Youth & Leaders Summit 2026: Enemy of the World

The 11th edition of the Youth & Leaders Summit 2026 concluded with the reading of an original poem by Aisyah Lyana, a PSIA student in the Master in Technology and Global Affairs.

Across its various sessions, this year’s Summit explored the defining challenges awaiting the next United Nations Secretary‑General: from activism to the societal transformations driven by AI, and the enduring tension between human development and security. Aisyah’s piece, Enemy of the World, drew attention to another urgent issue: climate change.

Aisyah's poem confronted the environmental devastation and global fractures at the heart of this year’s theme, “Wanted: a UN Secretary‑General for a broken world,” offering participants a thoughtful set of points to reflect upon.

Enemy of the World

how dare you behead the forest’s trunks
slashing, hacking, pruning, felling
reborn as trash after a single meal
the jungle turns into a barren field
till habitats burn day and night
wildlife scatter in fight or flight
now no trees are left in plain sight

how dare you poison the river’s mouth
polluting, seeping, tainting, envenoming
opening drains where factories spout
letting toxic rainbows pour out
shells and fins surface with silvered eyes
sea-born giants falter in poisoned tides
your promises dissolve into froth and lies

how dare you rip open the womb of the earth
shovelling, blasting, mining, burrowing
black gold is bled from every fragile map
a stolen fortune settles in your lap
as drills bite deep into nature’s veins
you plunder the earth for fleeting gains
now seal your fate in lasting pain