Governance and Human Rights Conference

The virtual conference Empowering Youth for Global Peace was organized by students of the Master's program in Governance and Human Rights at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. This event highlighted the important contributions young people make to peace processes and discussed ways to strengthen their role in shaping a more peaceful and inclusive world. 

The conference brought together a diverse and international audience. A total of over 60 international participants took part in the three-hour program and, after the opening keynote speech, joined in the discussion, particularly in the four parallel workshops.

The conference is designed and realised by the students themselves as part of the project module. Students choose the main topic, invite speakers, design the programme - and thus set their own content priorities.

The event is not only directed at current students of all years and alumni of the programme, but is also open to an external audience of experts from civil society, academia and practice.

The conference format is purposely kept compact: In three to four hours, participants can expect a wide-ranging programme with keynotes, workshops and panel discussions - all online and therefore internationally accessible.

The variety of topics reflects the students' perspectives. In previous years, the focus has been on issues such as environmental justice, digital human rights and the role of companies in conflict regions. Well-known experts from international organisations, NGOs and think tanks regularly take part as speakers.

The conference offers space for debate, knowledge transfer and networking - across disciplines, generations and national borders. This conference is an expression of the course's self-image: practical, dialogue-based and globally oriented.

The topics of the conferences are determined by the students. Over the past 8 years, very different topics have been covered.