Three months later, from August 10th to 14th, she will be the head of delegation and delegate for ecological issues at the Y20 in Washington, which will prepare, following the same principle as the Y7, the G20 summit organized in December in Miami. Clara Furlan’s role is not accidental. This “voluntary, citizen, and involved” commitment is the logical continuation of “a natural curiosity to understand the subjects that concern us all,” which has always driven her.
After a preparatory class at the Montaigne high school in Bordeaux, this inclination became particularly concrete at the EmLyon business school, where she chose the “international negotiation” option. “I wanted to address national and international challenges and have the tools to discuss them with people holding different positions.”
She had a “foundational” experience, as she calls it, at the Ministry of Ecological Transition with the negotiation teams of the G7, G20, and the UN, dealing with energy and environmental issues. “I felt immersed in geopolitics books, observing history in the making. I wanted to be an actor in it.”
Responsible for public affairs at Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy) in Blanquefort, she applied to the Open Diplomacy institute, which trains French delegations for the Y7 and Y20. After a written submission and an interview, Clara Furlan was chosen for the Y20 and then appointed co-president for the Y7.
Two different but complementary missions: “As co-president, my role is to guide the delegates towards concrete, innovative, and ambitious proposals and to facilitate consensus while maintaining a certain neutrality. As a delegate at the Y20, I negotiate on behalf of France and young French people aged 18 to 30, defending our positions against other countries.”
The French delegation will be well-prepared. “We have received training and held consultations with students from Sciences Po, business schools, engineers, and experts on topics such as the ecological crisis, AI, demographics, and geopolitics.”
Facing what she calls a “polycrisis,” Clara Furlan is convinced that the voice of young people must be heard. “They have well-constructed, documented, and worked solutions, it’s time to listen to them, that’s the message I want to convey.”
Her participation in the upcoming international summits doesn’t necessarily indicate a future in politics. “What I know is that I want to continue my civic engagement beyond the Y7 and Y20, to remain involved in international discussions on issues that are close to my heart, like the energy transition. Today, I feel very comfortable in the private sector, where I have chosen to return, which is fully compatible with my personal commitments.”
