Weekend Travel: UNESCO World Heritage | US Pledges $500 Million for Amazon Fund | Brazil Closes Partnerships with China in Semiconductors
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
Many of you have asked how you can support my work. You can become a paid subscriber. You can upgrade your subscription for $10 a month to support my work.
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. See the list of wineries with tasting rooms:
To support THE UN BRIEF and read this article please become a paid subscriber.