of falsehood and manipulation that surpasses fair political play?
• What tools and strategies do public figures and civil societies still have at their disposal to keep pace, if not outrun, disinformation and thus protect democracy?

Speakers:

• Nataša Pirc Musar President of the Republic of Slovenia
• Kathleen Koch Author, Journalist and Founder, LeadersLink

17:45 – 18:15

GYLF Chat: Shifting Sands: Can Democracies Ever Outrun Disinformation?

Venue: Palmovka 4, Hotel Hilton Prague

AI is increasingly viewed as a cornerstone for achieving European strategic autonomy across various domains including economic competitiveness, cybersecurity and innovation. By investing in AI, the EU strives to reduce dependency on external powers, particularly in critical technologies and digital infrastructure. Furthermore, the EU’s focus on ethical AI, rooted in European values such as privacy and human rights, seeks to position Europe as a global leader in responsible AI governance. This approach not only strengthens the EU’s internal resilience but also enables it to shape international norms and standards in technology.

• How can the EU fully capitalise on AI‘s potential to be a strategic asset underpinning EU’s broader goals of sovereignty, security, and global influence?
• What political, legal and technological obstacles is the EU facing vis-à-vis other global players, potential challengers and partners alike?
• How can the EU protect itself from the misuse of AI, especially when it comes to eroding its democracies?

Speakers:

• Nanna Louis Wildfang Linde Vice President, European Government Affairs, Microsoft
• Mainak Ghosh Head of Blockchain Strategy, Ironlight

19:30 – 21:30

GLOBSEC Young Leaders Forum Cocktail

Venue: Cloud 9, Hotel Hilton Prague

08:45 – 09:45

GYLF Discussion: Trapped Between East and West: The Future of Georgian Sovereignty

Venue: Karlín 3, Hotel Hilton Prague

As of 2024, Georgia remains a complex geopolitical hotspot. Domestically, the country faces political polarization and economic challenges, which are exacerbated by corruption and the slow pace of reforms. Externally, Georgia’s relationship with Russia continues to be tense, and the progress of deepening ties with the European Union and NATO remains slow. The situation in Georgia is thus marked by a delicate balance between aspirations for Western integration and the realities of Russian influence and internal challenges. In addition, it also acts as a bellwether for broader regional dynamics, influencing Central Asia’s security environment, economic connectivity, and geopolitical calculations.

• What role can EU play in alleviating both the internal and external pressures that Georgia is facing on the path towards EU integration?
• How can NATO continue to support Georgia as a critical partner against Russian and Chinese influence in the post-Soviet space?
• How will Georgia’s progress or setbacks influence the foreign policy decisions of Central Asian governments?

Speakers:

• Ia Meurmishvili Chief International Correspondent, The Cipher Brief
• Andres Ilves Director, Caucasus and Near East at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Led by:

• Ani Tsintsadze Non-Resident Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

10:00 – 11:15

GYLF Session: Technology and Cybersecurity in IR: How to Engage With Technical Topics From a Policy Standpoint

Venue: Karlín 1, Hotel Hilton Prague

This session will explore how cybersecurity and technology intersect with broader global security discourses. Participants will gain insights on how these topics are addressed by different countries around the globe, as well as delve into the burgeoning rise of policy perspectives and non-technical research on the issue – the value of his growing body of work, the significance of policy perspectives, and what the cyber policy ecosystem looks like. The session will open with remarks from Anushka Kaushik, Senior Research Fellow & Cyber Lead at GLOBSEC, followed by moderated discussion with Liisa Past, Former National Cyber Director of Estonia. In the second half of the session, selected GLOBSEC Young Leaders Forum participants will reflect on engaging with cybersecurity from different perspectives of various stakeholders. The session will conclude with an open Q&A

11:30 – 12:30

GYLF Discussion: Beyond the Battlefields: Building Global Partnerships for Global Crises

Venue: Karlín 4, Hotel Hilton Prague

From short-sighted, crisis-oriented solutions to inconsistent engagement, and from conditionality and superiority to neglecting local voices and variations, there is a lot that the West gets wrong when it comes to engaging with the global South. An aspect particularly worth emphasizing is the overly security-centric approach – much as counterterrorism measures, military assistance and contingency planning remain of crucial importance across the Sahel region and South China Sea, a whole array of underlying socio-economic factors consistently gets neglected. Incidentally, those factors pertaining to good governance, education, economic independence, technology and human capital, are often the most relevant and even in need of addressing in the North Atlantic sphere, lest the West risks falling yet another step behind its global foes.

• How can Europe best leverage the economic and innovative potential of its African partners in a way that allows for long-term capacity building and sustainable solutions on both sides of the Mediterranean?
• How can lessons learned on EU and NATO’s Eastern and Southern borders better help the North Atlantic community to engage with democratic actors and civil societies in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia to increase global security?
• How can we build international partnerships with countries most affected by climate change, allowing for forward-thinking solutions in building global resilience to environmental crises and disasters?

Speakers :

• Dino Patti Djalal Founder & Chairman, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia
• Simon Birmingham Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs & Senator of Australia 
• Obiageli “Oby” EzekwesiliPresident, Human Capital Africa & Senior Economic Adviser, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative
• Dr Susanne Conrad Policy Advisor for Rule of Law and Security in Sub-Saharan Africa at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Led by:

• Maithreyi Seetharaman Founder & CEO, Facultas Media Limited, London

13:30 – 14:30

GYLF Discussion: Navigating Dangerous Waters: The Mediterranean Piece of the Global Puzzle

Venue: Karlín 2, Hotel Hilton Prague

The situation in the Mediterranean continues to be marked by a mix of challenges and opportunities, deeply affecting its relationship with Europe and the world. From migration and security issues including the ongoing migration crisis, war in Ukraine and the escalating tensions in the Middle East, to economic and environmental concerns, exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the region’s stability remains volatile, and by extension, so does the stability of NATO and the EU.

• Will the adoption of the EU’s pact on Migration and Asylum finally lead to a truly holistic, effective, and humanitarian approach to migration on the ground?
• How can the EU capitalise on the economic potential of the region, including cooperation in trade and energy, adressing the disparities between North and South in the process?
• How can the EU and NATO effectively engage with the Southern Neighbourhood by 2030, particularly as malign influences on the African continent continue to take hold?

Speakers :

• Dr Ana Isabel Xavier Secretary of at the Ministry of National Defence of Portuguese Republic
• Maha Yahya Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Led by:

• Maria Luísa Moreira Founder & CEO, The Gender Diplomat

14:30 – 15:15

GYLF Discussion: Black Holes and Blind Spots of Global Security

Venue: Karlín 2, Hotel Hilton Prague

The ongoing war in Ukraine has pulled most of the focus of the Western leadership over the last few years, challenged perhaps only by the rising tensions in the Middle East. Beyond NATO’s Northern and Eastern Flank, however, the power dynamics in NATO’s Southern Neighborhood, the Sahel Region and even Southeast Asia continue to be inseparably tied to the conflict, enabling for a rise and fall of partners and rivals of the West in a bid to redefine the global security architecture. The number of seemingly regional conflicts with significant humanitarian and economic, as well as political and security implications has also been on the rise, calling for a helicopter view as well as a complex response.

• What are the key new security realities that the West needs to face to be able to counter the challenges to the status quo in the era of global instability?
• How can NATO best adapt to the current multi-theatre security landscape while maintaining strategic coherence within the alliance and among its partners, including the EU?
• How can the EU best leverage its security capabilities, particularly in cyber and hybrid warfare, in conjunction with the power of its trade policies to shape global security developments

Speakers:

• Alexander Stubb President of the Republic of Finland 

Led by:

• Henri Vanhanen Advisor, Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries

15:15 – 16:15

GYLF Discussion: European Strategic Autonomy: From Regression to Renaissance?

Venue: Palmovka 2, Hilton Hotel Prague

The capacity of the EU to act autonomously in strategically important policy areas has been a subject of EU policymakers and analysts alike for over a decade. The concept of European strategic autonomy has moved from focusing predominantly on matters of security and defense, through Europe’s role in a hostile geopolitical environment (especially in the context of Brexit, Trump’s presidency and the changing role of China in global affairs) to trade and economic matters such as the global supply chains, enhanced especially by the Covid19 pandemic. In the most recent years, the concept has both come to encompass all EU policy areas, while also morphing into other concepts including strategic sovereignty and resilience.

• What constitutes the crux of EU’s strategic autonomy currently and what aspects might accelerate or on the other hand mitigate the phenomenon?
• What are the implications of the EU asserting its sovereignty on other global powers and partners, first and foremost on the transatlantic partnership?
• What is the most important role EU needs to play on the global stage and how can it leverage it’s unique capabilities to do so?

Speakers:

• Nathalie Loiseau Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
• Fritz Rademacher Professor of International and Security Studies, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

Led by:

• Luka Ignac Assistant Director, Atlantic Council

GLOBSEC Cocktail

Venue: Žofín Palace

08:20 – 09:00

GYLF Chat: In the Shadow of Conflict: What Lessons Can Europe Learn from Taiwan?l

Venue: Palmovka 2, Hilton Hotel Prague

The invasion of Ukraine raised concerns in Taiwan due to a striking similarity between Ukraine’s position and Taiwan’s own relationship with China, from a strategic, military as well as geopolitical viewpoint. The world was watching Taiwan, as the next potential case of an escalated tension between a democratic country and a global power contender, and Taiwan was watching the international community’s economic as well as military and diplomatic response that might apply to its own case too. Amid the tensions, however, Taiwan’s digital resilience, economic innovation, and democratic governance fades into the background instead of taking center stage that Europe can learn from to enhance its own strategies for increasing both internal resilience and global competitiveness.

How can Europe adopt Taiwan’s digital strategies, including public-private partnerships and civic tech initiatives to enhance its cyber security and protect democratic processes?

What lessons from Taiwan can help Europe’s efforts to boost its own tech industries, foster a vibrant tech ecosystem and invest in research and development?

How can Europe leverage its potential to face its internal challenges to democracy and civic societies, as well as geopolitical challenges such as building global partnerships and navigating relationships with Russia and China?

Speakers :

• Joseph Wu Secretary General, National Security Council (Taiwan)

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09:00 – 10:00

GYLF Closing Discussion: Reporting in the Era of Global
Conflict – The Evolving Role of Journalism

Venue: Palmovka 2, Hilton Hotel Prague

Journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public understanding and policy decisions, domestically and internationally, especially in conflict zones. Journalists themselves carry immense responsibility and face ethical and professional dilemmas daily while facing physical and personal challenges and even threats, exacerbated by the onset of the digital age. In the era of disinformation and alternative truths, responsible and courageous reporting on the ground and at home appears more important than ever.

• How do journalists in highly dangerous, high stress situations and environments balance their ability to cover the conflict, maintain objectivity and protect their physical and mental health?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the digital, real-time shift in reporting, especially in terms of accuracy and the spread of misinformation, and how can journalists best adapt to the fast-evolving media landscape?
• How can journalists hold governments accountable and drive change, as well as balance the need to inform the public with the potential consequences of their reporting on domestic and international politics?

Speakers :

• Frank Gardner Security Editor, BBC
• Kathleen Koch Author, Journalist and Founder, LeadersLink
• Raymond Mujuni Head of current affairs at Nation Media Group – Uganda

Led by:

• Rikard Jozwiak Europe Editor, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty