November 09, 2026
Can sovereignty and cooperation go together? Franck Paris, the new director general of the Paris Peace Forum, says sovereignty without cooperation is "just an illusion."
At the sidelines of the 2026 Paris Peace Forum GZERO Media's Tony Maciulis sat down with Franck Paris to discuss this year's theme "from sovereignty to cooperation" and the inaugural child summit. Paris says the summit comes at a moment when international solidarity is shrinking. Almost 20 heads of state are expected to attend and endorse a common declaration on children's well-being. The summit will also focus on children's safety online, a key priority of the French presidency of the G7.
He also discusses frustration among young people in France and elsewhere about the way the world is run. He says this makes the case for new thinking on how to govern climate change, mineral resources, agriculture and AI. Paris, who previously advised French President Emmanuel Macron on Africa and represented France in Taiwan, says he hopes to build connections between continents, such as Asia and Africa.
This conversation is part of Global Stage, an award-winning series produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft exploring the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
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