Three months later, from August 10th to 14th, she will be the head of a 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 is not in this position by chance. This “voluntary, citizen and invigorating” commitment is the logical continuation of her “natural curiosity to understand the subjects that concern us all,” which has always driven her. After a preparatory class at Montaigne high school in Bordeaux, this inclination was manifested more specifically at EmLyon business school, where she chose the “international negotiations” option. “I wanted to address national and international issues and have the tools to discuss them with people holding different positions.” “I felt like I was a spectator of the ongoing history and wanted to become an actor,” she said, describing a pivotal experience at the Ministry of Ecological Transition with the negotiation teams of the G7, G20, and the UN, dealing with energy and environmental issues. In her role as a public affairs officer in Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy) in Blanquefort, she applied to the Open Diplomacy institute, which trains French delegations for the Y7 and Y20. After written and oral assessments, Clara Furlan was chosen for the Y20 and later appointed co-president for the Y7. With two different but complementary missions, she explained, “As co-president, my role is to guide delegates towards concrete, innovative, and ambitious proposals and to foster consensus while maintaining a certain neutrality. As a delegate at Y20, I negotiate on behalf of France and young French people aged 18 to 30, defending our positions against other countries.” The French delegation is well-prepared, having undergone training sessions and consultations with students from various fields on topics such as ecological crisis, AI, demography, geopolitics, etc. Clara Furlan believes that the voice of young people must be heard amid what she calls a “polycrisis.” “They have well-developed, documented, and worked-out solutions, and it is time to listen to them,” she said. When asked how they can be heard, Clara Furlan emphasized, “Through the concrete nature of our proposals. The challenge is to ensure they do not just remain on paper. The work will continue after negotiations to present and justify them in public debates and to decision-makers.” Although she does not represent her employer at Y7 and Y20, she sees it as an advantage to work in the new energy sector. “It complements my role. HDF is a French company that exports, giving me an understanding of the international context and the energy market. What I do daily for the energy transition makes sense,” she concluded. Regarding a potential future in politics following her participation in the upcoming international summits, Clara Furlan expressed, “What is certain is that I want to continue my civic engagement beyond Y7 and Y20, to remain involved in international discussions on issues that are close to my heart such as energy transition. Today, I feel very comfortable in the private sector, where I have chosen to return, and it is fully compatible with my personal commitments.”
