Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi’s keynote speech at the 2nd BGF Shinzo Abe Initiative Conference in Tokyo on April 5, 2023, centered around the theme “Make the Economy of Japan Great in the Age of Global Enlightenment.”
Ehud Barak, original name Ehud Brog, (born February 12, 1942, Mishmar HaSharon kibbutz, Palestine [now in northern Israel]), Israeli general and politician who was Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001.
‘A pioneer of international cooperation on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI), a passionate advocate of inclusive, responsible and collaborative applications of data and AI to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology’ Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill is Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Envoy on Technology. He leads the UN’s efforts on digital cooperation. He was previously Executive Director and Co-Lead of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation that presented a field-shaping report “Age of Digital Interdependence” in June 2019. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2018, he served as an Ambassador for India. As a diplomat, Ambassador Gill led the negotiations on regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in lethal autonomous weapons systems in Geneva from 2017-2018. The principles and building blocks adopted under his chairmanship by 125 countries by consensus are an important contribution to ensuring that international humanitarian law continues to apply to AI systems and humans remain accountable for life and death decisions by machines. Subsequently, he was part of the group of global experts that put together a draft Recommendation on the Ethics of AI at UNESCO, which has since been adopted by the UNESCO membership in November 2021. He helped set up the first Task Force on AI for India’s Socio-Economic Transformation in 2017. His research and writings as Professor at the Graduate Institute of Geneva have contributed to a greater appreciation of the digital divide and the need to democratize the AI opportunity for all countries and regions. He has forcefully argued that inclusive, responsible, and collaborative use of data and AI can accelerate progress on the sustainable development goals (SDGs). As inaugural CEO of the International Digital Health and AI Research Collaborative (I-DAIR), a multistakeholder initiative based in Geneva, he helped focus attention on access to cutting edge research on digital health and artificial intelligence for clinical researchers, policy makers and patients, particularly in small States and the Global South. Amandeep Gill studied Electronics and Electrical Communications at Panjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He worked as a telecom engineer briefly before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1992 and serving in Geneva, Tehran, Sri Lanka, and at headquarters, including as Director General for Disarmament and International Security Affairs. He has a post-graduate diploma in French language and history from Geneva University and a Doctorate in international learning from King’s College, London. He is a published poet and brings a unique transdisciplinary perspective to questions of technology policy and governance.
Žaneta Ozoliņa is a Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science, University of Latvia. Her research interests focus on European integration, Transatlantic security, strategic communication, regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region.
Žaneta Ozoliņa is the author of more than 100 scholarly articles and editor of several books, including such as “Rethinking Security” (2010), “Gender and Human Security: a View from the Baltic Sea Region” (2015), “Societal Security: Inclusion-Exclusion Dilemma. A portrait of Russian-speaking community in Latvia” (2016), “Re-defining Euro-Atlantic Values: Russia’s Manipulative Techniques” (2017), “Stratcom Laughs. In search of an Analytical Framework” (2017). She is a member of the editorial boards of several journals, such as Journal of Baltic Studies, Defence Strategic Communications, Lithuanian Annual Strategic Review, and is Editor in chief of the journal Latvijas intereses Eiropas Savienībā (Latvian Interests in the European Union).
She lectures at the Baltic Defence College, the Lithuanian Military Academy, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and many others. She was a chairwoman of the Strategic Analysis Commission under the Auspices of the President of Latvia (2004-2008) and a member of the European Research Area Board (European Commission, 2008-2012).
She was engaged in different international projects commissioned by the European Parliament, the European Commission, NATO, the Council of the Baltic Sea States and other international bodies. She chairs the Foreign Affairs Council of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Latvian Transatlantic Organization Association, is a member of the ECFR (European Council of Foreign Affairs).
Visiting Professor of International and Public Affairs at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University.
Before joining Columbia University, Karlsson was the Director of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, and previously served as World Bank Vice President of External Affairs and United Nations Affairs, and as World Bank Country Director for Maghreb (region West and North Africa).
In his most recent post Karlsson was the Director of the Marseille Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) where he was responsible for coordinating the World Bank’s cooperation of the Mediterranean region.
As country director at the World Bank he was instrumental in the realization of modern coordinated partnership, from supporting Ghana’s development, growth and poverty reduction, to post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
As World Bank Vice President of External Affairs, Karlsson pursued strategic policy dialogue with the Bank’s partners and stakeholders. With the UN he worked on the Millennium Development Goals and he also led the World Bank’s engagement with civil society in debating globalization, as part of new UN cooperation.
Early in his career, Mats Karlsson worked at the Swedish Foreign Ministry as Chief Economist, he served as Foreign Policy Advisor to Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson’s Commission on Global Governance (1992-1994), as well as the Swedish State Secretary for international development cooperation (1994-1999). He began his career in development when he joined the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) in 1983.