Three Inalco alumni represented France at the G20 Youth Summit

The Youth 20 (Y20) 2023 is the official forum for young people to engage in dialogue with each other and with heads of state or government, within the "Group of Twenty" (or G20, the international forum bringing together the 20 most "developed" economies on the planet). It's a genuine exercise in participatory diplomacy, enabling future generations to spur the work of the planet's most influential leaders.


The French delegation is recruited each year, with the support of the Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, via the "Devenir Délégué" program of the Institut Open Diplomacy.

This year, out of 300 applicants, three Inalco alumni were selected to make up the French delegation to Y20:

• Tara Goodwin, a 2021 graduate of the South Asia-Himalaya department in Hindi language - Environment and International Relations track, took on the roles of French delegation leader and referent for the theme Climate - sustainable development ;
• Arlo LARDÉ (student in Russian) and Apinayaa UTHAYAKUMAR (student in Tamil), both graduates of the Master Relations Internationales in 2019, defended the priorities of French youth respectively in the track thematic Peace and security and Democracy and governance.

The culmination of their commitment: prior to the G20 2023 summit in New Delhi, the French youth delegates met with delegations from the other G20 member or observer powers (with the exception of China, absent from the event) in the city of Varanasi ("spiritual capital" of India, located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh) for a few days of international negotiations on the major priorities of the world's youth.

At the end of these discussions, all the international delegates succeeded in reaching a consensus on a communiqué for the attention of the G20 leaders, setting out in writing all their policy recommendations on issues crucial to international cooperation: climate, health, peace and security, the future of work, democracy and governance.

During their experience at Y20, Apinayaa, Arlo and Tara were able to draw on their rich linguistic and geopolitical expertise acquired during their studies at Inalco. This was particularly useful in building trusting relationships with foreign delegates - a valuable asset for multilateral negotiations.

"I didn't immediately show that I understood Hindi," testifies the head of delegation. "By letting my ear hang out with some of our guests, I was able to glean some information. And later, when I chose to speak directly to the young Indian delegates, it was much appreciated; they were impressed to know that a Parisian university was offering to learn their language !"