A joint initiative of the STG and Fondazione CR Firenze, the Distinguished Giorgio La Pira Lecture is about building bridges between Africa and Europe. The Lecture is named after the visionary mayor of Florence, advocate for peace, social justice and dialogue among civilizations. Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivered the very first Distinguished Giorgio La Pira Lecture in October 2019.
The STG aims at facilitating the access of African students to the forthcoming Master in Transnational Governance, as well as a dedicated executive training programme for future African leaders.
2019 Giorgio La Pira Lecture: HE Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivered the very first Distinguished Giorgio La Pira Lecture. On the occasion, we interviewed the Nobel peace laureate and former President of Liberia.
Johnson Sirleaf talks about the changing relationships between Africa and Europe and some of the world’s pressing issues, such as climate change: “When you see a young Swedish lady leading millions around the world to go to the streets….then you know it’s beginning to strike home,” she says referring to Greta Thunberg and the climate strikes.
The Nobel peace laureate is a strong advocate for women’s rights. Some progress has been made towards gender equality, but we need to speed up because “at the current pace it would take at least 100 years to achieve full gender parity.”
The world is too interconnected to not appreciate the value of diversity
The conversation also touches upon young Africans and the opportunities to study in an international context at the School of Transnational Governance. “Absolutely critical,” says Johnson Sirleaf about these opportunities. “The world is too interconnected to not appreciate the value of diversity”.