IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi Warned of Greater Risk of a Nuclear Accident After Shelling of a City Nearby the Nuclear Power Plant Under Siege in Ukraine

The UN Brief @MayaPlentz

#IAEA DG statement on the gravity of the situation in Ukraine: "This dramatic development demonstrates the absolute imperative to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone now. This is the only way to ensure that we do not face a nuclear accident."

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Sustainable Finance Geneva Presents

Building Bridges

Building Bridges will welcome the international development and finance community in Geneva from 3-6 October 2022 to advance sustainable finance.

The 3rd edition of Building Bridges will feature a High-level Summit, and over 65 thought-provoking discussions to mobilize capital for the 2030 Agenda.

Register now here.

The conference will convene internationally renowned experts and out-of-the-box thought leaders such as Emmanuel Faber, International Sustainability Standards Board, Patricia Danzi, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Ueli Maurer, Federal Councillor, Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, Margaret Kulhow, WWF, David Nabarro, Skill, Systems & Synergies for Sustainable Development, Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Centre for Economic Policy research, and many other speakers.

Building Bridges is an open and collaborative effort that aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable financial system. The initiative brings diverse actors from the finance industry, the United Nations, international organizations, NGOs, academia, and government together around a common vision of advancing sustainable finance to address the Sustainable Development Goals.

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The UN Brief Twitter Spaces

This past week we had the pleasure to host three experts on social media for governments and digital diplomacy. Listen to the recording below.

The UN Brief @MayaPlentz

Set the reminder for 18:00 CET Geneva / 12:00 ET in New York. Join @Dante_Licona Head of Social @ifrc, Matthias Lufkens @lufkens, Andreas Sandre @andreas212nyc, Press and Public Affairs Officer, Italian Embassy in Washington, to hear the latest in #DigitalDiplomacy.

Dante Licona @Dante_Licona

Which global leaders are using social media in smart ways? Join today’s #DigitalDiplomacy conversation with @luefkens, @andreas212nyc, and yours truly. Thank you for the invitation, @MayaPlentz! https://t.co/4RwkLIzjnM

A beloved monarch and leader leaves us. The world mourns.

Queen Elizabeth at the UN General Assembly in 1952. Photo: UN Audiovisual

Prince William (parody account) has made a lovely TikTok to honour her memory.

The Crown is catching up with the times. ;)

HRH Prince William, Prince Of Wales ➐ (parody) @HRH_William_

Some of our Queens cute & funny moments, I’d thought I share with you all. #QueenElizabeth #QueenElizabethII #GodSaveTheQueen #KingCharles #KingCharlesIII #RestInPeace

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Twitter Spaces Recording

Nuclear Threats: A Discussion with Marc Finaud, Jean-Marie Collin, and Lionel Fatton on the 10th Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty on Nuclear Weapons

The UN Brief @MayaPlentz

Listen to the recording of our Twitter Spaces on the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons #NPT with @jmc_nonukes of @ICAN_France @LionelFatton from @WebsterGeneva and @FinaudMarc from @TheGCSP https://t.co/U5OxZwyUTG

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ITU: AI for Good a Huge Success Online Yet In-Person Events Should Not Be Fully Replaced

The UN agency for telecommunication and information technologies, ITU, has experienced tremendous success by moving its conferences online at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Its flagship event on AI, open to the private sector and NGOs, AI for Good, has seen exponential growth, increasing the participation of women and people in emerging economies that would not necessarily be able to attend the event in Geneva.

Now AI for Good will continue its online version and also is scheduled to start again the in-person conference next year, mid-2023.

Gathering diplomats, government representatives in the legislative and ministries of science and technology, scholars, private sector, and innovators of all stripes, AI for Good, since its launch in 2018, became the place to do business and talk policy on all matters artificial intelligence and machine learning, in Geneva, once a year.

Yet the online version is so successful that will continue and expand to include a social network for participants. Most conferences nowadays usually have a networking app, however they are often discontinued after the event is over.

ITU is betting on a persistent network, tells me Fred Werner: “Think of a dating app, combined with the smarts of a Netflix recommendation algorithm.”

It is a place to exchange knowledge, find out about investments in the sector, find funding, identify startups to fund and work with. What is not to like?

The Neural Network, as it is called, has been growing fast and people are signing up to the tune of 400 new members a week, according to ITU’s latest figures.

To find out more about the online conference and how to sign-up to the Neural Network watch my interview with Fred Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement at ITU.

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Appoints UN Insider Volker Turk, an International Civil Servant With the Organisation for More Than Two Decades, as the New High Commissioner for Human Rights

Volker Türk @volker_turk

Starting Monday 12 September:

Human Rights Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation (14 September); the Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures (14 September); the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery (15 September); the Special Rapporteur on the right to development (15 September); the report of the Office of the High Commissioner on privacy (16 September); the Special Rapporteur on truth, justice and reparation; the Working Group on arbitrary detention (19 September); the Independent Expert on older people (19 September); the Independent Expert on an equitable international order (19 September); the Working Group on enforced disappearances (20 September); the Working Group on mercenaries (20 September); and the Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and waste (20 September).
Also under agenda item three, the Council will hear a briefing by the President of the Economic and Social Council, the presentation of thematic reports and the reports of the Working Group on the right to development and the Working Group on private military and security companies, followed by a general debate (20 and 21 September).

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The UN Brief

UN Secretary General Appoints New High…