Riding Out the Multicrisis: AFD Group A Partner of the Paris Peace Forum 2022

The Paris Peace Forum is where Heads of State and international organizations work with civil society and the private sector to build new forms of collective action to better manage global public goods, especially in a post-Covid world.

The fifth edition of the Paris Peace Forum will be focusing on ways to ride out the multicrisis and prevent an escalation of global polarization, which would jeopardize international cooperation efforts on issues of major importance. Six main themes will be addressed:

• Managing the fallout of the multicrisis on populations
• Cooperating through conflicts
• Rethinking globalization in a polarized world
• Catalyzing climate and environmental solutions
• Ensuring a safer and ethical digital world 
• Fostering more inclusive and just societies.

AFD Group will be present throughout the event, where it will be presenting the SHABAKE project, a flagship program of the MINKA Middle East Initiative, implemented by Expertise France, which aims to strengthen and support the capacities of Lebanese NGOs. Come and meet the project initiators and partners who will be on the stand during the two days.

AFD Group will also be taking the floor during high-level panel discussions:

Friday 11 November from 14:15 to 15:00

• Geneva, do you copy? How to better protect civilians in 21st century conflicts

Civilians still represent the vast majority of victims in conflicts despite existing normative frameworks that are not always implemented on the round. Moreover, new risks inherent to our modern societies accentuate the fragility of the most vulnerable populations, highlighting the crying need for a better collective response and reinforced coordination. This session will question the existing gap between regulatory frameworks and reality on the ground. It will then explore how multilateral and non-state actors are mobilizing, cooperating and proposing often innovative solutions to protect civilians and strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations in crisis prevention and response.



Speakers:

• Hila-Nawa ALAM, Director of Humanitarian Relief, Uplift Afghanistan Fund
• Zurab ELZAROV, Chief of Learning, Leadership and Management Development Section, United Nations Secretariat
• Bogdan IVANEL, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Commit Global
• Malake EL TURK, Programmes Director, Peace, Stability, Security Department, Expertise France, AFD Group
• Matt REED, Chief Executive Officer and Global Director of Institutional Partnerships, Aga Khan Foundation (United Kingdom)
• Philippe STOLL, Senior Techplomacy Delegate, International Committee of the Red Cross

Friday 11 November from 18:15 to 19:00

• Present & Future: Mitigating the fallout of the multicrisis on populations while building long-term solutions?

It’s been a sobering year across the globe with the still on-going Covid-19 pandemic, the increasingly devastating effects of climate change and systemic inequalities in resources worldwide, all exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The fallout from this war in an atmosphere of already tense geopolitical crises is contributing to increasing food and energy insecurity, soaring inflation, subsequent socio-economic crises and high debt, placing additional burdens on the most vulnerable populations. According to the UN, an estimated 1.6 billion people are exposed to at least one dimension of the multicrisis. International emergency responses only provide temporary relief and are insufficient if we are to achieve the world with “no one left behind” defined by the SDGs. This session will explore ways to mobilize around a broader recovery agenda and multilateral and sustainable solutions to reduce the crisis impact on populations’ lives and livelihoods.



Speakers:

• Klaus IOHANNIS, President, Romania
• Gilbert HOUNGBO, Director-General, International Labour Organization
• Muhammad Sulaiman AL-JASSER, Chairman, Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) 
• Rémy RIOUX, Chief Executive Officer, AFD Group and Chairman of Finance in Common executive committee
• Daniela SCHWARZER, Executive Director, Open Society Foundations 

Moderator:

• Rym MOMTAZ, Consultant Research Fellow for European Forein Policy and Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies
  
   

Saturday 12 November from 11:30 to 12:30

• Changing aid architecture in a world of crises

Today, more than one third of global Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to countries in conflict or fragile situations, where humanitarian needs keep rising (306 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and 36 countries experiencing protracted crisis). Recognizing the importance that geopolitical and security issues have in the 21st-century aid architecture, this roundtable seeks to foster a constructive dialogue about current challenges and promising solutions. Gathering both beneficiaries and donors, discussions will focus on two themes: 

1. The changing profile of crises as multidimensional and subjected to the impacts of climate change as a risk multiplier;

2. The need for diversified, flexible and localized financial support mechanisms calling for adapted partnerships with beneficiaries.



Speakers 

• Franck BOUSQUET, Deputy Director, International Monetary Fund  
• Alia NAZAR-FARHAT, Deputy Director of Al Majmoua and Steering Committee member of the Lebanon Humanitarian and Development Forum of Local NGOs (LHDF) – Beneficiary of the Shabaké program presented at the PPF
• Eric PELOFSKY, Deputy Chief of Staff, Rockefeller Foundation  
• Papa Amadou SARR, Executive Director, Mobilisation, Partnerships and Communication, AFD

More information

Saturday 12 November from 15:30 to 16:15

• Launching a Feminist Pledge for International Investment

The private sector is a key player to mobilize all stakeholders for inclusive investments that bring a positive impact, not only for businesses but also for the planet and next generations. The Paris Peace Forum is therefore preparing a pledge aimed at increasing the number of companies putting gender equality at the core of their investment strategies. Those companies are fully involved in mobilizing capital in support of economic opportunities for women. They are also promoting female leadership in governance and successfully taking into account gender equality as an ESG criterion. This panel  will highlight financial institutions deploying new standards for gender-lens investment with values that reflect their consciousness of global challenges and better preparing for risks that lie ahead.

Speakers:

• Cristina CATANIA, Senior Partner, Asset & Wealth Management, Corporate Finance & Strategy, ESG & Sustainability..., McKinsey & Company
• Chiara CORAZZA, Private Sector Representative for France within the G20 EMPOWER and Member of the G7 Gender E
• Anne DE SOUCY, Head of Partnerships Department, AFD
• Malado KABA, Director, Department of Gender, Women and Civil Society, African Development Bank
• Lyric THOMPSON, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)