Podcasts about global commission

Despite wide recognition of water's essential role, water-related risks are increasing. Whether dealing with droughts or flooding, water can lead to significant challenges for individuals, communities, and businesses, requiring a robust water management strategy that identifies the risks, puts hazard mitigation actions in place, and leverages insurance as a final layer of protection. In this episode of Risk in Context, Marsh McLennan's Swenja Surminski and Daniel Kaniewski and Henk Ovink, Executive Director and Founding Commissioner for the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, discuss some of the water-related risks that businesses and communities are facing and examine risk management strategies that can enhance resilience and sustainability. You can access a transcript of the episode here. Visit Marsh's Hurricane Resource Center to learn more about preparing for and responding to tropical storms. For more insights and insurance and risk management solutions, follow Marsh on LinkedIn and X and visit marsh.com.

Professor Gareth Baynam is a globally recognised clinical geneticist, researcher, and advocate for rare diseases. He is the Director of the Rare Care Centre at Perth Children's Hospital and the Head of the Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies. With a career dedicated to improving the diagnosis, management, and care of individuals with rare and genetic conditions, he has been at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technologies such as genomics, artificial intelligence, and precision medicine into healthcare. Professor Baynam is also a leader in Indigenous health initiatives, championing equitable access to rare disease diagnostics and treatment. Through his work with organizations such as the Global Commission to End the Diagnostic Odyssey for Children with a Rare Disease and the European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA),  he continues to drive global collaborations and innovations that aim to transform rare disease care.

The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern was joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.The Irish writer Edna O'Brien died last year at the age of 93. The last person to be granted an interview with her was the documentary maker Sinéad O'Shea. Her new film Blue Road weaves those final interviews with archive and readings from Edna's own diaries to tell the story of her extraordinary life.For the first time in its 900 year history, girls will be singing in the choir at St Paul's Cathedral on Easter Sunday. We hear from some of the girl choristers, and Kylie Pentelow speaks to Dr Katherine Hambridge, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Durham and Carris Jones, Vicar Choral and Girls' Voices Project Manager at St Paul's Cathedral about the significance of this moment.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern is joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.As the Six Nations passes the half way mark we speak to fans from each of the four nations to discuss their teams. We also look ahead to their hopes for the Women's Rugby World Cup, being held in England later this summer. Nuala is joined by Kate Buck, Betti Ginnelly, Charlotte Williams and Ailbhe O'Nolan.As a teenager, Roxy Longworth was coerced into sending nude images online. After years of shame and struggling with her mental health, she is now 22 and leading the Behind Our Screens campaign about child safety online. Roxy and her mother Gay, co-authors of the memoir When You Lose It, join Nuala to talk about shame, recovery and bridging the generational gap.And a look at the cultural history of the speculum from Dr Shema Tariq.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Corinna Jones

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), this year we are featuring a special series of interviews with experts, practitioners, academics and civil society and human rights defenders who will reflect on conceptual and operational development of R2P over the past two decades, as well as the impact of R2P and atrocity prevention on their work. In this episode, we sat down with Adama Dieng, African Union (AU) Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and Other Mass Atrocities and Deputy Chair of the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Adama reflects on his distinguished career in the prevention of atrocities, including his time as the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. He shares insights on how he is using his role as the AU's first ever Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and Other Mass Atrocities to draw attention to and mobilize response for crises across the continent. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the observance of Genocide Prevention and Awareness month and progress made in the prevention of mass atrocities over the past two decades.

On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson interviews Perrin Beatty, PC, OC and Fen Osler Hampson to dive into their latest paper, Broken Trust: Managing an Unreliable Ally. They discuss concrete measures highlighted in the report to mitigate Canada's risk of depending on the U.S. from a defence, trade and economic perspective. // Participants' bios - Perrin Beatty, PC, OC is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada and former President and CEO to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He is currently a director and business advisor. - Fen Osler Hampson is the is currently Chancellor's Professor and Professor of International Affairs in the School. He former Director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, served as Director of the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) and is the President of the World Refugee & Migration Council. // Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson // Reading Recommendations: - "A Woman of No Importance" by Sonia Purnell. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll // Recording Date: April 4, 2025 Release date: April 7, 2025

An overhaul of how obesity is diagnosed could be on the way. The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity has made recommendations that diagnosis is focused on measures of total body fat, not just BMI. The paper says current practices rely too heavily on body-mass indexes. Endocrinologist Rinki Murphy told Tim Beveridge it won't mean people can just diagnose obesity by standing in front of the mirror. She says it becomes unhealthy when fat goes into organs, and it's not able to be seen by the bare eye. The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity also recommends recognising two categories of obesity. Clinical obesity would be used for cases where excess body fat is negatively affecting body functions, while pre-obesity is where a patient has excess fat but it's not having consequences yet. Murphy says BMI will still need to be used for population data. She says it's required for monitoring, while the two categories can be used on an individual level. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2023, professor Mariana Mazzucato told the World Economic Forum that “climate change” was “too abstract” for people to understand, and that the COV-pandemic failed to fully inoculate every person on the planet, and so a narrative shift to the water crisis was required - to do what though? Her argument used the same psychological behavioral modification talking points, too, such as self-interest messaging and community messaging, i.e., the common good. It thus can be no coincidence that one year later headlines are breaking about a sudden “water crisis.” And who is in the news to educate us about this sudden problem, none other than Mariana, who told NBC News, that we lack “collective will” to deal with this problem. She goes on to assault the concepts of a free market and capitalism while simultaneously saying that we can use the crisis as a new opportunity for investment. In other words, she wants to control the water and profit form its use. The idea of a crisis stems from a recent report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which calls the crisis “only a beginning of a global water cycle revolution.” Every talking point, slogan, and choice of words are directly out of the mouths of people like Marx, Lenin, and Stalin among others - it is about revolution and reset. The sick thing is there really does exist a water crisis, but it's happening in poor India and China, yet it is the developed world that will have to pay. England is going further and saying there is also a sewage crisis now, and that residents will have to pay more for a long time to deal with corporate pollution. Mariana's name itself is also peculiar, considering that it relates to the star or essence of water.-FULL ARCHIVE & RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-secret-teachings Twitter: https://twitter.com/TST___Radio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachings WEBSITE (BOOKS, RESUBSCRIBE for early & ad-free show access): http://thesecretteachings.info Paypal: rdgable@yahoo.com CashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings-with-ryan-gable--5328407/support.

Israëlische media melden op basis van topfunctionarissen dat Yahya Sinwar is gedood bij een luchtaanval van het Israëlische leger in de Gazastrook. Het leger zelf zegt nog DNA-testen af te wachten. De grote vraag nu: wat blijft er nog over van Hamas na de dood van Sinwar? Ander nieuws uit The Daily Move: De Europese Centrale Bank verlaagt de beleidsrente opnieuw met 25 basispunten. Dat kan ook, want de inflatie raakt onder controle, zegt ECB-president Christine Lagarde. Economische groei is het nieuwe zorgenkindje van de ECB. De meeste EU-lidstaten hebben de deadline voor de invoering van cybersecurity-regels gemist. Vandaag moest de nieuwe EU-richtlijn op het gebied van veiligheid omgezet zijn in nationale wetgeving, maar slechts een handjevol landen heeft dit gehaald. En ja, ook Nederland is te laat. Als we niet snel beter met water omgaan,staat ons een grote ramp te wachten. Zo zal er wereldwijd minder voedsel beschikbaar zijn en wacht ons forse schade aan de economie. Volgens een nieuw rapport van de Global Commission on the Economics of Water verkeren we zelfs in groot gevaar. Experts roepen daarom op te tot actie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If you really want to know people, you start by looking inside their bedroom". Today, I talk to journalist and author, Shereen El Feki on what goes behind closed doors in the Arab world. We are diving into sensitive topics, such as the sexual evolution in the region, sex in Islam, and the experiences of coming out as queer vs. staying in the closet. Join us for an eye-opening discussion that sheds light on what's really happening in the region. Shereen El Feki is an Egyptian-British journalist and author, most notable for her book Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World. Shereen started her career in medical science, with a PhD in immunology from Trinity College, Cambridge, before going on to become a healthcare correspondent with The Economist and a presenter with Al Jazeera English.She is the former vice-chair of the UN's Global Commission on HIV and the Law, as well as a TED global fellow. Note: This episode is not suitable for minors. Viewers discretion is advised. In this episode, we talk about the following: (1:47) Why is sex a powerful lens to see the world? (9:36) HIV in the Middle East and North Africa (19:36) What does sex in the Arab World look like? (23:20) Honour Killings & Patriarchy (31:33) a sexual revolution? No. It's sexual evolution. (33:36) LGBQT+ in the Arab World (41:04) is there harm to living a life of secrecy and privacy? (43:39) The role of NGOs in the region (46:05 ) Sex in Islam? (49:00) How did the Arab world become so conservative?

Hear from Emma Howard Boyd CBE, Chair of the London Climate Resilience Review, as we dive into the challenges of climate adaptation and what it means for our cities. 2023 was not only the warmest year on record, it also marked the warmest 10-year period on record. As we witness first-hand the impacts of a warming climate, including heatwaves, more intense precipitation and increased flooding, the case for building resilience against these risks becomes ever more important. This is particularly so in our cities, where the concentration of populations and economic activity make adaptation non-negotiable. This episode's guest has recently led a comprehensive review of the Climate Resilience of London, which takes stock of the city's preparedness for climate impacts and makes a series of recommendations for how the city needs to bolster its efforts. In this episode, we explore: How cities are vulnerable to cascading and interconnected risks, which amplify the impacts of climate change; How a collaborative approach to learning and building resilience will be critical in the years ahead; And how adaptation and resilience need to be woven through our all our decision making, while paying particular attention to the most vulnerable communities To find out more about the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) Certificate, follow this link: https://www.garp.org/scr For more information on climate risk, visit GARP's Global Sustainability and Climate Risk Resource Center: https://www.garp.org/sustainability-climate If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback regarding this podcast series, we would love to hear from you at: climateriskpodcast@garp.com   Links from today's discussion: Read the final report of the London Climate Resilience Review: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/climate-change/climate-adaptation/london-climate-resilience-review C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: https://www.c40.org/ Thames Estuary 2100 Group report directory: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/thames-estuary-2100-te2100   Speaker's Bio(s) Emma Howard Boyd, Chair, London Climate Resilience Review Emma has been the Chair of the London Climate Resilience Review, leading the delivery of its work since summer 2023. She has had an extensive career in financial services at the forefront of the climate change, environmental and sustainable finance agenda. Emma is also currently Chair of ClientEarth and a Global Ambassador for Race to Zero and Race to Resilience, and outgoing Chair of the Green Finance Institute. She has been Chair of the Environment Agency and an ex-officio board member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2016 to 2022. Emma serves on several boards and advisory committees which include The Major Projects Association, Climate Arc, and the European Climate Foundation. She was the UK Commissioner to the Global Commission on Adaptation from 2018 until its sunset in January 2021.

In this episode, Dr. Eric Bryant interviews Brian Russell who serves as the Executive Director at Bridgetown Church in Portland, OR with lead pastor Tyler Staton, author of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools. For many years, Brian served as the Executive Director of YouVersion. Brian has also teamed with the BibleProject and prior to his time with YouVersion he served as President of Global Commission, a non profit organization aiming to improve the lives of North Africans through small business development and training. We discuss ministry in post-Christian Portland along with how to best use YouVersion and the Bible Project for those without a church background. THE POST-CHRISTIAN PODCAST AND GIVEAWAYS: Our goal with The Post-Christian Podcast is to reframe, simplify, and focus on our mission to make disciples in a post Christian culture. We discuss reaching new people and raising up leaders while removing the barriers of churchianity. Be sure to sign up for Eric's email newsletter at www.ericbryant.org for a chance to win future book giveaways and assessments! Subscribe, Rate, and Review The Post-Christian Podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.com/@ericbryant777. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eric-bryant1/support

International tensions, proliferating security threats and talk of global conflict have become more common in recent years after decades of relative stability following the end of the Cold War. The rise of a more assertive China and intensifying cyber security threats are among two of the issues Nigel Inkster, formerly of MI6, has highlighted in his recent writings. In his presentation to the IIEA, he focuses on these matters along with the wider geopolitical climate. About the Speaker: Nigel Inkster CMG is Senior Advisor at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and a Director of Geopolitical and Intelligence Analysis at Enodo Economics. Previously, he served as Director of Operations and Intelligence for MI6 and served on the Board of MI6 for seven years. In 2017, Inkster was appointed to the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, participating in the drafting of its eight norms related to non-aggression in cyberspace. The author of The Great Decoupling: China, America and the Struggle for Technological Supremacy and China's Cyber Power, his lifelong fascination with China started when he studied the language and culture at Oxford.

A new report published by the Global Commission on Drug Policy has emphasised that the global goal of ending the HIV and Hepatitis epidemics cannot be achieved, unless there are significant reforms to current drug policies which continue to discriminate against and criminalise the community of People Who Use Drugs, which results in them being unable to access testing, treatment and care. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Professor Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, the Immediate Past President of the International AIDS Society, and current President & Pro Vice-Chancellor at Monash University Malaysia.

"If we had a multitiered, multilayered approach to clinical leadership where we don't just provide about patient care, but we think about improving the processes and tools...and leave a legacy over time then I think we'd have greater success in driving digital change in health" — Dr Simon Kos, Healthcare Executive at Microsoft.In this episode, Dr Simon Kos explores his journey into digital health, his career reflections and the evolution in the thinking of digital healthcare. He reflects chance life events and educational experiences that allowed him to progress from the Emergency Room into a globally recognised digital health leader. Dr Kos highlights many of the challenges in digital health in terms of just digitizing processes versus transforming processes. He describes how with particular digital tools, benefits can accrue at different levels, and as such, it is vital that frontline staff are included in those benefits. Finally, he covers key questions that all earlier and mid-career professionals should be considering when looking to the future.Follow Dr Simon Kos: LinkedInAbout the guest: Dr Simon Kos is an internationally recognized leader in digital health, working in senior executive roles for over twenty years. He is a registered medical practitioner who has practised critical care medicine in Australia. He holds an MBBS from UNSW, an MBA from AGSM and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Digital Health (FAIDH). Significant past roles include global Chief Medical Officer of Microsoft based in Seattle, CEO of Next Practice, Physician Executive with Cerner, and the co-chair of the Global Commission to end the Diagnostic Odyssey for children with a Rare Disease. He is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft ANZ, a mentor in both NHS and Australia's Clinical Entrepreneur Programs, a casual lecturer at UNSW School of Medicine, a board member of Innowell, and an advisor/investor in digital health start-ups.Resources mentioned in the podcast:How Simon Kos found his way back to MicrosoftAI MythbustingMusic attribution: AudioCoffee from Pixabay.Contact information: If you'd like to get in touch, reach out at jono@clinicalchangemakers.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.clinicalchangemakers.com

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by The Hon. Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Assistant Minister for Employment, to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of competition, the initial months of the Australian Centre for Evaluation and coordinating with overseas regulators on the complexities of AI. They also discuss Australia's technology workforce challenges, charting a uniquely Australian approach to building industrial capacity, and the ongoing, global geopolitical technology competition. Dr Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Assistant Minister for Employment. He is the member for Fenner and has been in government for more than a decade, holding various Shadow Ministry positions, and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2013. He previously worked as a lawyer and a Professor of Economics at ANU. He holds a PhD from Harvard in Public Policy and has written numerous books on inequality, economics, randomisation and innovation. His long running podcast, The Good Life is focused on ethics, health and happiness.Technology and Security is hosted by Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, the inaugural director of the Emerging Technology program at the United States Studies Centre, based at the University of Sydney. Resources mentioned in the recording:  (Dr Andrew Leigh's podcast) The Good Life (Dr Andrew Leigh, Address to the McKell Institute, Sydney) Competition and Artificial Intelligence (Ethan Mollick et al.) Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality (Dr Miah Hammond-Errey) Big Data, Emerging Technologies and Intelligence: National Security Disrupted (Prime Minister and Treasurer, Treasury) Working Future: The Australian Government's White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities (Claudia Goldin and Larry Katz) The Race Between Education and Technology  (Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, Lowy Institute) AI will shape our world – even our brains – but it can be regulated (Digital platform services inquiry 2020-25, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) September 2023 interim report  (OECD) R&D spending (Education Endowment Foundation) Taking Part in an EEF Project (The Laura and John Arnold Foundation) Arnold Foundation Announces Expanded Funding for Low-Cost Randomized Controlled Trials to Drive Effective Social Spending (World Bank) Independent Evaluation Group (USAID) Evaluation evaluation outfits  (Julian H. Elliott et al.) Living Systematic Reviews: An Emerging Opportunity to Narrow the Evidence-Practice Gap (Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges) Global Evidence Commission Report (Gabrielle Zevin) Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Shehan Karunatilaka) The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher) The Age of AI: And Our Human Future Miah's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miah_HE The USSC website: https://www.ussc.edu.au/ Making great content requires fabulous teams. Thanks to the great talents of the following.  Research support and editorial assistance: Tom Barrett  Production: Elliott Brennan  Podcast design: Susan Beale Music: Dr. Paul Mac This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal people, and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging — here and wherever you're listening. We acknowledge their continuing connection to land, sea and community, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Joining us for the first episode of our new season is the Rt Hon Theresa May, the former British Prime Minister who has dedicated much of her political career to fighting modern slavery in the UK and overseas.She welcomed us to her parliamentary offices to talk about how she first became aware of modern slavery, her vital role in the passing of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 and just how important cooperation is in fighting this global epidemic - across communities, businesses and borders.For more info, visit our website or click the links below:Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human TraffickingThe 2015 Modern Slavery ActTheresa May's websiteDefeating modern slavery: article by Theresa May Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Millions of people around the world are living and dying in terrible and preventable pain.Pain is unfortunately a common symptom in many types of cancer, or a side effect of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. However, the production and distribution of medicines, such as morphine, tend to be heavily regulated. The burden is unevenly shared. 50% of the world's poorest populations live in countries that receive only 1% of the opioid pain relief medicines distributed worldwide. This episode of Let's Talk Cancer explores the pain relief divide with Elizabeth Saenz, from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Michel Kazatchkine, former Executive Director of the Global Fund and a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a group of high-level personalities who advocate for the strict legal regulation of psychoactive substances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Durhane Wong-Rieger is the President and CEO for the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders. She is involved and Chair to many committees and organizations. She is also an author, lecturer and trainer. She is the perfect person to talk with about making healthcare a level playing field for all.  As you know we have interviewed so many people on this podcast talking about the challenges in different countries to medications. In Egypt the Ministry of health doesn't recognize the disease, CF families there don't have the basics like liquid vitamins for their infants. In Thailand, it's the same, in India, infants are dying before they're even diagnosed, in Pakistan, families can't get drugs. And on and on.Dr. Wong-Rieger recently presented at the World Health Organization, Essential Medicines Open Forum in regard to low- and middle-income countries access, or lack of it, to drugs.Rare Disease International has done some research about this issue that Durhane will share with us.Dr. Wong-Riegers organization has proposed to WHO for a collaboration on Essential Medicines for rare disease which ties to her collaboration on global rare disease networks.There is an initiative the P-Q-M-D or Project for Quality Medicinal Donations that has been trying to launch on “donations to sustainability” that they are recruiting companies and donor foundations to try to support. This development of the initiative is now in Stage 2 of the feasibility work.There are models out there for global work like the World Federation of Hemophilia and International Gaucher Foundation. There is no international CF organization so far, and we will discuss that here.She is Chair of Rare Disease International, Chair of Asia Pacific Rare Disease International, Treasurer of United Nations Nongovernmental Organization for Rare Diseases. Chair of Patient Advocates Constituency Committee of the International Rare Disease Research Consortium, Patient Advisor to the APEC Rare Disease Network, member of the Editorial Board of The Patient- Patient Centred Outcomes Research, member of the Global Commission to End the Diagnostic Odyssey for Rare Diseases and member of Health Technology Assessment International Patient /Citizen Involvement Interest Group.Dr. Wong-Rieger has served on numerous health policy advisory committees and panels and is a member of Ontario's Rare Disease Implementation Working Group and member of Genome Canada Steering Committee for the Rare Disease Precision Health Initiative. She is a certified Health Coach. Durhane has a PhD in psychology from McGill University and was professor at the University of Windsor, Canada.  She is a trainer and frequent lecturer and author of three books and many articles.Producer: Beth Vanstone  If you'd like to be featured contact her at: beth@thebonnellfoundation.orgPlease consider making a donation: https://thebonnellfoundation.org/donate/The Bonnell Foundation website: https://thebonnellfoundation.orgBonnell Foundation email: thebonnellfoundation@gmail.comThanks to our sponsors:Vertex:  https://www.vrtx.comGenentech: https://www.gene.comViatris: https://www.viatris.com/en

Regardless of where people are born or the communities they belong to, equal access to healthcare should be a fundamental human right. In our age of pandemics, and with healthcare inequality widening, how can we make healthcare access equitable? Esteemed jurist and legal scholar Michael Kirby has tirelessly advocated for equal access to healthcare over his lengthy career. As a pioneering AIDS activist, member of the WHO's Global Commission on AIDS from 1988 – 1992, and respected legal mind, Kirby's focus in recent years has also included decriminalising homosexuality and sex work, and reducing the cost of life-saving medications. Hear Michael Kirby in conversation with journalist Geraldine Doogue as they discussed his life and career, focusing on what we have learnt from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, how we have applied those lessons during recent pandemics, and how we can build support for egalitarian global healthcare. Presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas, The Kirby Institute and supported by UNSW Medicine & Health.   ABOUT THE DAVID COOPER LECTURE The David Cooper Lecture honours the legacy of The Kirby Institute's Founding Director, Professor David Cooper AC. Professor Cooper passed away in 2018 and was an internationally renowned scientist and HIV clinician, who laid the foundations for Australia's ongoing global leadership in the fight against the global HIV epidemic.    To make a donation to support David Cooper's incredible vision for equitable access to healthcare visit unsw.to/DavidCooperMemorialFund.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Dr Debra Roberts issues a passionate call for knowledge brokers to help bring climate scientists closer to decision-makers in business and government. Professor Debra Roberts has spent the last three decades working at the science-policy-practice interface in the fields of biodiversity planning and management, climate change adaptation and mitigation and sustainable development and resilience at local and international levels. Her pioneering work has helped reduce vulnerability in human and natural communities, enhanced local level sustainability and resilience, created socio-economic development opportunities and driven institutional change. Professor Roberts currently heads the Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives function in eThekwini Municipality (Durban, South Africa). In 2015 Prof. Roberts was a lead author of Chapter 8 (Urban Areas) of Working Group II's contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She was elected as IPCC Co-Chair of Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability) for the sixth assessment cycle (2015-2023). She is an Honorary Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the School of Life Sciences and has been an advisor to the Global Commission on Adaptation, United Cities and Local Governments and the United Nations Secretary General's 2019 Climate Summit. In 2019 she was included in a list of the World's 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy. She currently holds the Professor Willem Schermerhorn Chair in Open Science from a Majority World Perspective at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science at the University of Twente. Music by Francois le Roux (The HA!Man), Johannesburg Edited and produced by Roman Svidran, Bratislava

HR23: Preventing drug-related harm; protecting human rightsStrength in Solidarity was the theme of the Harm Reduction International Conference held in Naarm/Melbourne from April 16th to 19th this year. Policy makers, advocates, people who use drugs, academics and service providers called for an end to the international war on drugs and the punitive policies that have a devastating effect on some of the world's poorest people and on the environment.We hear from:Rachel Stephen-Smith, ACT Minister for Health on the move to decriminalise possession of small quantities of drugs for personal useKirsten Han, from the Transformative Justice Collective in Singapore, working to end the death penaltyNilawan Pitakpanawong, Thai Drug Users Network, on the Mobile Methadone Program for Drug Users in Ethnic groups in Northern ThailandDiego Andres Lugo-Vivas, academic and activist from CET Academic programs in Colombia on the environmental impact of the war on drugs To hear Helen Clark, Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, address the Harm Reduction International Conference go to the following link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktUr6GWZAcYPhoto: Northern Thailand waranont-joe-UnsplashProduced by Judith PeppardEarth Matters #1402

I. The GROUP CommissionII. The GLOBAL CommissionIII. The GLOBAL CommissionIV. The GLOBAL CommissionV. The GLOBAL CommissionVII. The Galatian Confrontation

Jennifer Möller-Gulland is a Water Risk Expert and Water Economist for the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. Jennifer is also the founder of the Water Risk Assessment Blueprint Training, a 12-week online course that helps water professionals to know the Water Risks, convince decision-makers to consider and address them, be part of the solution, and accelerate their career. Somewhere in Paris' headquarters of the OECD, an independent and diverse group of eminent policymakers joined forces in May 2022 to create the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. After the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change released in 2006 and the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity issued in 2021, they were about to complete what they called the Sustainability Trilogy with the release of their Pact for Voluntary Commitments - an incredible report that they launched on 22 March 2023 at the UN Water Conference. Did you hear of it? Well, let's say it wasn't a banger, but they must have a good PR team, so it gathered some mainstream media attention. That's where Jennifer picked it up and looked up their Water Risk Assessment. The result is history: a nicely crafted, pedagogic, positively toned yet affirmative LinkedIn post shared 113 times, where she calls out their b***s***. Hey, that intro is not about name and shame. But I'm telling you that story because it seems that even though the World Economic Forum's yearly Global Risk Report has water-related ones all over its top ten, there's a severe deficit in understanding, framing, and running water risk assessments.  Yet how can we solve problems we don't understand and cannot size correctly? As Jennifer will explain in a minute, that's a challenge that shall be understood at all levels, from the government to companies and individuals, because water risks are connected to economic development, social development, GDP, every facet of the economy and even gender equality so clearly, ignoring water risks can have long-lasting impacts on individuals and communities. So let's fix that, and let me close this intro and leave the floor to Jennifer, just after reminding you that you still have a couple of days left to book your seats for the upcoming BlueTech Forum, happening in Edinburgh on the 17th and 18th of May under the tagline of Innovation with Impact.  The agenda is packed with great speakers, mastermind roundtable sessions, "innovation for impact" box design sprints, 5 by 5 partnership case studies, lots of networking opportunities, and BlueTech's signature cherry-picked disruptive water tech innovations.  Check out the full agenda on bluetechforum.com - the link is in the description - and consider joining me and many former guests of this podcast in Edinburgh this May. If that's of interest, here's the cherry on the cake: with the code Antoine20, like my name, 20, you'll get a 20% discount on your registration if you book before the end of April, so hurry up; the doors are closing! ➡️ Join me (and many others!) at the BlueTech Forum Get a 20% discount on checkout by using the code ANTOINE20

SpeakIn Podcast - IAS Series In Conversation with Dr. S. Y. Quraishi - IAS Officer - What drew him to Indian Administrative Service - Key highlights of his journey in the IAS - Her views on India's public health women and child landscape and more... Dr. S. Y. Quraishi was the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India, he has been figured in The Indian Express list of 100 Most Powerful Indians of 2011 and again in 2012. He also figured in India Today's  Power List of 100 most powerful Indians, 2012. He was a Member of the Board of Advisors of  International IDEA (Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Stockholm for 9 years and also a Member of the Advisory Committee to assist and advise the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security, headed by Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary General, UN (2010-12). Nominated  as Global Ambassador of Democracy alongside Kofi Annan by International IDEA ((Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Stockholm in Oct 2018. During his service he has contributed to the policy and program development in the health sector, women and child development.

The UN opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity's shared resources. Co-chairwoman of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, Mariana Mazzucato tells Newshour about the scale of the problem. Also in the programme: Judicial reforms in Israel; and the life-giving molecule found on an asteroid. (Photo: Haider Jalil, 10, fills a water tank from a truck outside his family home in the village of Al-Bouzayyat which sits on the bank of a former canal which has dried up, in Diwaniya, Iraq. Credit: REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani/File Photo)

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations ( https://www.fao.org/about/leadership/elouafi ). The FAO is an organization that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Dr. Elouafi leads the scientific mission of the organization, advocating for diversifying into neglected and underutilized crops, promoting use of non-fresh water in agriculture, rethinking food systems as a whole, and empowerment of women in science ( https://www.fao.org/science-technology-and-innovation/en ). From 2012 until her appointment at FAO, Dr. Elouafi was Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture based in the United Arab Emirates. In this role, she spearheaded the development and implementation of the center's long-term strategy and expanded its mandate to marginal environments, an agroecosystem concept which she helped to mainstream in the global research and development discourse. Dr. Elouafi had previously held senior scientific and leadership positions, including Senior Adviser to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch in Ottawa, Canada (2006-2007); the National Manager of Plant Research Section (2007-2010); and Director of Research Management and Partnerships Division at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2010-2012). Dr. Elouafi had also worked as a scientist with several international research organizations, including the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. Dr. Elouafi has been a member of various strategy expert panels and advisory groups, including with the Global Commission on Adaptation and HarvestPlus. Dr. Elouafi sits on the boards of the International Food Policy Research Institute, the USA; the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, the UK; and the Professional Development Institute, Canada. Dr. Elouafi is also a member of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) System Management Board. Dr. Elouafi's contributions to science and policy have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Reward Medal by His Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco (2014), and the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum (2014). Dr. Elouafi holds a B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences (1993) and an M.Sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding (1995) from the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Morocco, and a Ph.D. in Genetics (2001) from the University of Cordoba, Spain. Support the show

About Latha Reddy Latha is the Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. She is the former Deputy National Security Adviser of India where she was responsible for cybersecurity Ms. Reddy is involved with several organizations and thinktanks, both globally and in India. She is currently, among other positions, serving as a Distinguished Fellow at the EastWest Institute in the US and the Observer Research Foundation in India. She is the Former Diplomat/ Ambassador. She is also called a “Warrior for Cyber Peace”. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tbcy/support

This week on Policy Forum Pod, Professor of Economics and Convenor of the Water Justice Hub Quentin Grafton joins us to discuss the environmental challenges and policy opportunities to ensure food, water and energy for all. How does climate change impact our relationship to food, water and energy? How can truth-telling support a more equitable and sustainable approach to managing resources? And how do we need to think about global governance to ensure food, water and energy for all? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Professor of Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Quentin Grafton joins Professor Sharon Bessell Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss the current ‘triple threat' and options for policymakers in Australia. Quentin Grafton is Professor of Economics, Convenor of the Water Justice Hub and Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy. He was recently appointed the Lead Expert and Commissioner of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. Sharon Bessell is Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children's Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.Show notes | The following were mentioned during this episode:Globalisation and the search for common good, Policy Forum Pod, (2022)Pandemic, prices, and poverty, World Bank Blogs, (2022)The water-climate change emergency, Policy Forum, (2022)White House Action Plan on Global Water Security, The White House, (2022)Policy Forum Pod is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Subscribe on Android or wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

JINS means "sex" in Arabic. Just by saying it, some people will already say that I have gone too far. Why are we so afraid to talk about it that we prefer to keep quiet, to be frustrated, to hide? Are Arabs prudes? Everything in history tends to show the contrary. So, without making a comparative study between countries, is there really a pan-Arab anti-sexuality or is it more insidious and complex than that? Don't they also have the right to pleasure? 

In this episode, Onyebuchi Ajufo, an advocacy and communications specialist and former Director of Communications and Advocacy at Africa Practice, speaks to Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, Managing Director of Nigeria's pioneering education partnership organisation, the Education Partnership (TEP) Centre, where she leads the LEARNigeria citizen-led assessment and advocacy programme. They talk about the inspiration for Mo's work to improve foundational learning in Nigeria; the importance of data for understanding the extent of the crisis, and as a tool to inform policy; and the role of public-private partnerships for improving children's outcomes. Mo also speaks about Human Capital Africa's recent call to action for African policymakers to make foundational learning their top priority. Links https://tepcentre.com/ (The Education Partnership (TEP) Centre) [Website] https://learnigeria.org/ (LEARNigeria Assessment and Advocacy Programme) [Website] https://tepcentre.com/publications/LEARNigeria_Citizen%20Action%20%20Does%20Evidence%20Have%20a%20Role%20to%20Play.pdf (LEARNigeria Citizen Action Report) (2017) ‘https://www.theafricareport.com/180027/africa-access-alone-has-not-guaranteed-that-children-are-learning-in-schools-says-ezekwesili/ (Access alone has not guaranteed that children are learning in schools)' [Article in Africa Report], Oby Ezekwesili, February 2022 https://humcapafrica.org/ (Human Capital Africa) [Website] ‘https://www.brandtimes.com.ng/human-capital-africa-issues-a-call-to-action-for-policymakers-to-respond-to-africas-learning-crisis/ (Human Capital Africa's Call to Action for Policymakers to Respond to Africa's Learning Crisis)' [Press Release] https://africapractice.com/ (Africa Practice) [Website] About the https://riseprogramme.org/rise-community-of-practice (RISE Community of Practice) [Website] ‘https://riseprogramme.org/publications/stakeholder-perspectives-improving-educational-outcomes-enugu-state (Stakeholder Perspectives on Improving Educational Outcomes in Enugu State)' [RISE Insight Note] by Ogwuike and Iheonu ‘https://riseprogramme.org/blog/mobilising-community-support (Mobilising Community Support for Education: Lessons from the Igbajo Community in Nigeria)' [RISE Blog] by Adeniran and Castradori ‘https://riseprogramme.org/blog/following-facts-Nigeria (Following FACTS to Recover and Revamp Nigeria's Education System During and Beyond COVID-19)' [RISE Blog] by Obiakor and Adeniran ‘https://riseprogramme.org/publications/policy-deliberation-social-contracts-and-education-outcomes-experimental-evidence (Policy Deliberation, Social Contracts, and Education Outcomes: Experimental Evidence from Enugu State, Nigeria)' [RISE Insight Note] by Nweke, Ogwuike, and Iheonu More from https://riseprogramme.org/research?f%5B0%5D=country%3ANigeria (RISE Nigeria Country Research Team) Guest biographies Modupe Adefeso-Olateju Dr. Modupe (Mo) Adefeso-Olateju is a recognised policy expert specialising in public-private collaboration in education and with keen interests in education innovation and foundational literacy and numeracy. She is Managing Director of Nigeria's pioneering education partnership organisation, The Education Partnership (TEP) Centre, where she leads the LEARNigeria citizen-led assessment and advocacy programme.  She co-established the annual pan-African education innovation summit, NEDIS, which is now in its 7th year.  Mo supports policymakers, international think tanks, and corporations, and leads workstreams on a range of education sector support initiatives funded by government agencies, multilateral organisations, and corporate funders. She drafted a section of Nigeria's 2011-2015 education strategy and is a member of the technical team which is developing Nigeria's Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Plans. She is a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges (Evidence...

This week on Energy 360, Peter Irvine (University College London) and Jesse Reynolds (Paris Peace Forum) talk with Joseph Makjut (CSIS) about the future of combatting climate change and how human interventions, including the potential of technologies like solar geoengineering, could play a role.   Guests: Dr. Peter Irvine, Lecturer in Climate Change & Solar Geoengineering, University College London (UCL) Earth Sciences. Dr. Jesse Reynolds, Senior Policy Officer, the Global Commission on Governing Risks from Climate Overshoot, Paris Peace Forum For more, check out their podcast, Challenging Climate

Nadia and Nabil welcome former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark on the EQUALS podcast for a special episode.The IMF, World Bank and the G20 all are meeting this week. The world is facing multiple crises that are converging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Ukraine crisis, to soaring food and fuel prices.Two years into the pandemic, we ask PM Clark what governments should have done to respond to the pandemic; what still needs to happen; and how to prevent future crises. And could we have ended the pandemic if we had more women leaders today?Helen Clark is a member of Club de Madrid, the world's largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, and a Commissioner to its ground-breaking Global Commission on Democracy and Emergencies. She was also appointed by the WHO to co-Chair the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.Please share the podcast and leave a review! We're @EQUALShope on Twitter. For more on the PVA, check out @peoplesvaccine See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A global challenge or individualistic? Guest speaker: Prof. Luigi Martino, Head of the Center for Cyber Security and International Relations Study at University of Florence Listening to this episode, you`ll attend an interesting conversation with Luigi Martino, Professor and Head of the Center for Cyber Security and International Relations at the University of Florence. He's sharing his insights of working within the Global Commission on Stability of the Cyberspace and the importance of global cooperation in the field of Cyber Security. Furthermore, the challenges of secure IT systems in times of remote working and the human factor of cyber attacks are addressed. 2:09 You are a member of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyber Space. Could you tell us a little bit more about that roll and what it is about? 6:30 What can organisations do, to minimize that particular risk? 7:44 Would that be Phishing Mails? 10:56 So Cyber Security is about people, it is about the individuals and about their awareness? 11:47 I know one of your current research focuses on a slightly different aspect of Cyber Security. Not for organisations, but about the overarching correlation of Cyber as a Space and indeed Outer Space. Tell us a little bit more. 16:10 What have you learned by working in your profession that you may have adopted as a standard working practice or perhaps which you even use in your personal life?

This week we celebrate the Tin anniversary of the Global Commission on Drugs with a look at their new report “Time to End Prohibition” and then we'll look at an angry letter Visa sent to their merchant customers warning them against using so-called “cashless ATMs” as a workaround to process cannabis transactions that would otherwise be banned. And finally, we'll have Victor Pinho of the legendary Emerald Farm Tours here to talk about his weekend at the Emerald Cup and what's on the horizon for his pioneering cannabis tour business. We'll be discussing all these stories and more on the BEST cannabis podcast in the business... As we like to say around here, “Everyone knows what happened in marijuana today, but you need to know what's happening in Marijuana Tomorrow!”  ----more---- Segment 1 - Global Commission on Drugs Tinth Anniversary https://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Time_to_end_prohibition_EN_2021_report.pdf   https://www.marijuanamoment.net/malta-set-to-become-first-country-in-europe-to-legalize-marijuana-this-week/   https://twitter.com/SteveTransform/status/1469327125064863746 ----more---- Segment 2 - Visa, is it everywhere you want to be? https://www.marijuanamoment.net/visa-warns-against-misuse-of-cashless-atms-used-by-cannabis-retailers-to-skirt-restrictions/ ----more---- Segment 3 - Emerald Cup wrap up with Victor Pinho and the Emerald Farm Tours Buy Tickets to Wednesday 12/15 NCIA After Party hosted by Emerald Farm Tours here:  https://eventhi.io/event/beat-kitty--lady-ryan--monarch-sf--j-5406 ----more---- Big Finish links - Colorado Recall Announcement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zSTetiy8L-InR4K7r_2CITS5kqyNhyBR/view   My first Marijuana Moment Byline: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/allowing-legal-marijuana-dispensaries-boosts-employment-rates-in-colorado-counties-study-finds/   This episode of Marijuana Tomorrow is brought to you by Cannabeta Realty and the Emerald Farm Tours.

On this week's Cyber Report, sponsored by Northrop Grumman, Chris Painter, America's first chief cyber diplomat during the Obama administration and who is now with the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, discusses how civilians are increasingly caught in the middle of escalating cyber war between Israel and Iran, setting and enforcing cyber norms, international cooperation to counter state-driven cyber campaigns and ransomware, and whether lessons from other domains like space apply to cyberspace with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

Cyberpolitik #1: France’s Influence Operations Doctrine— Prateek WaghreIn October, France announced a new doctrine for Information Warfare. This development has received surprisingly little attention in English-language discourse over the last three weeks. It was initially reported by Francesco Busseletti, who highlighted: Objective: to counter the growing spread of fake news and disinformation, aimed at weakening the image of Paris and weakening its armed forces, especially abroad such as the Sahel. Considering that its adversaries no longer hesitate to use the weapon of social media against its military operations, France intends to “win the war before the war”. Its strategy boils down to “being on the offensive” …The Defence Minister Florence Parly’s speech also highlighted this aspect of the “war before the war”. Here’s an excerpt from a google-translated version of her speech.“When used wisely, the weapon of information allows you to win without fighting.”What does the doctrine say?The doctrine identifies six characteristics of the “informational layer of cyberspace”:Contraction of space and time.Ability to conceal/falsify origin due to anonymity.Difficulty with erasing information since it can be duplicated, moved, and re-used without the original context.Any individual can produce and broadcast information. (The minister’s speech seems to have gone as far as stating these individual and anonymous actors are at par with media organisations)The point is that social networks have an equalizing power: on Twitter, the voice of an anonymous user counts as much as that of a major media whose essential function is to inform (sic).Continuous innovation such as deepfakes, AI, AR/VR, etc.The presence of operators who impose their own regulations. A challenge for law enforcement as the space is ‘dematerialised.It defines two types of actors that threaten armed forces:Noting that information war is already an everyday reality for the military, it goes on to say that ‘mastery’ in the information field is now a pre-condition for ‘operational superiority’. And that cyberspace offers opportunities to create effects in ‘both information and physical environments’. The document is peppered with many important statements about Lutte Informatique D’influence (L2I).Definition:military operations conducted in the informational layer of cyberspace to detect, characterize and counter attacks, support StratCom, provide information or (perform) deception, independently or in combination with other operations.L2I stands at “the confluence of cyber defence and influence”. And that it requires skills in common with LID (defensive cyber operations) and LIO (offensive cyber operations).L2I offers opportunities for ‘intelligence gathering’ and ‘deception' operations’. (The minister’s speech defined some boundaries explicitly)the French armies will not conduct an information operation (within) the national territory. The French armies … will not destabilize a foreign state through information actions that would target, for example, its electoral processes.As future challenges, the doctrine identifies the need to build skills and tools, as well as cooperation with firms that specialise in the field and coalitions with allies to coordinate responses.Operationally, this would fall within the purview of the Chief of Staff of the armed forces, who would further rely on the Cyber Defense Commander (COMCYBER) and specialised military units.Two more questionsFor France to come out and explicitly state its doctrine is undoubtedly a significant step. But this also raises two broader questions.What should other democracies do?What will DCN operators do?Camille Francois rightly points out that it raises the question of what democracies can/should do in this space and the possibility of gaining a better understanding of techniques used by countries not named - Russia, China, or Iran.Thomas Rid, in his book Active Measures, argues that liberal democracies cannot be good at disinformation. “For liberal democracies in particular, disinformation represents a double threat: being at the receiving end of active measures will undermine democratic institutions—and giving in to the temptation to design and deploy them will have the same result. It is impossible to excel at disinformation and at democracy at the same time. The stronger and the more robust a democratic body politic, the more resistant to disinformation it will be—and the more reluctant to deploy and optimize disinformation. Weakened democracies, in turn, succumb more easily to the temptations of active measures.”Then, there’s the question of Digital Communication Networks which have become the battlefield for such operations. As Lukasz Olenik notes in his overview of the French doctrine, Facebook has taken action against Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour it identified originating from a network with links to the French Military in December 2020:We found this activity as part of our internal investigation into suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior in Francophone Africa. Although the people behind it attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to individuals associated with French military.Now that France has explicitly stated its doctrine (and maybe others will follow), will platforms act more aggressively, considering they are already under fire for either enabling or not doing enough to mitigate the fallout from influence operations? Or, will there be wink-wink-nudge-nudge arrangements between them and a particular set of states?Note: Google Translate was used for French to English translations.If you enjoy this newsletter please consider taking our 12 week Graduate Certificate Programmes in Technology & Policy, Public Policy, Defence & Foreign Affairs and Health & Life Sciences. Click here to apply and know more. You can also get a gift coupon worth ₹1000 every time you successfully refer a friend to our programmes.Siliconpolitik #1: AI Chips — Arjun GargeyasWhat are They?One of the emerging applications of semiconductor devices is the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips. With new and emerging technologies cropping up, there is an increased need for chipsets with increasing computational power and capabilities. Technologies like Machine Learning and Deep Neural Networks, which are part of the AI ecosystem, have a tremendous workload that cannot be fulfilled by traditional chipsets. AI algorithms work on parallel processing or parallelism, which is the ability to multitask and simultaneously run different computational processes. AI chips, in recent years, have tried to incorporate the needs of AI algorithms into chipsets that can be used both in the cloud as well as at network edges (in smartphones, tablets, and other consumer devices).The diverse applications of AI chips have increased its role in the global economy with companies from various industries all looking to maximise the benefits of AI chip technology. Robotics and autonomous driving, for example, need AI algorithms for efficient and effective working, with the computational power of the chipsets needing incredibly fast processing speeds. This has evolved the role of chipsets with AI capabilities from only being used in the cloud or servers to being used in consumer products at the network edges. However, applications such as Biometrics and Image Recognition need AI chips in the cloud or servers for maintaining a large amount of data. The use of AI chips remains integral in data centers which eventually reduces operational costs and improves information management. Why They MatterThe market for AI chips has consistently increased in the last decade with AI chipsets projected to account for 22% of the global AI revenue by 2022. A strong compounded annual growth rate of 54% has been projected for the AI chips market with technologically advanced regions like the Americas and Europe dominating the market in the future. AI chips also rely on a variety of companies, ranging from smartphone manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei, to traditional chip designers like Qualcomm and MediaTek, to intellectual property (IP) license providers like ARM. With most of the major semiconductor companies across the world in the business, AI chips look to be the next big thing for the industry. Semiconductor companies have already thrown their hats in the AI ring with the development of advanced AI chips like Graphical Processing Units (GPUs). NVIDIA has a dedicated application programming language called CUDA used in parallel computing on GPUs. Other targeted AI chips like Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are developed for specific applications of AI technology. Companies like Microsoft and Google have also invested in the manufacture of these chipsets keeping in mind specific needs such as the speech processing unit of Google Assistant.With increasing global economic revenue and a large market ripe for capture, the presence of China in the AI chips has also been increasing. AI chip funding activity in China has been driven by the hope of creating industry-leading capabilities in machine learning, deep compression, pruning, and system-level optimization for neural networks. Chinese technology companies like Alibaba and Huawei have invested heavily in the manufacture of AI chips for smartphones and other devices. Some Bitcoin mining equipment manufacturers are also getting into the AI optimization game. With domestic AI research in China still playing catch up to the capabilities of Western countries like the United States, these local manufacturing companies have relied on tweaking existing algorithms to create modified AI models. But increased investments along with state support and financing, similar to the semiconductor industry in China, has made AI chips an important technology worth pursuing in technologically adept states. The race for the domination of the global AI chips markets is something to watch out for in the very near future. Cyberpolitik #2: Are Norms Possible?— Sapni G KSince the last edition of this newsletter, much has happened on cyberspace and international action for establishing norms for its operation and regulation. The United States of America joined the Paris Call for Trust and Security in the cyberspace. The 2018 Call led by the French, proposes a multi-stakeholder model for laying down norms for activity in cyberspace during peacetime. This includes, but is not limited to cybersecurity and the concerns of systemic harms to individuals and critical infrastructure. The Call details nine principles that are open for states, local governments, companies, and civil society organizations to support.  Protect individuals and infrastructureProtect the internet Defend electoral processes Defend intellectual propertyNon-proliferation Lifecycle security Cyber hygiene No private hack back International norms They incorporate norms of international law, including the ideas put forth by the UDHR, customary international law, and state laws on the governance of information and communication technologies. This operates as a non-binding, non-enforceable set of principles that are to guide the supporters of the Call and their actions. Most major US tech companies including Microsoft, Google, Facebook Inc (now Meta) are already supporters of the Call and have engaged closely with the various associated working groups. However, the US officially supporting the Call signals that it is no longer holding back in international norm-setting in cyberspace. This could also be read as a furtherance of the USA’s reinvigorated interest in cyber norms, both in peacetime and military applications, as evidenced by recent documents such as the 2021 Interim National Security Strategic Guidance and the recent report by the Department of Defense. However, it is noteworthy that the US has not yet made any concrete steps to sign up to the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, an effort led by research institutes in the Netherlands and Singapore with the support of the French, Dutch, and Singapore governments,  which is also engaged in drawing out international norms for cyberspace during peacetime and armed conflict. China, Russia, Israel, and Iran are other major actors in cyberspace that have not supported the call yet. This is indicative of the fissures in international norm-setting on cyberspace, particularly when China is marching ahead creating a regulatory environment that can have ripple effects internationally. India has not officially supported the Call, but several Indian enterprises and the Karnataka Centre of Excellence of Cybersecurity have joined the Call. It is a proposal worth consideration for the Indian government. An early head start can give India a definitive say in the development of doctrines as well as import legislative principles that can be beneficial to the many millions of Indians who go online every day.  Siliconpolitik #2: US-China-Chips — It’s Complicated— Pranay KotasthaneThree recent news reports have turned the world's attention back to the links between the US and China in the semiconductor domain. Until now, the commonplace understanding is that the US is focused on constraining China's progress in the semiconductor domain, a weak link in China's otherwise impressive technology stack. These news reports contest this narrative by suggesting the constraints don't seem to be working, as many US investors and firms are still flocking to China.WSJ reports that between 2017 and 2020, many US companies, including Intel, have invested in Chinese design companies. The number of deals (58) has more than doubled when compared to the 2013-2016 period.Bloomberg reports Intel wanted to start a manufacturing plant in Chengdu, but the White House officials discouraged it.These reports come on the heels of another big claim in mid-October, when Alibaba unveiled a 5nm server chip, making many heads turn. This news seemed to indicate that China's pursuit of semiconductor self-sufficiency is bearing fruit despite the geopolitical headwinds.Connecting the DotsIntel seems to be interested in China a lot. While the WSJ report showed that Intel is among the active investors in a Chinese Electronic Design Automation (EDA) firm, the Bloomberg report points out that Intel also wants to build a fab in Chengdu. It’s notable that both these stages of the semiconductor value chain are precisely where the US had planned to restrict Chinese access during the Trump administration. Reportedly, the US NSA Jake Sullivan and a few senators, want to change the investment screening methods to prevent such deals in the future.Why are US companies still rushing to China?The supply side: The Chinese government's incentives are 'crowding in' investments from Chinese firms and global semiconductor players alike.The demand side: A significant number of customers of chip makers are based in China - laptop manufacturers, phone manufacturers, servers etc. Companies still want a piece of that pie because homegrown alternatives in China are not enough, yet. It's a mouth-watering market, still.My initial assessmentThe number of investment deals between 2017-20 (58) doesn't sound that big in the overall scheme of things. They also mostly appear to be in chip design firms. What this does suggest is like many industrial policies, there is a crowding-in of capital. When a player the size of the Chinese government throws big money at a problem (starting the Chip Fund in 2014), this is expected to happen. There will be national champions and duds, both. The question really is, how long such subsidies can be sustained.The time period 2017-2020 suggests that the US companies rushed into China before the Trump administration tightened the export controls.Intel's investment in a Chinese EDA firm and a possible fab is indeed worrying. Although, the tone of the Chengdu fab proposal suggests it is more a tactic to get the CHIPS Act passed in the US, which will guarantee big subsidies for the likes of Intel back home. The report had no numbers, or plans, just a few unnamed sources.The demand side question is an important one. As long as China remains the hub for electronics Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), chip makers will find it attractive to sell their products to China. Solving this will require a plurilateral effort to move electronics manufacturing -- and not leading-edge chip manufacturing alone -- out of China.Finally, the Alibaba server chip news report has many unknowns. Unveiling a chip is different from being able to produce it. Manufacturing at 5nm is not possible in China. They must rely on TSMC (and now Samsung) for this purpose. Moreover, the processor IP is still ARM, something that Alibaba hasn't been able to displace.The reportage of the kind WSJ, Bloomberg is putting out is indicative of the change in mindset in the US. A few years ago, no one would have even cared about such investments. These are front-page news items now.I expect some more export controls and more subsidies from the US government, both.Our Reading Menu1. [Full Text] of the Paris Call for Trust and Security in the cyberspace2. [Full Text] 2021 Interim National Security Strategic Guidance of the White house 3. [Policy Study] Principles for Content Policy and Governance by Chris Riley, R Street 4. [Article] by Oleg Shakirov discussing the US-Russia rapprochement on Information and Cyber Security5. [Blog] by Oleg Shakirov explaining why US-Russia cooperation on countering Ransomware threats makes sense This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hightechir.substack.com

On 10 November 2021, the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges (for which I'm a commissioner) held a panel discussion to preview the report's findings. The speakers Julian Elliott, Davina Ghersi, Jenn Thornhill Verma and Andrew Leigh. For more details, see https://www.mcmasterforum.org/networks/evidence-commission/stay-connected/events/event-item/global-commission-on-evidence-to-address-societal-challenges-systematizing-best-evidence-use-in-routine-times-and-to-address-future-global-crises.

Damilola Ogunbiyi is the CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-EnergyMrs. Ogunbiyi has extensive experience in the energy space. Before joining SEforAll she was Managing Director of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency, the first woman to be appointed to the post. Before that she was Senior Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on Power and a senior official in the Lagos State Government. Mrs. Ogunbiyi worked for the British Government as a Consultant in the Department for International Development and at the HM Treasury.Mrs. Ogunbiyi maintains a keen interest in mentoring and empowering young people through skills acquisitions. She created the Lagos State Energy Academy to build the capacity of young people in renewable energy technology, and the Energizing Education Programme (EEP) which launched a Female STEM Student Internship Programme to provide hands-on practical experience in designing and constructing power systems for 700 female undergraduates.Mrs. Ogunbiyi is one of the Commissioners for the Global Commission to end energy poverty which is an initiative driven by MIT and The Rockefeller Foundation. She is the Co-Chair of the COP26 Energy Transition Council. She is also a member of the Development Advisory Council of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), member of the clean cooking alliance advisory board and a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Oxford – Future of Cooling ProgrammeMrs. Ogunbiyi holds a bachelor's degree in Project Management with Construction and a master's degree in Construction Management with Public Private Partnership from University of Brighton.Further reading:Official bio:https://www.seforall.org/who-we-are/damilola-ogunbiyiUN's Ogunbiyi on Sustainability Goals, COP26 (July 2021)https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2021-07-02/un-s-ogunbiyi-on-sustainability-goals-cop26-videoDamilola Ogunbiyi on how to bridge the energy gap in Africa (July 2020)https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2020/damilola-ogunbiyi-on-how-to-bridge-the-energy-gap-in-africa/OECD Climate Finance Provided and Mobilised by Developed Countries: Aggregate Trends Updated with 2019 Datahttps://www.oecd.org/env/climate-finance-provided-and-mobilised-by-developed-countries-aggregate-trends-updated-with-2019-data-03590fb7-en.htm

On this week's Cyber Report, sponsored by Northrop Grumman, Chris Painter, America's first chief cyber diplomat during the Obama administration and who is now with the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, discusses what's next now that the United States, NATO, the EU and allies have agreed to expose Beijing's malicious cyber activities, countering China and Russia in cyberspace, tackling ransomware attacks as a national security priority, and the challenge posed by spyware in the wake of news reports alleging that products by Israel's NSO Group has been used against government leaders and journalists worldwide with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

Today on Extraordinary Women Radio, I am so honored to introduce you to Rebeca Grynspan, the Ibero-American Secretary General, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary General and a former Vice President of Costa Rica. In this Episode: The conception of Ibero-American, and how it continues to bind seventeen countries of Latin-American descent, and the discourse of sustainable development goals for 2021. Rebeca recalls her experience of being the only woman in a state-sponsored “meeting of minds” and her first connection to a life of governance. She shares her journey as the person occupying the second-most top position in the government and how it impacted her life as a mother. Discussing the most exciting initiatives that she consistently works on from her day of vice-presidency until now. Rebeca tackles Covid-19 strategies from vaccination rollouts, aid, and recovery processes. Rebeca's nuggets of wisdom especially for women wanting to start a sustainable change in their respective communities. Rebeca inspires everyone to find unity in diversity and she explains how this progression will positively impact women's rights. Rebeca Grynspan was born in San José, Costa Rica. She was unanimously elected as Ibero-American Secretary General at the Extraordinary Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Ciudad de Mexico, on 24th February 2014.  She took office on 1st April 2014 and in 2018 her mandate was renewed for a further four-year term. She has since coordinated the 22 member state Iberoamerican Conference and led four key summits of Heads of State and Government in Mexico (2014), Colombia (2016), Guatemala (2018), and Andorra (2020-2021). In 2010 she was named Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). From 2006 to 2010, she was UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Grynspan served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998.  She was also Minister of Housing, Minister Coordinator of Economic and Social Affairs, and Deputy Minister of Finance. In addition, she has been a member of the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development, convened by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001. She is a renowned advocate of human development, who has helped to focus the world's attention, and also that of Latin America, on relevant issues such as the reduction of inequality and poverty, gender equality, South-South cooperation as a tool for development, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among others. She was also a delegate to the United Nations Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, a group consisting of the Haitian government, the former President of the United States Bill Clinton, and other prominent international partners. In June 2014 she was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a leading global organization at the forefront of development and environmental policy research. Ms. Grynspan is a member of the steering committee of the UNICEF Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement; member of the Governing Council of the Society for International Development (SID), a global network of individuals and professionals at the forefront of development; member of the International Labour Organisation's Global Commission on the Future of Work; member of the Advisory Board of the Expansión International Economic Forum 2021 and in 2021 became a  member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. In addition to her experience as a conference lecturer and advisor to a number of international organizations and institutions, she has been actively involved in key United Nations initiatives, such as the Millennium Project's Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and the High-level ...

Guest: Shaun Shelly | Chairman of the board  at South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD) Members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy argue that cities are the authorities most exposed to the damage caused by prohibitive drug policies. As such city authorities are also the most efficient agents of change as they fight for equal access to health and social services. Shaun Shelly will unpack some of the recommendations they have made for immediate action to improve urban drug policy.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

➜ Is there more to Autonomous Vehicles than a transportation solution? ➜ How does this innovation affect Systemic, Societal Change? ➜ And what does resilience have to do with all this? Roland Kupers is going to take us on a captivating journey of climate change, complex systems and their resilience. Roland Kupers is a theoretical physicist by university training and he has spent the first 20+ years of his career working for major corporations. Since 2011, he is acting as an advisor for Cities, NGOs, Think Tanks, Corporations and Government on topics related to Energy Transition, Complexity and Resilience He has published widely, including in HBR, on Project Syndicate and co-authored: ➜The Essence of Scenarios – Learning from the Shell Experience (with A. Wilkinson – Amsterdam 2014) ➜Complexity and the Art of Public Policy (with D. Colander – Princeton 2014) ➜A Climate Policy Revolution (Harvard 2020) Roland was a co-author of a report commissioned by the German Government on a New Growth Path for Europe. In 2013 he was the Director for the inception phase of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. For those who are interested in contacting Roland: - https://www.rolandkupers.com/ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/roland-kupers-3575734/ Here is a direct link to Roland's latest book: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674972124 ❤️Help spread education for a resilient future!❤️ Support the Skills for Mars podcast here: ➜www.youtube.com/skillsformars​ (free) ➜www.podhero.com (subscription fees are shared with content creators) ➜www.patreon.com/skillsformars​ (donations) - LinkedIn @skills for mars - Facebook @skillsformars - Instagram @skillsformars - Twitter @skillsformars www.skillsformars.com Support this podcast

The Global Commission on Drug Policy was created in January 2011 to highlight the failure of the war on drugs and to call for a paradigm shift towards drug policies grounded in evidence, human rights, and public health. On this episode, Nate is joined by commissioner Louise Arbour to talk about domestic and global drug policy, the harms of prohibition, and why we need to decriminalize all drugs for personal use and then regulate all drugs according to their respective harms.Arbour has taken on an incredible number of impactful and interesting roles over her career. She served as the chief prosecutor of war crimes before the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and as a Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for International Migration. As an SCC justice, Arbour dissented in Malmo-Levine, highlighting the harms of prohibition, and she has served as a commissioner of the Global Commission since its inception.You can watch Nate's speech in the House on Bill C-22 here. 

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we discuss with Christopher Painter, the world's first Cyber Diplomat. Christopher was appointed as the inaugural cyber diplomat for the US State Department by then-Secretary Hillary Clinton in 2011 and has been cutting through the global cyber dross ever since After several in person discussion with Christopher, I finally sat down (remotely though due to timing! J) with him for an episode and I'm sure listeners will take away a huge amount from it. Christopher is the former Coordinator for Cyber Affairs at the US State Department and former Senior Director for Cyber Security at the White House, a role he covered from the beginning of Obama's Administration in 2009, until the first eight months of Trump's Presidency, in 2016. In this charge, he helped shape US international cyber policy and supported the creation of the Cyber Directorate Affairs at the US National Security Council. On top of this impressive background, he is currently a Commissioner at the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. Prosecution, Diplomacy, Cyber With his background as a Prosecutor and additional experience operating at the most senior levels of government and international diplomacy, Christopher is the perfect person to address the most pressing cyber issues governments' face today, including dealing with cyber conflicts, fighting cybercrime and, among others, facing electoral interference. Particularly, he points out the reasons for supporting a stronger integration of a cyber agenda in every government's top priorities. Public attribution, activism vs crime & the diplomacy game Our conversation was rich with coverage of the complexities involved in diplomacy e.g. shaping cyber dialogue, coordinating different support mechanisms and stakeholders, untangling complex adversarial relationships and posturing correctly to gain both internal and external desired reactions. We then moved on to a discussion concerning the need for inter-country alliances aimed at defense-driven information sharing and joint public attribution. We ended our conversation on the perceived purpose of hacking attacks and attempted to separate hacktivism activities (for privacy, freedom online, security, defense) and crime (data theft and leakage, public exposure of secret documents, unauthorized access to restricted sources of information) while also looking at the associated disincentives / sentences for criminal hacking activities. The Secure in Mind Project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

Pyotr Kurzin hails from both Britain and Russia, a graduate from Johns Hopkins with an MA in Strategic Studies & International Economics. He operates the website myglobalmuse.com and the Instagram account The.eco.expat. where he's been getting a fair bit of traction the last year in enacting his vision, of being able to produce content that inspires and creates informed change to people's travel and lifestyle. Pyotr also works full time as a climate change specialist, focusing on policy and strategy as part of the World Bank currently. He has also worked on environmental migration and climate change refugees as part of the UN and Amnesty International. On this episode we discuss Pyotr's work in the report by the Global Commission for Adaptation called: Adapt Now A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience headed up by Bill Gates and Ban Ki-moon. The report gave him optimism by demonstrating the power of Earths human capital and how innovative we can be when faced by this crisis. However Peter posits that while we still have to retain a sense of urgency towards the climate crisis, we have to accept that we are right in the thick of the problem and need to prioritize it rather than treating it as something that can be done in our off-time. Pyotr explains that the common thread behind this inaction is political self-interest, short-termism, and lack of education. We have the human capital, awareness, technology, and financial backing to be able to tackle the majority of climate change. Pyotr puts the problem into perspective by stating that 71 companies are the majority of emitters and a handful of countries, so no matter how much we individually try to reduce our carbon footprint, we are simply not going to see massive improvement because the impacts are so disproportionate. We do however have to make the issue more accessible and understandable to the general public. UN climate reports are notoriously difficult to read, which is what inspired Pyotr's desire to write his blog and publish his account so that the message becomes more relatable!

In 1971, the war on drugs went international when the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances was signed into international law. This Convention broadened the scope of previous UN drug legislation, facilitating the prohibition of almost any drug imaginable at the time. However, in the past 50 years, various countries across the world have been rejecting this narrative and even the UN itself has agreed that the war on drugs has been a failure. Drugs are here to stay and it was foolish to think that they could be removed from society. An influential cog in this new approach to drug policy are a group called - Transform. Transform take a pragmatic and evidence-based approach to drug policy. Lobbying for harm reduction and alternatives to prohibition. Steve Rolles is Senior Policy Analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, a UK based think tank and charity focused on drug policy and law reform. Lead author on a range of Transform publications including 2009's ‘After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation', Steve has been a regular contributor to the public debate on drug policy and law for over 15 years; in the media, at UK and international events, and at various UN and Government forums around the world. Steve was recently an adviser for the Uruguayan Government in developing their new cannabis regulation model, and was also lead drafter and technical coordinator for the recent ‘Taking control: Pathways to Drug Polices that Work' report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Previously Steve worked for Oxfam and the Medical Research Council, having studied for his Geography BSc at Bristol University and Development Studies MSc at Manchester University.Transform Danny Kushlick Mexico Unido Contra DelincuenciaPortugal decriminalisation Cannabis legalisation in Canada Cannabis legalisation in Uruguay Altered States report William Hague advocating for cannabis reform Global Commission on Drug Policy Lib Dem cannabis report UN common position on drugs UN task team report on the past 10 years of drug policy Latin America cocaine warLuxembourg cannabis reformBecome a Drug Science Community Member: https://www.donate.drugscience.org.uk/Twitter: @ProfDavidNutt @Drug_ScienceA Fascinate Productions podcast for Drug Science ★ Support this podcast ★

This special episode of ClimateReady was taped live at the ongoing UNFCCC COP25 in Madrid, Spain. Ingrid and a special co-host, the Executive Director of AGWA, have a conversation with colleagues from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The four of them talk about the integral role of water in climate change solutions and actions as well as a newly launched background paper on water prepared for the Global Commission on Adaptation (www.adaptationsthirst.org). To watch the Facebook Live video interview, visit http://bit.ly/CR-COP25. The episode concludes with our “Climate of Hope” segment in partnership with the World Youth Parliament for Water. Stephanie Woodworth highlights the impact that climate change is having on the environment and communities where she lives, and the work being done with local youth that gives her hope.

Please RSVP to expedite check-in A live webcast will be streamed at 9:30 AM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) invite you to a briefing on the Global Commission on Adaptation's Flagship Report and Year of Action for climate adaptation. The Commission, which is chaired by Former U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, seeks to accelerate adaptation action by elevating its political visibility and focusing on concrete solutions. In September 2019, the Commission launched its flagship report, Adapt Now: A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience, which outlines a roadmap for scaling-up climate adaptation in the United States and abroad in order to safeguard communities and economies from the impacts of climate change. In particular, the report emphasizes the investment potential of climate adaptation initiatives. The report also kickstarts a Year of Action on climate adaptation, starting in late 2019 and going through 2020, to advance the recommendations from the flagship report which include eight major areas of focus—agriculture, cities, finance, disaster risk management, nature-based solutions, infrastructure, water, and locally-led action. This concentrated effort will help accelerate adaptation action and support, thereby improving human well-being and resulting in better, more sustainable economic development and security for all. Briefing speakers will highlight key elements of the report and share how federal legislators can engage with the Year of Action for climate adaptation.