Episode 27: Bert Koenders, Mark Lowcock and Dapo Oyewole talk about the current state of the international order and the challenges and chances for Europe-Africa relations
In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire." Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Bert Koenders, Mark Lowcock and Dapo Oyewole about the current state of the international order since President Trump took office. They also talk about the opportunities for the future of Europe-Africa relations in the light of these shifts in the international order.
Dapo Oyewole is the Secretary-General of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Union Legislatures (CoSPAL) and the Senior Special Assistant on International Cooperation to the Nigerian President. In the public sector, he served previously as Special Adviser on International and Interparliamentary Affairs to the 9th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Bert Koenders currently holds the Kooijmans Chair of Peace, Security, and Law at Leiden University, Netherlands. He serves as President of the Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs and Advisor to the World Bank. From 2019 to 2021, he acted as Special Envoy of the World Bank on fragile states. Between October 2014, and October 2017, Bert Koenders was the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands.
Sir Mark Lowcock has had a 40-year career in international development policy and programme management and global humanitarian issues. Most recently, he was a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development from 2021-24. He joined CGD from the United Nations, where he served as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator between 2017 and 2021.