This high-level panel will explore the resurgence of multipolarity as both a strategic necessity and a normative ideal for the 21st-century international order. Against a backdrop of geopolitical fragmentation, institutional mistrust, and global inequities, the session will interrogate how multipolar governance can restore balance, strengthen peace, and uphold the foundational principles of the UN Charter.

The session will revive the spirit of the Bandung Conference, reference the principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention, and engage with contemporary frameworks such as India’s Vasudheva Kudumbakam, South Africa’s Ubuntu diplomacy, and the Non-Aligned Movement’s legacy. It will also challenge the lingering hegemony of major powers and offer an African-led and Global South-informed vision for a just world order.

This fireside chat will reflect on Africa’s strategic agency in global forums—ranging from the G20 and BRICS to WTO reform, climate negotiations, and digital governance.

It will celebrate African leadership that is values-driven, evidence-based, and future-oriented. It will also underscore how Africa’s development priorities—anchored in Agenda 2063—can serve as a global blueprint for sustainable, inclusive growth.

As the world transitions into an increasingly digitalised global economy, the governance of data, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging technologies is becoming a defining battleground for sovereignty, ethics, and global competitiveness. From algorithmic bias to cross-border data flows, and from AI-powered governance to cybersecurity threats, the absence of a shared normative framework poses serious risks to trust, human rights, and geopolitical stability.

This high-level panel aims to interrogate how digital sovereignty and ethical AI can coexist within a cooperative, rules-based global order. With major powers pursuing divergent models—from the EU’s AI Act to China’s state-centred digital policy and the US’s innovation-led market approach—this session invites leaders to chart a path forward that places human dignity, transparency, and equity at the heart of technological governance.

The session will also explore Africa’s unique position to influence global AI ethics frameworks through indigenous knowledge systems, inclusive innovation, and normative leadership.

As the international community nears the final stretch towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the urgency to deliver tangible results on poverty eradication, climate action, food security, and digital inclusion has never been greater. Yet, rising geopolitical tensions and fragmented multilateralism have constrained the pace and coherence of global development cooperation.

In this context, emerging initiatives such as Global Development Initiative (GDI), the G7’s partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 represent new and complementary instruments for sustainable progress. Each reflects distinct philosophies and modalities — yet all converge on a shared objective: empowering developing nations to achieve inclusive growth and resilience.

This session aims to foster dialogue and understanding across these frameworks, recognising the value of cooperative pluralism and African agency in aligning international development efforts with local priorities.