On May 13, young people and leading officials will gather to discuss global security priorities at the NATO Youth Summit in Miami, Stockholm, and online. The NATO Youth Summit is organized in partnership with the Aspen Institute, Aspen Institute Romania, the Swedish Defence University, and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. Registration is open to attend the Summit in-person or participate online.
Washington, DC, & Miami, FL, April 30, 2024 – With two weeks to go until the 2024 NATO Youth Summit, organizers today shared new programming details for the Miami, Florida, stage. The Miami event will take place on May 13 at Superblue, co-hosted by NATO, the Aspen Institute and international partner organizations, and will be linked to the Stockholm, Sweden stage at Epicenter. Registration to attend the Miami event in-person will remain open until May 8, with online registration available throughout.
Among the speakers confirmed for the Miami NATO Youth Summit:
- Kurt Campbell, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
- Marie-Doha Besancenot, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy
- Javier Colomina, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy
- Vice Admiral Guy Robinson, Chief of Staff NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk
- Florian Lemoine, Scientific Advisor to NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT)
- Samu Paukkunen, Head of Climate and Energy Security Section, NATO Information, Hybrid, and Cyber Division
- Roberta Braga, Founder and Executive Director, Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas
- Alex Ward, National Security Reporter, POLITICO
- Simone Askew, Military Advisor, U.S. Department of State
- Andrei Selaru (@Selly) – Social media content creator
- Olga Belogolova, Director of the Emerging Technologies Initiative; Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
- B Cavello, Director, Emerging Technologies, Aspen Digital
- Lesia Vasylenko, Ukrainian MP
- More speakers to be announced.
Programming for the Summit will consist of high level discussions, presentations, and interactive sessions, all focused on engaging with—and hearing from—the next generation of leaders in the Alliance. The opening panel will discuss the significance of NATO on its 75th anniversary, its mission and impact today and in the future, followed by presentations from three NATO Youth Summit Challenge winners; overall, the winners of the Youth Summit Challenge are from 12 countries and 8 different states.Spotlight sessions in the morning will then navigate a range of topics focused on shared values; including democracy, equality, trust, resilience, and ways of strengthening institutions and navigating polarization.
Afternoon sessions will address current security challenges and NATO priorities, including a conversation with the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, youth perspectives on defense and security, the security challenges of disinformation, emerging tech including AI, and the security implications of climate change. Programming will close with an interactive session featuring top NATO officials reacting to the ideas and proposed solutions and previewing the agenda for the NATO Leaders Summit to be hosted by President Biden in Washington, DC, in July.
The Youth Summit will also feature cultural performances and interactive elements, including artistic performances, a demonstration from Tilt Studio’s Gwenda Nielen on how gaming can address misinformation, and opportunities for networking throughout the day.
Programming in Miami will take place immediately following the conversation in Stockholm, Sweden, hosted by NATO with the Swedish Defence University and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. The Stockholm event will feature NATO, Swedish, and international officials and cross-sectorial youth voices, discussing top security challenges from the capital city of NATO’s newest member. Audiences in Miami and Stockholm will be connected with each other, with Brussels, and with online audiences worldwide virtually, for a truly transatlantic day of dialogue.
The conversation can be followed on social media channels via #NATOYouthSummit. More information about the agenda, speakers, and opportunities to participate in the Summit will be shared in the coming weeks and can be found online here: www.natoyouthsummit.com
Members of the media interested in attending the NATO Youth Summit should contact Jon Purves: Jon.Purves@aspeninstitute.org.