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4X4 Directors Forum: African-European Think Tank Dialogue

From

03
3:00 pm February 2020

To

04
1:00 pm February 2020

 

The Policy Center for the New South and the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri) are organizing the 2nd Edition of the 4x4 Directors Forum: African European Think Tank Dialogue to identify areas of cooperation to build solid bridges between the African and European continent.

Think tanks play an important role in shaping policies and agendas across the board. They provide platforms to better understand the fast-paced transformations and complex challenges on local, national, continental, and global levels by creating the bridge between governments, research and academia, as well as civil society and the media. In today’s globalized and increasingly interconnected world, society is facing new challenges such as “fact-free” and “post-truth” zones where evidence-based contributions and knowledge are sometimes disregarded, even rejected, creating uncertainty around policymaking. In these trying times, think tanks have the obligation to counter these trends by offering evidence-based assessments that are accessible to the public and decision makers.


Think tanks in the North and the South, Europe and Africa, face similar challenges embedded in different and difficult environments. In the digital age, the links between the African and European continents will continuously increase, and finding solutions will only be possible through joint effort. As responsible civil society actors are facing similar common challenges in values and fields, think tanks need to affirm their role as the bridges between all stakeholders and provide platforms that encourage dialogue. It is in this spirit that the 4x4 Directors Forum came to be, as the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) and The French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) decided to organize a conversation between 4 African and 4 European Think Tank directors to identify areas of cooperation to build solid bridges between the African and European continents. 
 

AGENDA
Monday, February 3rd, 2020
15h00–15h15

Opening Remarks

15h15–16h45

Session 1: Future Challenges of EU-Africa Relations

16h45–17h00

Coffee Break

17h00–18h30

Session 2: Power Shifts and Global Trade

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020
08h45–09h00

Welcome coffee

09h15–10h45

Session 3: Democratic Aspirations

10h45–11h00

Coffee Break

11h00–12h30

Session 4: Security challenges in the Sahel-Saharan Strip

12h30–13h00

Wrap-up

 
 
Speakers