Kampala Geopolitics Conference

Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2020

Geopolitics in the Year of the Pandemic and Beyond

Starts October 19, 2020
Ends October 30, 2020
Venue Live on NBS TV

Conference Summary

As the world continues to grapple with the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic across different sectors, the process of global recovery continues to take centre stage, even as countries continue to work save their people, economies while effectively handling the pandemic. Amid all this, global conversations on regional and international cooperation, the role of multilateral organizations, growing inequalities among other issues continue to take centre stage.  As countries continue to work individually and collectively to redefine the new normal, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will work to highlight some of the biggest topics of our time, allowing space for expert speakers to convene, discuss and craft collective alternatives.  

The third annual Kampala Geopolitics Conference will convene a main conference from October 19, 2020 to October 30, 2020. The conference convened by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), in partnership with the Embassy of France, Makerere University and U.N. Women Uganda has become the flagship Geo-political conference both regionally and internationally. The conference will once again aim at creating a high-level, interactive and dynamic platforms for dialogue and free exchange of ideas cutting across contemporary, local and international geopolitics. Experts from Uganda and the African continent will be joined by international researchers to engage in participatory and documented debates on global topics.

Throughout the two weeks, the conference will explore several issues under the general theme; Geopolitics in the Year of the Pandemic and Beyond 

Owing to the various health guidelines, the Geopolitics Conference will divert from the traditional two-day academic public event.  The restructured conference will allow for the mandated public health restrictions while maintaining its main purpose of stimulating debates of a global nature. To ensure this, we have partnered with Next Media who will live cast the main conference sessions, allowing for local and international participation.

Format

Over the course of October, the conference will discuss six topics; over a period of six days; three days per week. In line with Ministry of Health Guidelines, the audience for the live televised events will sit a maximum of thirty carefully selected members, while the majority will continue to follow the various conversations online and on the live broadcast aired by Next Media. Over the course of November, we will discuss an additional six topics on several media platforms while crafting innovative ways to guarantee interactive discussions. While leveraging new media, the conference will discuss a wide range of topics, carefully selected to fit specific audiences. These will be publicly shared through podcast style conversations and live discussions on media platforms such as Zoom, Periscope, Facebook live, among others with carefully selected expert speakers. 

About the Organisers

Explore the Agenda

Monday 19th October 2020 - Monday, October 19th

10:00 am

Keynote: Africa In The World … And The World In Africa (The ‘Kategaya Doctrine’)

Main Hall
11:00 am

Major Targets, Minor Voices? : Reflecting on conflicts through a female lens

Tent
11:00 am

The United States of Africa: Where is African Unity heading?

Senior Common Room
11:00 am

The Machines are Taking Over: How Robotics and AI will transform our societies

Main Hall
2:00 pm

The Future of Aid: Administering the bitter medicine?

Tent
2:00 pm

Destructive Allies, Supportive Enemies? Revealing political influence of the Red Sea Arena

Senior Common Room
2:00 pm

Stealing the Show: Are non-state actors ruling Global Governance?

Main Hall

Wednesday 21st October 2020 - Wednesday, October 21st

Friday 23rd October 2020 - Friday, October 23rd

Monday 26th October 2020 - Monday, October 26th

Wednesday 28th October 2020 - Wednesday, October 28th

Friday 30th October 2020 - Friday, October 30th

Media Gallery


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Panel Conversation 2:20 pm

2020 and Beyond: Shaping our Future Together

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in 2020, the organisation has launched a series of dialogues on how to build a true global partnership to realise shared aspirations for a just, peaceful and sustainable future. Hosted under the leadership of Secretary-General António Guterres, the initiative will see people from all regions and walks of life join hands to discuss how to collectively bridge the gap between the world we want and the world we will experience if current trends continue. Among other things, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will centralise this conversation to generate insights and ideas on bold and holistic actions required to address global challenges such as climate change, income inequality, and poverty among others.

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Meet the Panelists

  • Rosa Malango
  • Panelist Rosa Malango
    UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Republic of Uganda.
  • Amb. Matthias Schauer
  • Panelist Amb. Matthias Schauer
    Ambassador , German Ambassador to Uganda
  • Charles Onyango-Obbo
  • Panelist Charles Onyango-Obbo
    Founder, The pan-Africa digital media start-up Africapedia
  • Anja Caper-Berretta
  • Panelist Anja Caper-Berretta
    Head of the Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Programme, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)
Keynote Address 2:00 pm

2020 and Beyond: Shaping our Future Together

No details available for this activity.

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Meet the Panelists

Panel Conversation 2:00 pm

Role of Sports and the Arts Industry in Restructuring Global Conversations

While arts and sports are a reliably thriving industry, governments have not been shy to use them for their advantages as soft power: Whether exploited to exert political influence or as an economic or even cultural tool, the two have become strategic components of international relations.

This panel will delve deeper into the economy of sports and arts. We will explore the need to develop the sports industry in connection with global sports. The conversation will also explore the roles of various types of artistry in pushing political boundaries and shaping global conversations.

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Meet the Panelists

Panel Conversation 2:00 pm

COVID-19 Responses: What Implications for Global Leadership?

When the pandemic hit, crisis management responses
revealed quite plainly the differences in leadership and
the competition between differing political systems.
China, that first neglected the virus’ existence and
protracted informing the international community of the
existing threat, currently flaunts its narrative of being a
successful combatant against the virus while it supports
other nations in their fight against COVID19. The
responses of other governments range from complete
ignorance to downplaying risks and scape-goating others
all the way to a transparent, strategic and empathic
approach to protect and unite society.
Can we trace correlations between political ideology,
political system, and political culture and countries’
responses to such global threats? Did female leaders – as
often asserted – indeed respond better to the pandemic?
Who gained the trust of their people and who lost it? And
what conclusions can we draw for the leadership of the
future? Who will our future leaders be?

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Meet the Panelists

Panel Conversation 2:00 pm

Geopolitics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Previous industrial revolutions affected balance of power and caused geopolitical disruptions of gigantic proportions. The discovery of gun powder, for instance, strengthened the military might of European countries
that enabled a new type of warfare previously unknown to the world. But the geopolitical disruptions by the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) are unmatched. Boundaries of all sorts have been blurred by a non-transparent plethora of actors, including large technology firms, sub and non-state actors, digitally mobilised communities and even influential or vocal individuals. And in this new age of Big Data, Blockchain and the Internet of Things, fundamental questions around data ownership and usage require answers that speak to the complexity of the controversies.

In the political sphere, questions around statehood and control might arise as the 4IR advances. Will power be
transferred to those in possession of data? Will data revolutionise warfare? Is a different kind of arms race looming? And which control mechanisms are necessary to contain it? Will the traditional Westphalian state hold up against the exclaimed “platform planet”? Or could a “cloud state” compete for political and civic space with traditional power holders?

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Meet the Panelists

  • Robert Kirunda
  • Panelist Robert Kirunda
    Founding Partner, Kirunda & Wasike Advocates
  • Rémy Rioux
  • Panelist Rémy Rioux
    Director, French Agency for Development
  • Sebastian Weise
  • Panelist Sebastian Weise
    Policy Advisor on Innovation, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
  • Pascal Boniface
  • Panelist Pascal Boniface
    President, Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques
  • Alice Namuli Blazevic
  • Panelist Alice Namuli Blazevic
    Head of technology and innovation, Katende, Ssempebwa & Co Advocates
  • Alan Kasujja
  • Panelist Alan Kasujja
    Presenter, BBC World Service
Panel Conversation 2:00 pm

Women and Power – Reshaping of Foreign Policy

Can women make the world more peaceful, more connected or even more thriving? Yes, they can, they do
and examples of their commitment are countless. Not only do women head governments and ministries, rescue
their lives on the ground, mitigate the most challenging conflicts and help prevent them, they also inspire and
create new role models. Long gone is the picture of women merely as bystanders in high-level decision-making. And yet, as a field of research and through a scientific lens, “gender” has not received the attention it deserves. This leaves public action under-informed of the opportunities of deliberately including women in international affairs.

The Kampala Geopolitics Conference will discuss why we need gendered approaches in Geopolitics: What is different about women’s roles, their approaches, their skills or their conflict resolution capabilities? Let’s listen to the women who make our world a better place and let’s learn more about the female impact in security, foreign policy and development politics!

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Meet the Panelists

Panel Conversation 2:30 pm

Strong Together? Why and How the COVID-19 Pandemic Should Help Us Re-Imagine Subsidiarity and Solidarity for a Better World

COVID-19 has certainly taught us some lessons on governance: While fighting a global threat that does not
halt at artificial borders, most countries still favoured isolated approaches over unified action. For instance, when COVID-19 death tolls in Italy proliferated, many felt the EU member states didn’t live up to their pledge of solidarity. In the US, the Trump Administration’s inward-looking policies dismissed the spirit of global cooperation to fight the pandemic and announced the country’s withdrawal from the WHO. Globally, a rag rug of emergency responses was knitted. Despite existence of multilateral organisations like the WHO or the EU, joint undertakings have been rare. States feared to lose sovereignty and mistrusted the judgement of others.

This, however, puts to a test the relevance of international cooperation. Do and can multilateral organisations live
up to their purpose? How can international solidarity be safeguarded in times of crisis? And how much subsidiarity is healthy for a state’s or even a region’s unique needs? What role did the WHO play in containing the global spread of the Corona virus? What are our lessons learned to strengthen our resilience against global threats?

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Meet the Panelists

1:00 pm

Arrival

No details available for this activity.

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2:00 pm

Opening Statements

No details available for this activity.

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Meet the Panelists