AMNC: From Jerusalem to Tianjin
AMNC: From Jerusalem to Tianjin
What it means to cross five borders to talk about global futures
In June 2025, I found myself walking into a buzzing conference center in Tianjin, China, to attend the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC). Around me were robots (Yes!), CEOs, government ministers, AI startups, and social innovators. But what stayed with me most was the tension I carried with me across five borders, all the way from Jerusalem to this “meeting of the future.”
Each checkpoint reminded me where I come from—and how our region is so often missing from the very conversations shaping tomorrow. The irony wasn’t lost on me: while panels discussed resilience and innovation, I was still catching my breath from simply getting there. But maybe that’s exactly why it mattered that I showed up.
At AMNC, I spoke with ministers, activists, and entrepreneurs about the intersections of gender, climate, conflict, finance and governance. These weren’t just abstract concepts to me—they’re my daily reality. In the sessions, I reflected on how fragile states are forced to navigate systems they didn’t design.
Too often, we talk about fragility without voices from fragile contexts. We talk about innovation without acknowledging the resilience of those who have been innovating for survival.
Solar-Powered Desalination Units in Gaza. here
Gaza Sky Geeks – Coding Against All Odds. here
Mobile Health Clinics in Northwest Syria
Yemen’s Fuel-Free Refrigerators . Here
I spoke of young Gazan coders creating apps during blackouts. I shared insights from my work on public finance reforms, gender-responsive budgeting, and early childhood services in fragile settings. And I listened—deeply—to others navigating similar lines across the world.
Takeaways from AMNC:
• The gender-climate-conflict nexus is real, but still underfunded and poorly understood.
• Youth leadership from fragile contexts must be taken seriously—not as future potential, but as present power.
• Global development must reckon with its legacy: today’s disasters are often the outcome of yesterday’s models.
• We need co-creation.
Swipe through @majdoulenemoves for behind-the-scenes glimpses