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Venice

5th Soft Power Conference

IED Conference, August 26-27, 2024, Venice, Italy

26.08.2024


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IED Softpower Conference, Day1

Monday, August 26, 2024

Conference hosted by Institute of European Democrats (IED)
Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Biblioteca del Longhena
h 15.00-18.00


The power of persuasion today, between communication, propaganda, hostile disinformation


Welcome Address

RENATA CODELLO
Secretary General Fondazione Giorgio Cini

Introductory remarks

FRANCESCO RUTELLI
President Institute of European Democrats (IED), Brussels

Opening Video Message

JOSEPH S. NYE, JR
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Permanent Guest Soft Power Club

Coordinator

ETTORE SEQUI
Ambassador and Former Secretary General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chairman Sorgenia

Keynote speeches

ANTONIO TAJANI
Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

PDF Statement

REBECA GRYNSPAN
Secretary-General UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Speakers

PAOLO GENTILONI
EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs (video message)

LORENZO GALANTI
General Director Italian Trade Agency (ITA)

AMITABH KANT
G20 Sherpa for President Modi, CEO of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)

ALBERTO TRIPI
President Almaviva, Confindustria, Special Advisor for Artificial Intelligence

LORD CHARLES POWELL
Foreign Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

ANA LUIZA MASSOT THOMPSON-FLORES
Director UNESCO Liaison Office in Geneva



Find the extracted statements of the speakers here.


Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Conference hosted by Institute of European Democrats (IED)
Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Biblioteca del Longhena
h 11.00-12.30


Overcoming the climate crisis is possible, only with popular consent


Flickr Gallery

IED Softpower Conference, Day2


Opening Video Message

FATIH BIROL
Executive Director IEA (International Energy Agency)

Introduction

GABI SCHMIDT
Member of the Bavarian Parliament, Bavarian State Government’s representative for volunteer work, Vice President Institute of European Democrats (IED), Brussels

Keynote Speech

GILBERTO PICHETTO FRATIN
Minister of the Environment and Energy Security

Coordinator

BARBARA QUACQUARELLI
Professor, University of Milano Bicocca - Director, MIT Sloan Management Review Italia

Speakers

FATOU JENG
Climate Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General (YAG), Executive Office of the UN Secretary General

CARLO RATTI
Director, MIT Senseable City Lab, Distinguished Professor of urban studies, Politecnico di Milano; Curator of the 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture

His Royal Highness Prince EL HASSAN BIN AL TALAL
Speech delivered by Jordanian Ambassador in Rome KAIS ABU DAYYEH

Closing Video Message

CHARLES RIVKIN
Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) “Can Cinema and Audiovisual Storytelling Change the Global Audiences’ Approach to the Climate Crisis?”



Find the extracted statements of the speakers here.


Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Biblioteca del Longhena
h 15.00-17.00


Italian Culture and Cultural Industries: Soft Power in World History and the Contemporary World

Introduction
Francesco Rutelli, President Soft Power Club

Coordinator
Luigi Gianniti, Head of the Research Department Italian Senate

Keynote speeches
Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy (remotely connected)
Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture
Federico Mollicone, President Committee on Culture, Italian Chamber of Deputies 
Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President La Biennale di Venezia
University of Padova (tbc)
Alessandro Giuli, President Fondazione MAXXI
Giordano Bruno Guerri, President Fondazione il Vittoriale degli italiani
Gennaro Coppola, One More Pictures

Conference in Italian, Translation provided
Live streaming on www.softpowerclub.org



Mission

Has Soft Power, the Power of Persuasion, been demoted in the world agenda to the rank of useless good intentions? We witness armed conflicts that are waged in the heart of Europe, lasting years with tens of thousands of deaths; in what we call the 'Holy Land,' with terrorist violence, and armed reactions of which we see no credible outcomes, for months on end; the persistence of uncontrolled violence in various regions of the planet. The decision-making power of multilateral bodies is very unencouraging; the effectiveness of informal and formal venues of mediation and compromise, still insufficient. What is left of collaborative globalization - whose economic benefits or experience in mitigating conflict escalations we should not forget - in our time?

Soft Power has never been self-sufficient, even in the decades when the "end of History" had been unrealistically declared, by virtue of the growing influence of democratic systems and market economies. Still, however, it is able to influence decisions and behaviour of states and large human communities.

That is why the Venice Conference has been so important: a group of influential international figures met to suggest strategic solutions, workable compromises, concrete goals.

The items on the agenda could not have been timelier, and more relevant. The possibility of exercising soft power amidst the demands of information, the inevitability of propaganda, and the growing threats of hostile fabrications. Challenges that concern the domains of technologies, digital transitions, and the frontiers of generative AI; with extraordinary opportunities to access a wealth of knowledge and judgment; and with unbearable alterations of the truth that can be orchestrated and allowed to penetrate among hundreds of millions of people.

Sharing the goals of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation requires populations to start sharing: top-down impositions, without awareness of the benefits for all – and especially for the most disadvantaged populations in different societies – certainly bring little results. On the eve of the Venice International Film Festival 2024, it was also high time to understand the role that creative and industrial sectors can play in bridging the gap between climate alarm and the informed awareness of the general public.

Eventually, the role of the Italian Soft Power cannot find a better opportunity to be appreciated than in the context of Venice, La Serenissima, and of new industrial and cultural projects that link historical legacies and technological innovations.


Events overview