Kamala Harris acts a little more the American “re-engagement” in the world

The American Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday promised in Paris the commitment of her country in the global fight against poverty, after Joe Biden, the return of the United States to the heart of the international community.

“Responding to the challenge of poverty is an obligation for all of us”, she insisted at the opening of the fourth edition of the Paris Peace Forum, which is intended to be a place of exchange between heads of state, NGOs. , companies and representatives of civil society on major global challenges.

“In this pivotal moment, if we join forces, there is no challenge that we cannot face”, she added, calling on each country to act within its borders but also to show ” international solidarity “.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed this American re-engagement, initiated by the new tenant of the White House after four years of isolationism under Donald Trump, who shunned many international organizations.

“To know the United States of America to return to the club of multilateralism was for all of us a great news. Thank you for that. Because I believe that it is the place of the United States”, he launched. .

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called on northern countries, including the United States, to move quickly to practical work on the Covid-19 pandemic front, by providing more vaccines to the African continent.

“The current level of vaccine deliveries leaves a lot to be desired,” he regretted. “Some countries are at the third dose for their citizens when millions of people around the world are still waiting for their first,” he lamented, noting that only 6% of the African population was vaccinated.

– “Go faster” –

President Macron conceded that the rich countries had to do more even if the Europeans were the first to mobilize to deliver doses to the poorest countries via the Covax system.

“Today, the French have each delivered a dose of vaccine to the rest of the world (…) Nevertheless, these commitments are not sufficient (…) We must therefore go faster and much stronger, firstly by speeding up the donation of doses, ”he said.

The fight against inequalities will be at the heart for three days of the Paris Peace Forum, wanted in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron and focused this year on reducing the global divides.

Thirty heads of state and government are expected at this fourth meeting, which will be held until Saturday and coincides with an international conference on Libya on Friday.

Several heads of state from sub-Saharan Africa (Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia, Botswana, etc.) will be present, as will Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi or the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo. .

This Forum aims to set up a regular meeting of world decision-makers in Paris like what is done in Davos in economic matters or in Munich on security issues, two very popular events at the beginning of the year.

– An “ethical and responsible” digital –

“The objective is to provide a platform where States but also other actors meet on many subjects such as climate, health, social and solidarity economy, digital issues”, explains the director of the Forum, Justin Vaïsse.

Emmanuel Macron and Kamala Harris attended in this context a panel on the major global digital issues, intended to take stock of a series of initiatives (Call from Paris, from Christchurch, etc.) related to cybersecurity, the fight against terrorist and violent extremist content online or disinformation on social media.

The Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (PMIA) was also to submit a report on this occasion “on the responsible and ethical use” of these technologies, in the presence of Microsoft President Brad Smith.

This partnership, which brings together “exclusively democracies”, has 19 members (Canada, Japan, United States, European Union ..) and intends to expand to Africa, Asia and Latin America, according to the palace of the Elysee.

The fight against disinformation and the regulation of debris in space, which clutters the low orbit, will also be at the heart of governance initiatives on Friday.

The Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire, will present the International Observatory on Information and Democracy on Saturday, “equivalent for democratic deregulation of what the IPCC is for climate deregulation”.

bur-vl / jf / mm