Lea Milanini, a third year studying Land Economy, is one of a team of three Cambridge students selected as a finalist in the Entente Cordiale competition.
The Entente Cordiale Day Summit is an annual conference comprising a competition and summit. It is a forum for current students and future leaders from the UK and France to present their ideas and solutions to tackle the most pressing global issues to world leaders.
Over 700 students and more than 120 teams compete for five Prizes. They prepare written research in response to a common theme which for 2026 is 'Conflicts, Technologies, and World Security'.
Lea said:
“It is a real honour to represent the UK in a forum that brings together students working on global challenges. The competition reflects the importance of international collaboration in addressing complex issues that go beyond national borders.”
Ten shortlisted teams will present their work to a Grand Jury drawn from academia, public policy, and related professional fields. The winning five teams are awarded Entente Cordiale Day Prizes and have their reports published.
This year, the competition and final summit, under the dual patronage of King Charles III and President Macron, takes place in Paris on 7 and 8 April 2026.
The Cambridge students’ report addresses governance, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability challenges for water security in Pakistan.
Lea said:
“Our research looks at groundwater depletion in Pakistan, which is often seen as a technical or environmental issue, but is fundamentally driven by governance failures and misaligned incentives.
The solutions we propose focus on making water management more sustainable and realistic to implement, which is critical not just for Pakistan but for other water-stressed regions facing similar challenges.”
Lea will present the paper with Inaaya Salim from Fitzwilliam College and Syna Jain from Lucy Cavendish College.
The Entente Cordiale Day Association aims to embody the spirit of the Entente Cordiale which was a series of agreements between the UK and France made in 1904 as the basis for a stronger Anglo-French relationship.