“We’re faced with an ever-increasing number of global challenges like climate change, the pandemic, migration and the digital transition, all of which we need to respond to with one voice and through closer international cooperation,” said Foreign Affairs Adviser Celia Kuningas-Saagpakk. “In President Karis attending the peace conference and the celebrations of UNESCO’s anniversary it’s important that Estonia’s message is more widely heard and that its contribution is more widely recognised in the debate about these challenges we collectively face.”
Kuningas-Saagpakk explained that this year’s peace forum would focus on international cooperation in the midst of the pandemic and address the divisions that are threatening to derail recovery from the crisis. Other issues that will be examined include health, digital technology, the environment and economic recovery.
President Karis will be attending the opening ceremony of the forum today and, on the invitation of President Macron, participating in a high-level event taking place alongside the forum focusing on digital issues. Tomorrow he will be contributing to a panel on cybersecurity.
Also on the agenda for tomorrow are the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at which President Karis will be giving an official address.
Later tomorrow the head of state will also be visiting Station F, the world’s biggest start-up incubator, which was opened in 2017 by President Macron. The centre is home to around a thousand start-ups and newly established companies.
The Paris Peace Forum is an initiative which was launched by President Macron in 2018. It brings together world leaders and the heads of international organisations to seek solutions to problems the world is facing.
President Karis will be returning to Estonia on Saturday.
