The students of the V edition of Expert Degree in Leadership and Civic Engagement of CEU-CEFAS have enjoyed a lunch-colloquium with the director of the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism in Madrid, Ignacio Ibáñez. 

During the meeting, Ibáñez began his speech by outlining his professional journey from joining the United Nations to the present day. He also shared with the students his historical perspective on politics, noting that “in the 20th century, institutions became solidified as the main political mechanism, but strong and dangerous leaderships also emerged“.

Additionally, the director of the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism in Madrid emphasized that the United Nations was established as an institutional response to political instability. However, he also pointed out that “its main mission evolves based on the decisions made by each member country of the UN, which currently comprises more than 200 nations“.

Finally, Ibáñez provided a detailed analysis of the issues affecting each continent, focusing on the role recently assumed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump. The director of the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism in Madrid encouraged young people to be curious and ask questions: “We are used to stopping at the headlines, but we must go beyond that—it is essential to see the shades of gray in reality” he concluded.