Leirion International Policy Forum | Malta 2027

Leirion International Policy Forum & Diplomatic Simulation Summit — Malta 2027

3–7 March 2027 | Global College Malta | Kalkara, Malta

Leirion Alternative Library, Athens, Greece, is proud to present the inaugural Leirion International Policy Forum & Diplomatic Simulation Summit, taking place at Global College Malta from 3 to 7 March 2027.

Developed under the Next-Generation Diplomatic Architecture™ (NGDA™) framework, the Summit introduces a university-level policy and diplomatic format designed to move beyond traditional simulation conferences. It brings together structured policy analysis, deliberation, negotiation, and diplomatic engagement within a single integrated framework.

Next-Generation Diplomatic Architecture™

The Next-Generation Diplomatic Architecture™ (NGDA™) is the methodological framework underpinning the Leirion Policy Forum.

NGDA™ moves beyond conventional simulation models by placing participants at the centre of an integrated policy process rather than assigning them fixed roles to reproduce existing institutions.

Forum Fellows participate as themselves, engaging with real-world policy questions through research, analysis, deliberation, negotiation, and cross-body cooperation. The framework connects distinct institutional perspectives into a shared policy process, culminating in collective Policy Recommendations developed through the deliberative work of the Forum.

Forum Fellows do not roleplay. They participate as themselves.

They engage as emerging policy thinkers, analysts, researchers, and future practitioners, addressing real-world global challenges through evidence-based analysis, structured deliberation, negotiation, and constructive dialogue.

2027 Summit Theme

The Impact of Deglobalisation on International Energy Markets

From Interdependence to Autonomy

As multilateral frameworks face increasing pressure and states pursue greater strategic self-reliance, international energy markets are entering a period of profound transformation.

Supply chains, trading relationships, investment structures, and governance mechanisms developed through decades of globalisation are being reshaped by geopolitical rivalry, sanctions regimes, the energy transition, and the growing assertion of national sovereignty over strategic resources.

The 2027 Summit examines a central question:

When interdependence gives way to autonomy, who sets the rules - and who bears the cost?

Forum Fellows will examine this question across the economic, social, geopolitical, and institutional dimensions that together define the emerging global energy architecture.

The Three Strategic Bodies

ECOSOC

Social Dimensions of Energy Deglobalisation

ECOSOC will examine the social consequences of changing global energy structures, including energy poverty, just transition policies, labour displacement in fossil-fuel-dependent economies, and the wider social implications of energy nationalism.

Maximum 40 Forum Fellows
1 Executive Director | 1 Rapporteur

World Bank

Financing Energy Autonomy

The World Bank Strategic Body will explore sovereign energy investment, development finance for emerging economies, and the evolving capital architecture required to finance decarbonisation in an increasingly fragmented global economy.

Maximum 25 Forum Fellows
1 Executive Director | 1 Rapporteur

International Energy Forum (IEF)

Governance of the New Energy Order

The IEF Strategic Body will address the geopolitical dimensions of the emerging energy system, including critical minerals, energy security doctrines, sanctions as instruments of energy policy, and the future of multilateral energy governance.

Maximum 35 Forum Fellows
1 Executive Director | 1 Rapporteur

A total of 100 Forum Fellows will be accepted across the three Strategic Bodies.

What Makes the Forum Different?

No assigned country positions. No traditional roleplay. No scripted outcomes.

Forum Fellows participate as themselves and engage directly with the policy questions before them. Rather than reproducing conventional simulation formats, the Summit creates an environment in which participants are expected to analyse, develop, defend, negotiate, and refine ideas of their own.

Through the NGDA™ framework, the three Strategic Bodies operate as interconnected components of a broader policy process, allowing Fellows to approach the same global challenge from different institutional and analytical perspectives.

The objective is not simply to debate - but to contribute to a collective policy outcome.

Programme Overview

3 March

Welcome Day & Mediterranean Night (optional)

An opportunity for participants to arrive, connect with the international Forum community, and experience Malta beyond the formal programme.

4–7 March

Four days of policy work, structured deliberation, negotiation, and diplomatic engagement.

Forum Fellows will work within their respective Strategic Bodies while engaging with the wider intellectual and institutional architecture of the Summit.

The programme culminates in the Convergence Session, bringing together Fellows from all three Strategic Bodies to present unified Policy Recommendations — original, cross-body documents reflecting the collective deliberative work of the Forum community.

Who Should Apply?

The Summit is designed for university students and recent graduates, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, with an interest in international affairs, public policy, economics, diplomacy, energy, international relations, or related fields.

No prior MUN experience is required.

What is required is a commitment to preparation, analytical thinking, constructive dialogue, and meaningful participation.

The Leirion Policy Forum is particularly suited to participants who want to move beyond representing assigned positions and instead develop, defend, negotiate, and communicate ideas of their own.

Academic Leadership

Anna-Anila Pani
Founder, Methodology Architect & Forum Director

Dr. Athanasios Staveris-Polykalas
Head of Academic Affairs

Niki Paraskevopoulou
Senior Policy Advisor

Mike Armaos
Director of Operations

Venue

Global College Malta
SmartCity Malta, Kalkara, Malta

Situated at the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta has served for millennia as a crossroads of civilisations, diplomacy, trade, and ideas. The Summit brings together an international community of emerging policy thinkers in a setting shaped by this enduring tradition of dialogue and exchange.

Beyond Simulation. Into Policy.

Leirion International Policy Forum & Diplomatic Simulation Summit - Malta 2027