On 18 March, Lieutenant General Hervé de Courrèges, Director of the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale, and Army General (2S) François Lecointre, Chairman of the Un Avenir Ensemble foundation, formalised the signing of a partnership agreement aimed at bringing together the actions of the two organisations for the benefit of the younger generation.
A partnership serving committed young people
The Un Avenir Ensemble foundation has been working for several years to promote equal opportunities by mentoring and supporting deserving young people from a variety of backgrounds. For its part, the IHEDN, a public institution under the authority of the Prime Minister, has a mission to develop the spirit of defence, national resilience and cohesion in French society.
By pooling their expertise, the two institutions aim to make IHEDN courses more accessible to a wider range of profiles and encourage civic involvement in defence and security issues.
Concrete actions at the heart of the partnership
This cooperation is based on a number of operational priorities:
- the inclusion of the foundation's young godchildren in the IHEDN's young people's courses in order to encourage the diversification of its student body; ;
- the participation of Foundation alumni in the Institute's regional sessions, thus helping to enrich exchanges and collective experiences; ;
- Presenting the Foundation's activities during training sessions, to raise participants' awareness of opportunities for civic involvement and mentoring.
The partnership is non-exclusive, respecting the ethical and educational principles of both institutions, and is based on long-term cooperation structured by a monitoring committee responsible for evaluating the actions carried out.
Strengthening national cohesion and the spirit of defence
In addition to training, this agreement reflects a shared ambition: to strengthen the link between young people, citizenship and defence.
By enabling more talented young people to discover contemporary strategic issues and become involved in serving the general interest, the IHEDN and the Un Avenir Ensemble foundation are helping to train a new generation of players who are aware of the challenges of security, sovereignty and cohesion facing the nation.
This partnership marks an important step forward in promoting a defence system that is open to society, inclusive and forward-looking.
