Weekend Travel: UNESCO World Heritage, US Pledges $500 Million for Amazon Fund, Brazil Closes Partnerships with China in Semiconductors, Telecoms, and Energy
Weekend Travel: UNESCO World Heritage, US Pledges $500 Million for Amazon Fund, Brazil Closes Partnerships with China in Semiconductors, Telecoms, and Energy
Weekend Travel: Where to stay in Paris | Bourgogne: UNESCO World Heritage
The Diplomat
America’s Soft Power at Work
Netflix and chill, its is the weekend.
The Diplomat, created by Debora Cahn, the Homeland and West Wing veteran, was released on Netflix this Thursday 20 April and is already a top ten watched on the streaming service in Switzerland. Wonder why? Well, half of Geneva must be watching it now.
The brilliant Keri Russel and her sidekick have a lot to do with it. International intrigue drama and whodunnit, triple threats and triple agents, and a whiff of John le Carré.
A modern take on James Bond antics and steamy scenes, the usual back channels, high-grade evasiveness, and politricks that make diplomacy, oh, so much fun.
Week Ahead: UN World Data Forum 24 to 27 April
Interview with Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director, UN Statistics Division
I interviewed Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director, Statistics Division at the UN in New York, to speak about the UN World Data Forum. The 2023 Forum will take place in China, from 24 to 27 April, at the Hangzhou International Expo Center.
Organisers are expecting government representatives, policymakers, private sector, data and statistics experts to address the data gaps in development. They will also identify data partnerships and showcase innovation in data gathering and analysis to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The event is hybrid and over 20,000 attendees have registered to participate online and 2000 in-person, from all regions of the world. This is the fourth UN World Data Forum and the first one in the Asia-Pacific region.
You can find more info and register to attend online here.
Presented by Microsoft
The World Needs Cybersecurity Experts
Microsoft Expands Training Programs for Women in 28 Countries
By Kate Behncken, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Philantropies
Demand for cybersecurity skills has grown by an average of 35% over the past year. And in some countries, like Brazil, demand has grown as much as 76%.
In addition to expanding the skilling program to more countries Microsoft is also focusing on helping historically underrepresented populations enter the cybersecurity workforce.
The opportunity for women to work in cybersecurity is huge. Today, women make up only 25% of the global cybersecurity workforce so it’s more important than ever to encourage and empower women to pursue these careers. Full article here.
Learn more about Microsoft’s engagement with the UN here.
Biden Pledges $500 Million to Amazon Fund
The U.S. pledged $500 million to fight deforestation in Brazil. That makes the United States one the largest donors to the Amazon Fund, after Norway that donated $1.2 Billion since it was created, and is followed by Germany with under $250 Million.
Established by Brazil in 2008, the fund it aims to curb deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest. The $500 Million pledge will have to be approved by American Congress and Senate of course, and it will be then disbursed over 5 years.
Why use US taxpayers money to curb deforestation abroad? Because they are the lungs of the planet, no Amazon no life on Earth. Also water. None can live without it.
This pledge comes on the heels of Brazil’s President Lula da Silva visit to China last week.
Brazil’s visit to China yielded commercial and technology transfer agreements in the areas of telecoms, semiconductors, and energy. Partnerships in the areas of cybersecurity and 5G technology as well, to monitor deforestation and climate change, and there was talk of a bilateral green investment fund.
Here is the official White House statement:
Biden Announces 500M Pledge to Curb Deforestation in the Amazon
Source: US Government website, White House
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Weekend Travel: Beaune in the Spotlight
Welcome to our weekend edition, here you will find suggestions for travel, eating out, city get-aways, and how to enjoy your free time, as well as our usual interviews with executives and diplomats.
Sustainable Development in the Vineyard
This week we cover Beaune, in the heart of Bourgogne, where we visited wine producers who are adapting to the energy transition in their production methods.
Beaune is close to Geneva, so it is perfect for a weekend trip.
Enotourism in Bourgogne
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Organise your long weekend or Summer vacation. Or your second honeymoon?
260 Cellars to Visit
Visit the cellars hosted by the wine producers to learn about appellations d’origine, history, geography, and the varietals.
Cellars open to the public.
Sustainable Development Goals
I visited some of the domaines to meet the winemakers that are working on the sustainability of their production. They work alongside “Mother Nature”, using ancestral and new methods to keep their vineyards pesticide-free.
The new generation, that is now taking over the reins in family-run vineyards and wine producing, is keen on the energy transition and making the most balanced wines caring for the environment and ensuring that the wine making process also makes part of this virtuous, sustainable, cycle.
We tasted sublime wines, presented by the winemakers themselves.
Volnay: Tradition and Innovation in a Glass
Welcome to the weekend edition. This weekend we take you to Beaune, in Bourgogne, France’s wine production region known for its annual charity auction of fine wine, run by Sothebys, at the Hospices de Beaune, to benefit hospitals in the region.
We interviewed Volnay Premier Cru wine producer Thomas Bouley, of Jean-Marc and Thomas Bouley Domaine, to speak about the ecological transition of the wine region and how wine growers are adapting to the impact of climate change.
Winegrowers from the Volnay wine production area voted to put an end to the use of weedkillers in the 110 hectares of plots producing the Volnay Premier Cru appellation.
After two years of tests, 75% of plots are already carrying out mechanical weedkilling, this vote has allowed the organization of winegrowers to ask the INAO to include this ban in the appellation’s specifications. This is a way to ensure winegrowers respect the rule, said the professional body of wine producers.
“Stopping the use of weedkillers seemed an obvious step,” explains Thomas Bouley, president of the Volnay trade association. “It’s about public and environmental health. We have the good fortune to be producing an internationally renowned appellation, with high added value, and now we can produce it even more cleanly. In such a favorable economic context, our appellation needs to be exemplary, now more than ever.” he adds.
The Cahier des Charges (specifications) could be changed in 2024, according to the Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne.
Watch
UN Brief Weekend Edition
Check our first weekend edition, sponsored by citizenM Hotels.
Bourgogne: Sustainable Winemaking on the Rise
In our visit to Beaune, invited by the Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne, we visited three wineries that are at the forefront of sustainable development in fine wine making.
The Bourgogne region is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the label is to protect both production savoir-faire as well the actual architectural heritage of the place.
Domaine Lecheneaut, in Nuits St-Georges, has stopped using pesticides in 2010, increased its energy efficiencies with EV/tractors, and its production methods are done with minimal intervention.
Listen to Philippe Vincent, owner of Domaine Lecheneaut, tell their story. *in French
Wine History
Wines From Far Away
8.000 Years of Winemaking History: Wines from Georgia
Presented by citizenM
Where to stay in Paris
citizenM at Gare de Lyon in Paris
Combining Business Travel with a Long Weekend in the City of Light
What is the best way to discover Paris for a weekend if you were there for work, business, or for a conference during the week?
You could, for starters, stay at citizenM at Gare de Lyon, the hotel that caters to your essential needs when travelling for work and leisure, with great design, and the latest tech amenities to control temperature, ambiance, and lighting in your room.
Truly what you really need from a hotel is great sleep, and surroundings that make you relax in the evening and be energised in the morning as you sprint to discover Paris and close deals.
citizenM Gare de Lyon gives you that and more. A friendly welcome, prompt service, cool guests and surroundings. What is not to like?
If you are travelling from Geneva, citizenM is right next to the Gare de Lyon train station, no need to fight the crowds for a taxi or a UBER.
A short 3 minutes walk and you are literally a world away from the hustle and bustle of Gare de Lyon. If you are visiting Paris for the first time take a moment to enjoy the beautiful ceilings in the hallway to Hall 2, and to see the tower clock outside.
Sustainable Tourism: Use Public Transportation
Just half-a-block away from the hotel there is the bus number 63 that takes you straight to Petit Palais, Rue du Bac, and St. Germain, where great cafes and restaurants are plenty.
Or if you fancy a meeting near the Louvre, the bus number 72 will take you there faster than a taxi. Stop at Le Fumoir, right by the Louvre, off Rue de Rivoli, a landmark for people watching, nice wines by the glass, and a great brunch.
There has never been a hotel so well placed in Paris for going to meetings anywhere in the City of Lights.
But you could also stay in.
citizenM Gare de Lyon offers high-speed Internet access, a lounge tastefully decorated with whimsical objects, books, art, photos, great work tables, Apple desktops for guest use, comfortable sofas and armchairs to read, write, and hold business meetings.
