Skytte Staff Contributes to the Fight against Disinformation at the Normandy for Peace World Forum 2024

Over the past week, a team from our Institute had the opportunity to attend the annual Normandy for Peace World Forum in the beautiful city of Caen, located on France's Atlantic coast. This year marked the Forum’s 7th edition, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Allied Normandy landing in June 1944. The two events are deeply connected, as the Forum’s primary focus is to discuss peace and how to achieve it.

 

The theme for this year’s edition was "Is the World Escaping Us?", bringing together more than 150 speakers, including academics, journalists, policymakers, and activists, alongside thousands of participants—among them, over 3,000 students from across France. The Forum was hosted by the Normandy Region at its stunning headquarters, the Abbey aux Dames, in collaboration with various national and international institutions.

 

The Skytte delegation at the Forum included Anna Beitane, Stefano Braghiroli, and Maili Vilson. As part of our Skytte-led, NATO-funded project "France and Estonia – Together Against Disinformation" (FREETAD), they held a youth workshop titled "Identifying and Combatting Misinformation." Together with French colleagues from the University of Caen, they engaged with over 150 French students, discussing strategies to identify and counter disinformation, while sharing Estonia’s experience in dealing with hybrid warfare and malicious interference. Four students who had participated in FREETAD’s summer activities, including our very own Joris and Anna, also joined the event. A representative from the Estonian Embassy in France was present as well.

 

Overall, attending the Forum was a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas with a global audience, strengthen connections between France and Tartu, and experience Normandy’s profound historical association with both war and peace.

 

According to Dr. Stefano Braghiroli, FREETAD Academic Coordinator, "joining the Normandy for Peace Forum provided an invaluable platform for our institute to share Estonia’s experiences in combating disinformation, while learning from our international counterparts. Engaging with French students and experts allowed us to strengthen the collaborative ties essential for addressing the evolving threats to information security and global peace."