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PAST EVENTS
Date: 4 May 2022
Time: 15:30 – 17:00 (CET)
Location: Online
The digital footprint of conflicts and crises
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes great use of the digital media environment to shape public opinion and channel support for Ukraine in Europe and beyond.
At the same time, the ongoing war in Ukraine is raising questions about the use of the digital sphere by other actors in times of conflict, e.g. regarding online content moderation by digital platforms, the role of echo chambers, or the mobilisation of citizens on- and offline. This roundtable will discuss the role of digital technology and online communication in recent conflicts and crises.
Previous armed conflicts took place in a highly centralised and largely homogenous media ecosystem, but many recent conflicts see increased use of digitalisation and online communication as a “game changer”. The abundance and immediacy of digital information on the conflict in Ukraine in 2022 builds on this trend: while online news websites and apps facilitate the spread of important updates on the conflict, more diverse and conflicting narratives across continents and language barriers emerge. Can new ways of gathering, analysing and sharing real-time data and open-source digital information help us to better distinguish fact and fiction? Here, social media platforms are once again key gatekeepers as recommendation algorithms and personalised newsfeeds get more sophisticated, creating echo chambers, while also controlling which information goes online. With more advanced technology to create deepfakes and to widely spread disinformation and fake news, technology companies are criticised for lack of transparency in content moderation and not upholding their responsibilities, both in Ukraine and other crises worldwide. Placing the debates on platform responsibility, online journalism and digital innovation in the context of conflicts and crises more broadly, what implications must be drawn for digital policy in Europe and beyond?
Bringing together five experts from each continent, we will explore the challenges raised by recent conflicts and crises by digital technologies and infrastructures and hear how experts and Young Thinkers would respond.
• Keynote speaker: Valeriya Ionan – Deputy Minister for Eurointegration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
• Alexandria Williams – Journalist at Deutsche Welle
• Pedro Maia – PhD student at the Department of International Relations/Political Science at the Graduate Institute and Research Assistant at the SNSF BSJR project “Infrastructuring Democracy: the regulatory politics of digital code, content and circulation”
• Wai Phyo Myint – Asia Pacific Policy Analyst at Access Now
Applications are closed for this event. Look out for more information soon on how to apply to take part in our next event in the series.
Date: 24 March 2022
Time: 14:00 – 15:30 (CET)
Location: Online
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: GLOBAL RESPONSES TO HYBRID THREATS AND LESSONS FROM UKRAINE
State and non-state actors alike increasingly resort to more subtle means below the threshold of traditional conflict to undermine security. Malign actors use refugees as weapons, withhold natural resources (water, energy, etc.), conduct cyberattacks against key infrastructure, and smuggle drugs and small weapons. Also causing significant instability is their secret funding of mercenary military companies, engagement in economic coercion, and spread of disinformation. Part of this hybrid threat toolkit is financing corruption to undermine public confidence in decision-makers, funding and harbouring terrorists, and stretching the rules of international law to the limit.
These challenges are global in nature and require a more joined-up approach to mitigate their effects. How do these challenges affect various parts of the world? How are they addressed? How can states improve their collective response to hybrid threats?
To bring more young voices to the heart of high-level policy debates, this “Over to Youth” webinar is dedicated to multilateral responses to hybrid threats. The event will bring together thought leaders, policy makers and scholars from across the globe with CEPS Young Thinkers.
Applications are closed for this event. Look out for more information soon on how to apply to take part in our next event in the series.
Date: 28 Feb 2022
Time: 14:30 – 16:00 (CET)
Location: Online
Bridging the gap: what role should civil society play in supporting refugees and migrants?
According to the latest United Nations data, there are 280 million migrants and 80 million refugees in the world. Over the next few years, this figure will grow for several reasons, including population growth, increasing connectivity, trade, rising inequality, demographic imbalances and climate change. In order to ensure better international cooperation and support for refugees and communities, in 2018 the United Nations adopted the two Global Compacts on Refugees and on Migration.
Both Global Compacts emphasise the importance of civil society to ensure their effective implementation. This raises some crucial challenges and opportunities: how can civil society actors ensure states’ accountability? How can we ensure that refugee- and migrant-led organisations have a seat at the table? Which risks is civil society facing, and how can we grant proper protection to activists? And which responsibilities should be left to national governments and where do we need a more incisive presence of civil society actors instead?
To bring more young voices to the heart of high-level policy debates, the CEPS Young Thinkers Initiative launches its new series “Over to Youth” with this webinar dedicated to the protection of refugees and migrants. The event will bring together world famous activists, policy makers and experts from across the globe with CEPS young thinkers to discuss the role of civil society in upholding the rights of refugees and other migrants around the globe
With the support of 
- Tahmina Salik, Refugees’ rights expert and Women rights activist
- André Leitão, Founder, Compassiva
- Alphonse Munyaneza, Senior Regional Community Service Officer Southern Africa, UNHCR
- Sosé Mayilyan, PhD Researcher at Dublin City University
- Keire Murphy, Junior Associate at Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
- Sarah Gerwens, PhD Student at LSE
- Isaac Opoku, Student at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Founder of Starlight Foundation
- Mihail Murgashanski, Legal assistant at North Madecodnia State Office of Industrial Property
- Elana Wong, Global Focal Point, Migration Youth and Children Platform, Major Group for Children and Youth
- Fariba Pajooh, Journalist and Graduate Teaching Assistant at Wayne State University
- Lina Vosyliūtė (Moderator), Research Fellow at Justice and Home Affairs Unit, CEPS
Applications are closed for this event. Look out for more information soon on how to apply to take part in our next event in the series.
Date: 27 Jan 2022
Time: 15:30 – 17:00 (CET)
Location: Online
COP26: Did Glasgow miss the bullseye?
As the first five-year cycle of the emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement came to an end, the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow brought parties together to take stock on the progress achieved and to update collective commitments to combat climate change. After difficult negotiations and last-minute objections, COP26 concluded with a deal that agreed rules on the international trading of carbon emission allowances and for the first time, targets fossil fuels as the main driver of climate change. Yet, the negotiations failed to reach an agreement on the phasing out of coal, and instead they could only reach a comprise on a phase-down approach.
With extended talks and tough negotiations, COP26 once again highlighted the hurdles of agreeing collective actions against climate change and unsurprisingly, divided opinion as to its success. Put bluntly by world-famous climate activist, Greta Thunberg summarised the results of COP26 as nothing more than “blah blah blah”. But was there more substance to the agreements than this?
To bring more young voices to the heart of high-level policy debates, the CEPS Young Thinkers Initiative launches its new series “Over to Youth” with this webinar dedicated to climate policy. The event will bring together world famous climate activists, policy makers and experts from across the globe with CEPS young thinkers to discuss the results and implications of COP26.
Keynote speech:
- Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, Founder, Fridays for Future Uganda
Followed by a roundtable with young thinkers and invited speakers:
- Paloma Costa, Member, United Nations Secretary-General Youth Advisory Group on Climate change
- Jules Kortenhorst, Chief Executive Officer, RMI and founding CEO of the European Climate Foundation
- Mihir Swarup Sharma, Director Centre for Economy and Growth Programme, Observer Research Foundation
- Tinatin Akhvlediani (moderator), Research Fellow, CEPS
More speakers to be confirmed.
Applications are closed for this event. Look out for more information soon on how to apply to take part in our next event in the series!
With the support of:
Open Society Foundations
United States Department of State