NATO Secretary General to host NATO 2030 Youth Summit

Organised in cooperation with the Munich Security Conference, the NATO 2030 Youth Summit aims to bring together 18-35 year-old citizens from NATO Allied and partner countries for an online conversation with Mr. Stoltenberg and a series of interactive debates focused on keeping NATO strong militarily, making it stronger politically and taking a more global approach.

During the event, the Secretary General will announce the establishment of the NATO 2030 Young Leaders Group, a group of 14 emerging leaders from across the Alliance who will provide him with input to inform his recommendations for NATO 2030.

The NATO 2030 Youth Summit is part of NATO 2030, the Secretary General’s initiative to make sure the Alliance remains ready to face tomorrow’s challenges, and keep its citizens safe in the next decade and beyond.

While full participation in the event is limited to invited guests, the Youth Summit will be streamed live at https://www.nato.int/NATO2030YouthSummit/. No registration is necessary.

Draft Agenda:

(all times are Central European Time)

15:30– Scene-setting with moderator Laura Shields and introductory video #NATO2030

15:45 – Opening statement by the NATO Secretary General – The Transatlantic Alliance in 2030

15.55 - Introducing the NATO 2030 Young Leaders

16:00 – 16:20 – #NATO2030 – Current leaders ask, future leaders respond

With the participation of:

• Angela Merkel - Federal Chancellor or Germany
• Boris Johnson - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Justin Trudeau - Prime Minister of Canada
• Mark Rutte - Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• Kersti Kaljulaid - President of Estonia
• Pedro Sánchez - President of the Government of Spain.
• Zuzana Čaputová - President of the Slovak Republic

16:20 – 16:40 – Setting the Scene: The World in 2030 (Scenario-building exercise with Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, New York City)

Session I - #NATO2030 – A strong military Alliance

16:45 – 17:15 – Parallel sessions:

Keeping P(e)ace? Contributing to Stability Beyond NATO’s Borders

This Digital Conversation will explore the wide spectrum of NATO’s activities to support stabilisation in an unstable word, and how this field of NATO’s work should evolve towards 2030.

Bringing in a wide range of voices from the military, civil society and academia, a particular focus will be placed on the importance of local actors and civil-military cooperation for securing local ownership, legitimacy and durability of stabilisation processes.

With the participation of:

• Tawakkol Karman - Chairwoman, Women Journalists Without Chains; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2011, Sana’a
• Frances Z. Brown - Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC
• Major-General Jennie Carignan - Commander, NATO Mission Iraq, Baghdad
• Mariam Safi, Founder and Director of the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS), Kabul
• Moderator: Courtney Kube - Correspondent, NBC News, New York City.

Ready for the Future? How to Defend NATO in 2030

This Digital Fishbowl Discussion will shed light on future threats for NATO and its allies, what steps need to be taken to deter and defend against them, and the resulting priorities of NATO in terms of military adaptation and coordination.

With the participation of:

• Michael R. Pompeo - Secretary of State, United States of America
• Bastian Giegerich - Director of Defense and Military Analysis, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London
• Commander Helena Linder-Jeß - Deputy Naval Attachée, German Embassy to the US, Washington, DC
• Rachel Rizzo - Director of Programs, Truman National Security Project, Washington, DC
• Moderator: Lauren Speranza - Director of Transatlantic Defense and Security, Center for European Policy Analysis, Washington, DC.

Prepared to Respond? NATO and Disruptive Technologies

This Digital Conversation will highlight how disruptive technologies shape the battlefield of tomorrow and how NATO needs to respond. The session will highlight the importance of securing NATO’s technological edge and challenge participants to think about NATO’s role in technological innovation in the security domain.

With the participation of:

• Colonel Jaak Tarien - Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, Tallinn
• Sally Shipman Wentworth - Senior Vice President, Internet Society, Reston
• Chelsey Slack - Deputy Head, Cyber Security Section, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels
• Moderator: Andrea Gilli - Senior Researcher, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Defense College, Rome.

17:15 – #NATO2030 Video Contest: Presentation and Announcement of Winners

 

Session II – #NATO2030 – A stronger political Alliance

17:25 – 17:55 – Parallel sessions

Under (Arms) Control: The Future of Strategic Stability in the Euro-Atlantic Region

This Fishbowl Discussion will focus on the role of nuclear weapons for NATO’s deterrence and the Alliance’s efforts in enhancing arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

With the participation of:

• Ben Wallace - Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom
• Jessica Cox - Director of Nuclear Policy, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels
• Pia Fuhrhop - Head of the Berlin Office, Institute for Peace and Security Policy, University of Hamburg, Berlin
• Heather Williams - Lecturer, King’s College London, London
• Moderator: Kevin Baron - Executive Editor, Defense One, Washington, DC.

Heating Up: Climate Change and Global Security

This Digital Conversation will explore the link between climate change and security and will discuss how NATO and NATO Allies should adapt to and contribute to mitigating an ever-changing climate. Bringing in voices from politics, the military and civil society, various aspects will be explored: the implications of climate change for human and international security, as well as for NATO’s missions and operations; and, building on that, the ways how NATO and its Allies can adapt to and help to reduce the impact of climate change.

With the participation of:

• Harjit Singh Sajjan - Minister of National Defence, Canada
• Tom Middendorp - General, Chairman, International Military Council on Climate and Security, The Hague
• Luisa Neubauer - Climate Activist, Fridays for Future, Berlin
• Moderator: Janani Vivekananda - Head of Programme, Climate Diplomacy and Security, adelphi, Berlin.

Tricking the Trolls: A Look at the Digital Future  

In a set of Policy Pitches, experts will analyse the increasing risk from disinformation and what NATO can do to respond. The discussion will review how security risks from disinformation have intensified and addresses the challenge of defending against it, as well as the importance of keeping the internet and media open and free.

With the participation of:

• Dhruv Ghulati - Founder, Factmata, London
• Benjamin Strick - Journalist, BBC Africa Eye, London
• Amy Trillard - Strategic Communications Policy and Plans Officer, Public Diplomacy Division, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels
• Moderator: Graham Brookie - Director, Digital Forensic Research Lab, Atlantic Council, Washington, DC.

Session III - #NATO2030 – A more global Alliance

18:00 – 18:30 – Parallel sessions

A (Strategic) Balancing Act: NATO in an Era of Great Power Competition (Digital fishbowl discussion)

As the rules-based multilateral order is increasingly challenged, this Digital Conversation discusses how NATO can contribute to strengthening it. A particular focus will be placed on NATO’s partners: their expectations for the Alliance, and, most crucially, their views on how NATO can best work together with its partners to defend and strengthen the international order – today and looking towards 2030.

With the participation of:

• Alice Ekman - Senior Analyst, European Union Institute for Security Studies, Brussels
• Amrita Narlikar - President, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg
• Joshua Walker - President, Japan Society, New York City
• Moderator: Shashank Joshi - Defence Editor, The Economist, London.

Of Black Swans & Grey Rhinos: Enhancing NATO’s Resilience to Future Crises

In a set of Policy Pitches, experts will highlight potential future crises and ways in which NATO can prepare for them, especially by strengthening its strategic foresight capabilities.

With the participation of:

• Filippa Lentzos - Senior Research Fellow, King's College London, London
• Peter W. Singer - Strategist and Senior Fellow, New America, Washington, DC
• Jennifer M. Harris - Senior Fellow, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, New York
• David Patrikarakos - Journalist & Author, London
• Moderator: Jack Parrock - Freelance Journalist, Brussels.

Partnering for Peace: NATO’s Role in the Rules-Based Multilateral Order

This Digital Conversation will address the changes in the geopolitical landscape and the resulting implications for the Alliance – today and in future. It will seek to explore the geostrategic implications of these trends towards 2030 and the ways the transatlantic Alliance and can and should respond to them.

With the participation of:

• Ketevan Chumbadze - Deputy Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Georgia
• Annelie Gregor - Political Advisor, Minister for Defence, Kingdom of Sweden
• Malcolm Jorgensen - Research Fellow and Lecturer, Leuphana University, Luneburg
• Moderator: Alexandra Martin - Head of Brussels Office, GLOBSEC, Brussels.

18:30 – Closing session with Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference.

Use #NATO2030 to follow and engage in the conversation on the social media.

Photos and video from the event, as well as a transcript of the Secretary General’s opening remarks, will be available on the NATO website.

Follow us on Twitter (@jensstoltenberg, @NATO and @NATOPress).