Category: Estoril Conferences

EC 25th of October – Morning sessions

November 8, 2024November 8, 2024by Awareness NewsLeave a comment

Reading time: 10 minutes

The second day of the Conferences was dedicated mainly to the themes of environment and health, with opening remarks given by Helena Canhão, the Dean at Nova Medical School, who introduced the day highlighting the need of reshaping the essence of medical education: students need to be not only skilled but also open to diversity, compassionate and equipped with a leadership capacity. Furthermore, Helena brought up the relevant issue of longevity as a challenge and opportunity for future doctors, recognizing the urgency of this issue, which is currently being explored by the Nova Longevity Institute. This collaboration between Nova Medical School, Nova School of Business and Economics and Sir Richard Roberts is a pioneering center of research and implementation of measures for longevity accessible to all.

Fernando Alexandre, Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, also took part in this first segment, focusing the increasing complexity of the world and challenges it poses to democracies. As many shocks, such as epidemics, wars and climate change, have made the world progressively volatile, education and innovation have become instrumental pillars to foster trust in democracies and fight populist ideas, which simplify solutions for complex problems. Thus, to find the best suited policies and make informed decisions about a country’s future, everyone should be guaranteed equal opportunities to access education.

Innovation, as result of human capital and science investment, naturally leads to solutions for global problems.

Peace Talk

The first panel debate delved into the peace thematic, and was between former Presidents, Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania) and Elbegdorj Tsakhia (Mongolia), accompanied by former Prime Minister, Mehdi Jomaa (Tunisia), and moderated by Rebecca Abecassis, Editor, Expert, Author & Producer of European News Programs with RTP Portugal. The debate was centred around multilateralism and whether it could still be a powerful peace promoting tool.

Dalia Grybauskaite introduced the proposed theme tracing back to 2014, when she warned world leaders that Russia was a terrorist state with a dangerous President. After meeting with Putin in 2010, she realized that Lithuania could not depend on Russia for energy, as the latter was using it to make countries dependent on it for a future expansion. This prompted the ultimate decision for Lithuania to become energetically independent from Russia. Grybauskaite concluded her statement further inferring that negative leadership and dictatorship is growing and promoting its brutal power, mentioning that Putin has already presented himself as an “Informal leader of the World”. This argument was supported by Mongolia’s former President, who adds that change starts now:

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

As the debate progressed, Mehdi Jomaa advanced a different perspective, as he is not in the first line of fire of the discussed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Accordingly, society is leaving a world order (post WW2), in favour of arising disturbance and conflict, with injustice feeding the current global issues. He then mentions that Tunisia is a part of the Non-Aligned movement, so it has neutral position. But it is a part of the new global south: There is an emergence of new powers, the global south is an expression of the will to reorganize the world and be connected to what is happening but also the need for negotiation around the tables and not with weapons.

He further expanded on the conflict and political instability in Palestine, emphasizing that it should be given equivalent support as Ukraine but is not.

We are living a double standard. When it’s about global powers we show interest, but otherwise we don’t. Where is the UN and its Security Council? Palestinians have the right to be self-determined and peace needs to emerge through respect of international law.

The recent death of Hamas leaders is not enough, the support of the US and EU is crucial to assure Palestinians right to live and kick start peace talks. Medhi concludes by highlighting the need to work towards justice and the respect of international law.

The debate ends with Tsakhia’s last statement, noting that there is still a good global trend in a want for a better future, with more than 140 countries having voted for the Pact for the Future. He believes in a brighter and more prosperous future for the world.

Health & Longevity

The conferences then moved on to Health & Longevity, with a Nobel Talk given by Sir Richard Roberts, Chief Scientific Officer at New England Biolabs. The 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Laureate argued that bacteria are not always the villain, as it titles the speech “Why we should love bacteria”.

Sir Richard contextualizes the audience by stating that every human has 10 to 14 bacterial cells in their body keeping them alive: help with digestion and keep the skin in good condition, for instance. Despite its visible strengths, bacteria still have a bad name to them due to the perceived notion that these are at the root of most diseases.

“There is so much we don’t know about them and yet they are essential.”

The concept of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is then introduced, as more than 700 million people face hunger, and 60 million children’s growth is stunted because they do not have access to the proper nutrients and food. Thanks to the biotech revolution, scientists know how to breed plants in better ways, make them more nutrient dense.

However, Greenpeace has been advertising against GMOs without evidence of their danger, leading the European parliament to ban them. To reverse such decision 172 Nobel Laureates have supported an open letter to Greenpeace and every UN Ambassador urging an acknowledgement that GMO technology is safe and should be supported for the sake of the developing world, who desperately need improved yielding crops with added nutritional value.

Moreover, climate change is devastating life as we know it and greenhouse gas emissions are a major problem. Bioengineered crops can help the food supply, to mitigate climate change, by making crops consume more CO2 out of the atmosphere.

The next talk explores the theme of longevity, introduced in the beginning of morning, as the two guest speakers answer the question: Is the obsession with health turning ageing into a medical condition?

For the past decades, the growing aging population has been perceived as a burden, due to more need of assistance, which has led to the concepts of successful ageing versus bad ageing. Thus, people are turning common experiences of ageing into diseases and starting to diagnose too early, which is the issue tackled by speakers Alexandra Brandt Jonsson, medical anthropologist and associate professor of health and society at Roskilde University in Denmark, and John Brandt Brodersen, general practitioner and professor at the Centre of General Practice University of Copenhagen and the Research Unit for General Practice.

Overdiagnosis can have three types: Over-detection, over-definition and disease mongering, which regards the widening of diagnostic boundaries to expand treatment market. Moreover, experiencing a decrease in physical and cognitive abilities is seen as a danger, not part of the idea of “successful ageing”, contributing to an overdiagnosis of natural challenges that come along with age.

To further explore the matter and its impact on the environment, the guest speakers brought empirical data: 80% of carbon footprint of healthcare comes from clinical activity, with 60% of which being evidence-based care, 30% being of low value, and 10% being harmful care, directly aligned with overdiagnosis. By reducing the 40%, the carbon footprint can be reduced by 1/3, and resources allocation improves in efficiency. However, the growing tendency to progressively medicalize foments the need for macro action.

Planet Talks

The Planet Talks of the morning are introduced by Elizabeth Kite’s inspirational talk on what could be learnt from the world’s most vulnerable nations in order to lead better. Kite dedicated the talk to sharing her insights on how resilience and leadership in Tonga, the world’s third most vulnerable nation to natural disasters and rising sea levels, can guide society toward creating a more sustainable and inclusive future. This line of thought is further explored in the next talk, with guest speaker Rui Diogo, Multi-awarded researcher and writer, who debated how critical global issues can be addressed through the convergence of ancient wisdom and modern science.

Food systems and biodiversity are also focal points when addressing the climate and environmental sustainability. Professor Carlos Gonçalo das Neves and Meghan Sapp discuss how regenerative agriculture and practices are essential for a successful systemic transformation, in an insightful conversation moderated by Gabriela Ribeiro.

The former talks paved the way for the next panel debate about energy and climate change management, powered by EDP. Guest speakers Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive Director of UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), and Michael Liebreich, chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates and Co-Managing Partner of EcoPragma Capital, join moderator Vera Pinto Pereira, to address inclusive strategies to drive energy transitions in today’s world. The audience is given context on the shared goal of the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels, implying a net zero CO2 emissions globally by 2050, and Jorge Moreira da Silva opens the debate by arguing that the issue has trespassed climate, including now inequality and an overall sustainability crisis.

Both speakers agree that there is a need for generosity and solidarity, from developed countries, towards the countries who don’t have the means for an energetic transition.

The energy transition is about more than going green and the climate, it is about social impact.

Policies and investments play, thereby, a crucial role, however, these need to be backed by an actual capacity of implementation, especially in the less developed countries. It was also noted that innovation plays a vital role, even more so if it is present in all the intertwined sectors mentioned: not just science, but also political and financial. Engineers and scientists are essential, but would need the support of business professionals, to help scaling up and take the technologies forward, as well as that of politicians, to raise ambition and implement the policies needed to spread the technologies

The speakers did have diverging opinions in terms of optimism of reaching the 1.5ºC goal: Jorge Moreira da Silva takes an optimist stand, arguing that the developed countries can surely reach this goal but need to help the rest of the world to do so as well, whereas Liebreich was more pessimistic about the threshold being reached in time.

Policy Talk

Before the lunch break, the audience is presented a brief talk with Sarah Aswhin, head of department at LSE, and Francisco Veloso, dean at INSEAD, moderated by Graham Miller, about education’s role in the turbulent global landscape.

The past years have marked a substantially turbulent time for education, relating to challenges of sustainability, the emergence of AI, and an instable political climate. Historically, Universities have the delicate role of creating safe and respectful spaces that foster debate, experimentation, freedom of speech and access to facts while existing within a political framework.

Within this talk, speakers agree that it is crucial to create and uphold a space where students feel safe to express themselves and learn in whichever way adapts best to them which is still immensely complex to accomplish. There is still a lot of work to be done.

Closing Remarks

As this enriching morning comes to an end, the audience is reminded of the pivotal insights shared across the various domains, from health and longevity to peace and climate action. These discussions have underscored not only the complexity of today’s challenges, but also the collective strengths required to address and combat them.

NAC thanks all the speakers for all the invaluable contributions as we look forward to building upon this momentum in the days to come.

Marta Nascimento

Madalena Martinho do Rosário

Estoril Conference – 24th of October

October 31, 2024October 31, 2024by Awareness NewsLeave a comment

Reading time: 7 minutes

Introduction

With this collection of articles, we aim be for the Estoril Conferences (EC) what Blitz is for Vodafone Paredes de Coura, by translating approximately ten hours of talks per day into four pieces, so that those that missed out on the event can also engage in the reflections that were brought to the fore in these couple of days.

This edition of the EC is “Time to Rethink”: Piece, Policies, AI, Climate, Longevity. So, specialists were invited to address issues for each area of action. In one of the more important years when it comes to elections, these talks invite us to rethink our beliefs so that we can more confidently engage in the societal debate that will translate into policy action.

Morning sessions

The first day of the Estoril Conferences at Nova SBE, Carcavelos, began with some words from the hosts and organization, as well as a Solemn Moment provided by Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, setting the scene for a day dedicated to the debate and discussion about the future of innovation, talent and global politics.

As people found their seats, the first theme of the conferences was introduced, Peace, with guest speaker José Ramos-Horta and CNN Portugal News Anchor João Marinho, sharing a brief yet significant moment where the President of Timor-Leste and 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate shared his insight on peacebuilding and the fundamental lessons learned from the fight for Timor-Leste’s independence, which now marks its 25^th anniversary.

Peace Talks

The morning progressed, with guest speakers Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s First Lady, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, exploring Ukraine’s current situation and how war times compels people to rethink what truly matters.

The nature of security in Ukraine has been redefined, no longer reflecting physical safety but about protecting dignity – a key word across the morning’s sessions.

Olena Zelenska further established that everyday actions, such as calling a taxi or boarding a plane, have, since the conflict’s triggering, become monumental decisions that highlight the gravity of living in a war zone. In response to the war, new strategies for civil defense were developed, including widespread training in tactical medicine to equip civilians with life-saving skills, as part of a broader resilience-building effort. Moreover, the systematic deportation of 19.000 Ukrainians to Russia is a painful and ongoing issue. As many children were displaced and deprived of normalcy, on account of Ukraine’s political turmoil, protecting their future was established as a critical priority, with about one third of Ukrainian students now receiving education online to provide education and a temporary sense of stability.

Both talks highlighted the global threat of violence: war is not just about Ukraine.

But what can peace be built around?

The next “fireside chat”, moderated by CNN Portugal News Anchor, Rita Rodrigues, brought Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Senida Mesi, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, to the Estoril Conferences. This engaging conversation delves into the crucial role played by women in conflict resolution, peacebuilding and, most importantly, post-conflict recovery of society. Sustainability is an instrumental attribute for policies and conflict solutions to be long-lasting and inclusive.

In the next programmed session, Zaynab Abdi, leader and advocate for social justice, discusses how global conflict and political turmoil have hindered society’s empathy and understanding regarding the large scale of events, such as the refugee crisis. Despite being widely tackled, with over 120 million refugees worldwide, the audience showed, by raise of hand, that only about 25% have ever spoken to a refugee or engaged with their stories. This indicates a profound lack of understanding and awareness about the scale of the crisis, even among highly educated individuals. By sharing her experience, Zaynab Abdi called for proactivity and unity, since, without it, we are merely creating another history lesson.

After a heartfelt message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres about the importance of peace, unity, and proactivity among citizens and countries around the world, Martaz Lorenzo, Director of the UNRWA Representative Office for Europe, reflects the current situation in the Middle East, more specifically Gaza and Lebanon, where overcrowding, deprivation, and conflict have created dire humanitarian crises. Lorenzo paints a stark picture by asking the audience to imagine 2 million people living in one-third of the space of Lisbon. The silence in the audience enhanced the gravity of the real scenario prompted.

As sheer density and lack of resources make life unbearable for many, Lorenzo further stresses the need to protect the multilateral system that governs international relations. Without these, coupled with international laws, humanity loses its moral compass, and conflicts spiral out of control.

Policies

After such insightful and inspirational messages from the “Peace” sessions, the next segment “Policies” was introduced, with first speaker Monica Ferro, Director of the London Office of the United Nations Population Fund, prompting the question: How long until women’s rights are fully respected?

“Women’s right are still a mirage for a majority of us”

Ferro reflects on how far society has come since the 1990’s, women’s rights were already fully outlined economically and socially 30 years ago but are still not reached today when regarding positions of power and career development.

“Women need a seat at the table and if there are not enough chairs, they will bring their own chairs.”

In this session, Monica Ferro addresses crucial role of data, highlighting that what doesn’t get counted doesn’t get thought about, and, according to the World economic Forum, women are being left behind and are absent from decision making, as power structures do not allow for fair shares of seats at the table. Moreover, in a world of innovation and progress, full gender parity is expected to take 144 years, meaning five generations of women will still live with inequality. Other important issues, such as women’s health and the stigma around it, were also debated, since, despite clear efforts are being made to improve, genital mutilation, gendered violence, and child marriage are still prevalent in some areas of world, fostering a culture of imparity.

This session’s message lies within the importance of human capital investment and early education around gender parity to accelerate the progress toward true equality.

Upon the many talks addressing international instability, the mood at the precinct is lightened by the performance of Portuguese singer Luísa Sobral, who inspired the audience by singing about the need for world peace and womanhood.

After Sobral’s performance, UNRIC’s (UN Information Centers) Director Sherri Aldis takes the stage and debates how the UN is shaping the future of multilateralism.

Today, 2.6 billion people are not connected to the internet (1/3 of the global population). Furthermore, there is also significant evidence of increased online violence and misinformation. Some examples outlined include young individuals being driven to despair or suicide due to online bullying, female leaders receiving threats of rape and death, and climate activists being attacked. With misinformation’s escalation and science’s erosion by “fake news”, the UN has conducted recent efforts to reform the multilateral system and striving towards a world where everyone has access to a secure digital world. The UN’s “Pact for the Future” sets out a new roadmap for global cooperation over the coming decades, including breakthrough commitments in areas such as Security Council reform, outer space governance, international financing, and securing the rights of youth and future generations.

As the morning sessions come to an end, Tomás Magalhães, Founder of Despolariza & The Kolkata Relief Project, prompts the question: How to disagree constructively?

Surface solutions include listening to understand, talking in questions rather than statements, and assuming good intentions from the messenger. Magalhães then dives into more rooted solutions, calling for people to put everything into perspective before reacting and establishing the political spectrum as multidimensional.

Closing Remarks

Attending the Estoril Conferences provided audiences, and more specifically Nova Awareness members, with new perspectives and insights about UN’s initiatives, the life-long work of some of the most distinguished figures in today’s society, and organizations which strive to inspire action.

Overall, the reflections from influential figures emphasize the importance of resilience, the critical role of women in peacebuilding and societal development, and the urgent need to protect human rights amid global conflicts. The call to action across these voices is clear: without proactive and inclusive approaches that prioritize human dignity, equality, and collective action, lasting peace and justice will remain elusive.