The Rotating Foreign Summits is a collaboration between the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative and future policy leaders at foreign universities. This collaboration takes place in the form of a multi-day conference centered around urgent policy issues concerning our two countries. The conference involves the exchange of policy ideas, dialogues, and debates on the most pressing foreign policy issues in the world, and the reception of political figures and ambassadors to speak.
For inquiries on our Rotating Foreign Summits, please contact info@harvardforeignpolicy.org.
Istanbul 2024
From May 15th-May 18th, 2024, HUFPI travelled to Istanbul to host a Foreign Summit with Boğaziçi University. At the cultural exchange, participants participated in a comprehensive and transformative discussion about the importance of multilateralism in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges. We collaberated with several leading Turkish think tanks of foreign policy forums to discuss defense, migration and Turko-American relations. We are incredibly grateful to our partners at Boğaziçi University as well as everyone else who helped to make the event a success!
One of HUFPI’s core goals in hosting the culural exchange is creating an environment where diverse, insightful, and impactful discussion can take place. This is highlighted not only through the wide variety of perspectives represented at the cultural exchange and the presence of changemakers with cutting edge research and policy work, but also through the cultural exchange’s core values: excellence, diversity, and innovation. At the cultural exchange, participants can expect to gain invaluable insights and enjoy a powerful experience alongside future global leaders.
Rome 2024
From March 12 – March 14, 2024, HUFPI travelled to Rome to host a Foreign Summit with American University of Rome’s International Relations and Global Politics club (IRGP). Titled “Not a Migration Crisis, a Migration Reality”, this summit focussed on international migration through highlighting the voices of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers and reframing the issue in historical terms while acknowledging that this reality cannot be ignored.
The Summit highlighted how international migration is and will remain a global phenomenon, while dedicating specific focus to various geographical regions and international migration pathways through workshops, field trips and debates. Delegates further addressed prevalent legal frameworks and definitions of international migration and seek to promote more human-centered rhetoric to accompany current debates on the issue. Our goal is not only to broaden their knowledge but also to cultivate critical thinking skills that will enable them to navigate beyond simplistic narratives and engage with the complexities inherent in the global phenomenon of migration.
Seoul 2023
From Wednesday, May 17th, 2023, to Sunday, May 21st, 2023, a delegation of HUFPI members travelled to Seoul to embark on a cultural exchange and learn more about East Asian and US-Korea relations. This experience will be more interactive and interpersonal than HUFPI’s typical conferences, involving inter-student exchange and dialogue, mentorship from experts, and explorations of Seoul’s political and cultural history through on-site visits and experiences.
One of the fixtures of a Foreign Summit is the ability to expand the way we think about issues and develop relationships with people whose life experiences differ from our own. We hope to extend this principle throughout our cultural exchange, whether through dialogues with South Korean college students in debates and roundtables; speaking with and hearing from prominent foreign policy experts, academics, and professionals; and deepening our familiarity with Korea’s most historically and culturally significant sites, as well as places that are important to Korea’s relationship with the U.S.
While the cultural exchange will last for four days, it is our hope that delegates will carry the lessons they learn—whether regarding U.S.-South Korea relations, Korean culture, or the fabric of Korean society—with them for a lifetime.
Paris 2023
From January 12 to January 14, 2023, HUFPI hosted a joint Foreign Summit with the Sciences Po Policy Project (SP3) Network at Sciences Po. At this Summit, we gathered global leaders in diplomacy, foreign affairs, business, and international development to foster discussion of the matters to the relationship between France and the United States, as well as the broader international community.
Alongside invited speakers and student delegations from our respective organizations, we invited students from across France and Europe to attend the conference and hear from world leaders and experts about global issues, such as climate change and international terrorism. Not only was this Summit a unique cultural and educational exchange between students of our two world-leading universities, but it was also an opportunity for Sciences Po and other institutions’ students to gain exposure to foreign policy issues and hear from renowned experts.
After months of planning, the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative (HUFPI) is incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to organize an amazing Foreign Summit alongside the SP3 Network at Sciences Po Paris!
We watched as students engaged with phenomenal speakers and asked questions to shift their perspectives on the world. We learned about French-American relations through a number of key topics, including climate and the environment, defense, media and technology. In each event, we featured a number of wonderful speakers, without whom the Summit would not have been possible.