On the picture President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Emir of Qatar, Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister of Qataré.
Sunday, 11 November 2018, Paris, French Republic: French President Emmanuel Macron opened the inaugural Paris Peace Forum, which seeks to promote a multilateral approach to security and governance that avoids the errors that led to the Great War’s (WWI) outbreak.
Attending global leaders included US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdoğan, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, HH The Aga Khan IV, HH The Emir of Qatar accompanied by his Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the premiers of Canada Justin Trudeau, of Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who spoke highly of UN institutions that seek multilateral solutions to global issues.
The Paris Peace Forum was initiated at the initiative of French President Macron to revive collective governance, international cooperation, norms and institutions at a time when global challenges have never been so pressing.
Conceived as an annual gathering of all actors of global governance, from states and international organisations to civil society, it features projects and initiatives meant at improving global governance in five key domains: peace and security, environment, development, new technologies and inclusive economy.
The first edition of the Forum was inaugurated this past weekend as dozens of heads of state and government were invited to commemorate the fragile peace that followed the First World War, wherein all in all, the world failed to defend common rules and international cooperation.
According to the forum’s website, The Paris Peace Forum shall be a new annual event based on a simple idea: international cooperation as a key to tackling global challenges and ensuring durable peace. To support collective action, it gathers all actors of global governance under one roof for three days – states, international organisations, local governments, NGOs and foundations, companies, experts, journalists, trade unions, religious groups and citizens.
The Forum is centred on those who seek to develop solutions for today’s cross-border challenges. It is focused on their 120 governance projects and initiatives from around the world, selected from 850 applications, presented in five villages: peace and security, environment, development, new technologies and inclusive economy.
It offers these projects visibility, feedback and connections to potential implementers. Ten projects will also be elected by participants and the Selection Committee of the Forum to benefit from special support by the Paris Peace Forum until the second edition in November 2019.
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Images by Paris Peace Forum