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Global Initiatives
Many global initiatives are taking place outside the foreign policy realm. These are the ones that are worth knowing about.


WHO supports South African consortium to establish first COVID mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub
World Health Organization News Photo by Testalize on Unsplash The World Health Organization (WHO) and its COVAX partners are working with...


UN Hails New Anti-Corruption Network, as ‘important step’ to Build Trust, Promote Justice
Daniel Dickinson, UN News | Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash With factors contributing to transnational corruption becoming...


Solar technologies can speed up vaccine rollout in Africa
Benson Kibiti, The conversation | There’s hope that some industrialised countries will achieve near-universal vaccination against...


Here's how digital transformation and sustainability can flourish together
John Frey, World Economic Forum| Almost every organisation has accelerated its digital transformation initiatives in 2020. But how many...


New global breast cancer initiative highlights renewed commitment to improve survival
WHO | A major new collaborative effort, the Global Breast Cancer Initiative, is being introduced by the World Health Organization, with...


Women entrepreneurs adapt to new technology, mental wealth and community to build and grow business
Stephanie Campbell, It World Canada | Women entrepreneurs are at the forefront of change. To address these changes and help foster a...


Euro-Mediterranean Assembly hears calls for Support for Food Security in the Mediterranean
Antoinette Tyrrell, European Views| A plenary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), today heard calls...


China’s top diplomat says Beijing seeks to U.S. to join forces on new energy and new technologies
Amber Wang, SCMP | Politburo member Yang Jiechi says China puts itself forward to help writing new global rules. China has talked up the...


Kenya emerges as leader on plastic pollution
Newroom, ModernDiplomacy | Kenya is emerging as a leader in the fight against plastic pollution and is among the first countries in East...


Norway, the UK and Canada are not climate champions. They are climate hypocrites
Ivana Kottasová, CNN| Much of the environmental innovation that Norway is so proud of is financed by its oil money. Because Norway, apart...


Could AI ease food security fears?
Liangxiu Han, New Food Magazine| Dr. Liangxiu Han discusses how we might harness big data and machine learning/AI to boost global food...


Mitigating the Climate Change Risks to Global Security
Neil Morisetti & Oli Brown, Chatham House | Rising global temperatures continue to have far-reaching impacts around the world. The...


Ford joins global initiative to promote responsible mining
Reuters| Ford Motors has joined the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), which aims to promote use of third-party...


Opinion: Global food systems can only be truly transformed with a people’s summit
Agnes Kalibata, Devex | Long before the emergence of COVID-19, it was well-accepted that the world was off-course to achieve most of the...


The United States and China Need to Cooperate—for the Planet’s Sake
Julian Brave Noisecat and Thom Woodroofe, Foreign Policy | Polling shows Americans want Biden to emphasize climate diplomacy with...


The geopolitics of the European Green Deal
ECFR | The European Green Deal will have profound geopolitical repercussions, some of which are likely to have an adverse impact on the...


Envisioning a Green New Deal: A Global Comparison
Andrew Chatzky and Anshu Siripurapu, Council of Foreign Relations| The Green New Deal has motivated those who want the U.S. to undertake...


Food Innovation Hubs Put Farmers at Head of the Table for Systems Change
Modern Diplomacy | To meet the SDG and change the way food is produced and consumed, the World Economic Forum, the Government of...


A new initiative could make cities more biodiverse: Here's how
World Economic Forum | The need to transform the relationship between cities and nature has become ever more urgent. Over half of the...


Food Insecurity Crises at Home and Abroad: Why Biden Must Lead on Both
Caitlin Welsh, CSIS | The coronavirus pandemic will have caused the most severe global food security crisis in recent history. How the...


Power surge: How the European Green Deal can succeed in Morocco and Tunisia
Amine Bennis, ECFR | North African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia can help Europe meet its carbon emissions targets and strengthen...


EU grapples with building a ‘house’ for health data
Gerardo Fortuna, Euractiv.com | Having drilled the first bolts of its ambitious EU health agenda, the European Commission is now called...


Disappointing Chinese Vaccine Results Pose Setback for Developing World
Sui-Lee Wee and Ernesto Londoño, New York Times | Scientists in Brazil have downgraded the efficacy of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine that...


China’s Ambitious COVID-19 Vaccine Targets
Eleanor Albert, The Diplomat | 2021 is a year for vaccines and the hope of a return to normalcy. China, which was first hit by the...


Vaccine Diplomacy: In 2021, the UAE will become the new vaccine hub of the Middle East
Mona Ali, ORF | During the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE contributed to the development of a new vaccine by actively participating in...


Agrifood Brief, Special Edition: A closer look at EU agrifood trade
Gerardo Fortuna and Natasha Foote, EURACTIV | In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the importance of creating resilient food systems...


Microsoft and 12 others join Amazon's climate change initiative
Kris Holt, Engadget | Microsoft and 12 other companies have joined Amazon's Climate Pledge, which is a commitment to hit net zero carbon...


We can’t wait to act on emissions. Here’s how to get to net zero
Anthony Robert Hobley, World Economic Forum | The Mission Possible Platform, a collaboration between the World Economic Forum and the...


Climate Change as a National Security and Foreign Policy Priority
Mayesha Alam, Just Security | Biden has pledged to rejoin the 2015 Paris Agreement. Doing so will be an important first step toward...


Jeff Bezos Earth Fund gives $12 million to NDN Collective for climate change initiatives
Journal staff, Rapid City Journal | Jeff Bezos, billionaire Amazon CEO, gave $12 million from his Bezos Earth Fund to Rapid City-based...


What could a good green recovery plan actually look like?
Fiona Harvey, Gaurdian| While some countries – notably the EU, and especially member states France and Germany – have emphasised a push...


Clean Bus Europe Platform joins forces with Sustainable-Bus in new content collaboration
EU FUNDED NEWS | In 2019 UITP was proud to announce the launch of the Clean Bus Europe Platform (CBEP). This initiative under the...


ASSURED project launches first demo in Gothenburg, marking major milestone in the deployment of EM
EU FUNDED NEWS. UITP | EU-funded project ASSURED, which promotes the uptake of electric fleets in cities, has on 21 October kicked off...


Citizens’ assemblies are increasingly popular. Do They Work?
The Economist l Over the past decade, democratic institutions have taken a battering. One solution, long favored by political scientists,...


Broad Canvas of Indian Diplomacy during the Pandemic
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Mizzima India has long been a constructive actor in the shaping of a people-centric international order. We have...


Environmental Diplomacy: China’s Attitude and Effort Towards Climate Change
Sweta Chalise, Modern Diplomacy With the rapid process of industrialization and modernization, there has been a notable increase in...


Harnessing Europe’s climate diplomacy and energy policy to drive down methane worldwide
Sam Kotis, Environmental Defense Fund With the forthcoming EU Methane Strategy and a flurry of other energy proposals expected in the...


Is AI a Force For Good?
Interview With Branka Panic, Founder And Executive Director At AI For Peace Forbes When creating AI systems, organizations should also...


The COVID-19 Global Response Index
Foreign Policy Analytics A country-by-country assessment of government responses to the pandemic. Read the full article HERE


Artificial Intelligence and Its Partners
Oleg Shakirov, Modern Diplomacy The creation of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) reflects the growing interest of...


UN chief calls for “a new model for global governance”
Democracy Without Borders In what The Guardian newspaper called “his most stinging speeches to date”, UN Secretary-General António...


The Case for Ecological Realism
Stewart M. Patrick, WPR The time has come for the nations of the world to embrace a new approach to world politics that treats the...

Global cooperation key to eradicating deadly pig virus: UN agency
UN News A disease that may kill every pig it infects and for which there is no effective vaccine can be eradicated if more countries...


Empowering education through artificial intelligence
Yang Meiping, Shine | Experts from China and abroad shared their ideas on how artificial intelligence can empower education in...


Israel announces partnership with U.A.E., Which throws cold water on it
Ronen Bergman and Ben Hubbard, The New York Times Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted a rare public opening between the two...


What's the science on the Emirates Mars Mission?
Zulfikar Abbany, DW The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launches its first mission to Mars, the 'Al-Amal', 'Hope' Mars Mission from Japan's...


Coronavirus and aid: What we’re watching
The New Humanitarian A snapshot of how COVID-19 has disrupted aid efforts around the globe- There are early signs of what postponed...


Climate Change and National Security: Balancing the Costs and Benefits
Mark G. Stewart, CATO Institute If climate projections are correct, a changing climate has the potential to cause sea levels to rise,...


'More masks than jellyfish': coronavirus waste ends up in ocean
Renee Cho, Columbia University, State of the Planet Earth Instituted A glut of discarded single-use masks and gloves is washing up on...


Microsoft launches initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed
Brad Smith, Microsoft Around the world, 2020 has emerged as one of the most challenging years in many of our lifetimes. In six months,...
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