Week Ahead: ITU World Summit on the Information Society Kicks-off in Geneva | Cybersecurity Talks Wrap-up in New York | WTO: Decarbonising the Steel Sector | $826 Million for Education

WTO: Decarbonising the Steel Sector | $826 Million for Education in Humanitarian Operations | Cybersecurity Talks in New York

Burhan Gafoor @BurhanGafoor

What a busy week..! More than 300 statements, 47% from women. Great to see constructive engagement and focused discussions in the Open Ended Working Group on ICT Security. Many new ideas, action-oriented proposals. A good start to #OEWG #CyberSecurity #UnitedNations

Presented by Microsoft

The imperative for digital transformation and public-private partnerships in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

As part of an ongoing commitment to the mission and ambition of the United Nations, Microsoft served as the co-chair of LDC5 / Private Sector Forum, where they explored ways that digital development can become a reality. Learn more here.

Cybersecurity Talks in New York

In New York, the Open Ended Working Group on Peace and Security in Cyberspace is hard at work to develop and support norms of responsible behaviour in cyberspace. NGOs, delegates from country-members and the private sector are in for the week.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations in New York, H.E. Burhan Gaffer, is the current chair, taking the baton from Swiss Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jurg Lauber, in 2022.

Pavlina Pavlova @PavlPavlova

The view from the Permanent Mission of France 🇫🇷 to the United Nations @franceonu. Do you know about #Cyber Programme of Action? It is a proposal initiated by France and Egypt for a permanent and action-oriented process @UN to advance peace and security in #cyberspace.

Helen Popp @H_Popp

Underlying messages from the 4th #UNCyberOEWG session: Compliance with international law and consistent adherence to a State’s voluntary commitments are the foundation of the rules-based international order and peaceful relations between States.

WTO: Decarbonising the Steel Sector

A series of panels to discuss decarbonisation of the steel sector took place at the WTO, led by the Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, with the participation of private sector including Arcelor-Mittal’s CEO, H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma, Chair, H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma Foundation, Initiator and Leader of The Initiative MAMA-LIGHT®️ for Sustainable Energy. The first panel was moderated by Emma Farge, Senior Correspondent at Reuters in Geneva, and a subsequent panel was moderated by the UK Permanent Representative to the WTO, Ambassador Simon Manley. WTO’s Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam spoke on the role of WTO.

Watch the panels here.

ITU

World Summit on the Information Society 2023

Addressing Climate Change

To register click here.

The UN Brief @MayaPlentz

@wisis starts today, take a look at the list of speakers and sign-up to watch online. #DigitalEconomy #ITU #GreenEconomy cc @patrick_rosenow @Jason @RichardGowan1 @piper5078 @CostaRicaONU @kimwillsher1 @BSapag @LaurentAlfonso @pass_blue itu.int/net4/wsis/foru…

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Biodiversity

“The Ship Has Reached the Shore” UN Ambassador for Seas, Ms. Rena Lee

High-Drama at the UN as the Treaty of the High-Seas, a Legally Binding Instrument to Protect Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions, is Agreed Upon by UN Country Members, Private Sector Actors, Academics and Researchers, and NGOs

There is a very good piece on the New Yorker about it. Link below.

The UN Brief @MayaPlentz

The Inside Story of the U.N. High Seas Treaty newyorker.com/news/daily-com… via @NewYorker

newyorker.comThe Inside Story of the U.N. High Seas TreatyA new global agreement protects marine life in parts of the ocean that laws have been unable to reach.

Books

Challenging the Misconceptions of the United Nations: Promoting a Greater Understanding One Blog at a Time, Michael C. Curtin, M.A.

The book is a treasure trove for historians of the UN, it provides insights in the characters and the most intense negotiations of the last decade at the institution.

The compilation of blog posts by Michael C. Curtin, Challenging the Misconceptions of the United Nations examines the narrative on the work and purpose of the United Nations by its detractors, and highlights the positive outcomes that are often drowned by the noise created by those that antagonize the organisation.

Mr. Curtin is an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, New Jersey, where he teaches courses in Political Science. He also teaches International Relations at Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy & International Relations, and teaches a course on the United Nations at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

He was a writer and editor at the United Nations Association of the United States of America, Northern New Jersey Chapter, which provided him a platform to write and advocate for the UN. His work was also published by International Policy Digest.

“Over the course of its seventy-five-year history, the world body has had to endure numerous—mostly unfounded—criticisms of the vital work it performs each day. Considering the negative perceptions of the UN, an important question needs to be posed: As the only international organization capable of doing many of the things it does, if it did not exist, what would replace it? No substantive responses follow this query other than its critics stating that it should be abolished. The view that the UN has outlived its usefulness, as some would have you believe, is misguided. Moreover, in an interconnected world, the belief that unilateralism is the approach to take in the twenty-first century is extremely shortsighted.” Michael C. Curtin

Swiss Government

Education in Humanitarian Settings

US$ 826 Million Pledged

Source: ECW

On February 16th world leaders announced over US$826 million to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) to support the education of 222 million girls and boys.

The announcements were made at the ECW High-Level Financing Conference on 16-17 February in Geneva, Switzerland “where 17 donors announced pledges to Education Cannot Wait, including five contributions from new donors – a historic milestone for education in emergencies and protracted crises and ECW”.

Just over one month into the Multilateral Fund’s new 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, these landmark commitments already amount to more than half of the US$1.5 billion required to deliver on the Fund’s four-year Strategic Plan and reach 20 million children and adolescents.

Worldwide, 222 million children impacted by conflict, climate change, forced displacement, and other protracted crises urgently need quality education.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis at the Education Cannot Wait Conference

Swiss Ambassador Alexandre Fasel at the ECW Conference

Environment

WTO

Ending Harmful Fisheries’ Subsidies

Switzerland, Seychelles, and Singapore so far ratified the document agreed upon at the last WTO Ministerial Conference, to end harmful subsidies, protect the environment and livelihoods of fishermen, and provide oversight to fishing in the high-seas.

Mark Your Calendars

20 March - Fish Week

Fisheries Funding Mechanism

27 March - A Week Dedicated to Agriculture

Focus on LDC’s

Turkey’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO Alparsian Acarsoy, was appointed the new Chair for the Agriculture committee.

What is the role of the WTO’s Agriculture Committee?

“They have the responsibility of reforming agricultural trade rules and to contribute to ensuring food security for all, the broad objective of the agricultural negotiations is enabling families to put food on the table.” Amb. Alparsian Acarsoy

Higher Education and Trade for LDCs

LDCs in the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference