On 26 May 2021, Geneva will see the culmination of the endeavours of some incredibly dedicated graduate students. This date marks the inaugural Geneva Debate, where students will gather to not only debate some of the world’s looming challenges, but also to propose solutions.
For its founding members, the hope is that the Geneva Debate will become “the Graduate Institute’s premiere annual forum for students, faculty, alumni, and the broader International Geneva community to engage in the nuanced and pressing debates of our age of radical uncertainty”.
In an interview, the Geneva Debate’s members discuss their motivation, the principle ideas behind the debates and the critical involvement of and support from local actors.
On 26 May 2021, you are organising the first edition of the Geneva Debate on the topic of vaccinations, specifically around the following statement « The State should make vaccination against COVID-19 a legal requirement for its residents ». Can you tell us more about the concept and what motivated you to create this new initiative?
The Geneva Debate is run by a core team of Graduate Institute master students:
Miguel Carricas, Jarrod Suda, Rebecca Mikova, Alexandre Maaza, Kyle De Klerk, Alisa Gessler and Mathilde Pasta, with the concept of the Geneva Debate born through the involvement of Rebecca, Alex and Kyle.
Jarrod and Miguel were roommates in the Picciotto Student Residence during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the spring of 2020. They spent much of their ‘lockdown’ time discussing various topics that were also being discussed by their peers: Brexit and sovereignty, Charlie Hebdo and free speech, Twitter’s role in the public sphere. Together, they founded a student initiative called the Lafayette Society with the intention of re-igniting the Graduate Institute’s old tradition of public student-led debate in 2021.
The Lafayette Society’s regular discussions and debates throughout the autumn semester created a much needed social space for students at the Institute in the midst of a worsening COVID crisis, each of them bringing their unique experience to begin shaping Geneva Debate from its initial form.
Ultimately, this team was brought together by its members’ shared interest in creating a youth-led public platform to critically engage on the invisible threats looming over the futures of young people today: climate change, cyber instability, global inequality, the erosion of trust, etc. It was only fitting that the topic for the inaugural Geneva Debate be related to our most immediate collective challenge: vaccination against COVID-19.
Why did you choose this topic?
The decision on this year’s topic was made by consensus from members in the Debate Commission. The proposed debate motion, which will change every year, will always feature a problem to be tackled from two perspectives: political philosophy and public policy.
Members of the Debate Commission found that this year’s motion was not only a timely and important contribution to today’s public dialogue. It also touched on deep ideas about the State and its obligations. The motion addresses fundamental values of individual liberty as well as its limits. We are excited for young people to debate these kinds of ideas in front of International Geneva.
Who are the partners in this project and what is their added value?
The Geneva Debate is a collaborative project with young people at its core hosted at the Graduate Institute. Its Director, Marie-Laure Salles, as well as a number of senior academics and the Graduate Institute Student Association (GISA), help to form the Geneva Debate’s advisory body: the Debate Commission.
The Debate is operated by students from the Lafayette Society in partnership with the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy.
In addition, a partnership with the Global Health Centre has also been established. Professor Suerie Moon, the Centre’s Co-director, will serve as a distinguished member of this year’s jury. Dr. Shirini Heidari will serve as a content consultant for this year’s debate teams.
Other partners include the Global Shapers Hub Geneva (GSHG), which allows the Geneva Debate to connect to a broader talent pool of young people around Geneva and around the world. We are privileged to have the GSHG provide Mario Jimenez, the youth member for this year’s jury.
Forum Suisse de Politique Internationale (FSPI) provides access to a broad network of stakeholders involved in diplomacy and have supported us in securing Marcel Mione from RTS as the moderator for this year’s event.