Global Citizenship Empowered at Web Summit 2019

70,000+ people. 160+ countries. One city.

Today GCF led a very important dialogue on Future Societies at the #WebSummit in Lisbon, with an inspiring group of panelists including Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Siyabulela Mandela; President of Microsoft, Brad Smith; and former Cambridge Analytica employee Brittany Kaiser.

And with 70,000 attendees from over 160 countries; the Web Summit 2019 in Lisbon is a true testament to the power of engaging a global community through a communal mission.

It reminds us that in our own ways, we all contribute to the betterment of society and that we are not only interconnected with one another, but interdependent— for the sake of our future.

Global citizenship was initially a foreign ideology; one that was only understood by those who have had to split, or rather unite, their identities between two places; such as migrants, refugees, or dual citizens.

Today, citizens are making a cognitive decision to govern their own identities by belonging to the world, rather than a single location defined by lines on a map. And although there is no identity document that can confirm it— more and more of them have become global citizens. Not only by adopting the lifestyle of one, but by enforcing and empowering the mindset of one. We are unlocking its potential by our own choice and conviction.

And yes, the world has witnessed major innovation over the past few decades. But during the Web Summit 2019 in Lisbon, we were eager to learn more about ways in which we can further transform and further empower the use of technology in the way humanity will solve some of its greatest challenges relating to global citizenship.

At the Global Citizen Forum, we focus on leveraging governance, mobility, and the transformational power of today’s technology, to reach further in our mission. Much like most of the panelists who joined us on Day Two of Future Societies at the Web Summit.

This is only the start of a much bigger conversation that our community of global leaders will undertake in 2020— from our gathering in Davos this January, to our Annual Summit in the Spring.

Dare to join us?