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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.

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Interview with Bogolo J. Kenewendo, former Trade Minister of Botswana. 
She is a global economist with deep expertise in international trade and development with a particular focus on Pan-African development and a passion for accelerating digitization and innovation across the continent.

As the Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry in Botswana, she implemented reforms to significantly improve the ease of doing business, open up both domestic and international markets, and position the country to succeed in the global value chains as well as the digital economy. During her tenure, she was the youngest Cabinet Minister in Africa and in Botswana’s history.

Kenewendo is also a vocal advocate for gender equity and the protection of children’s rights. She has received global recognition for her work, being appointed as a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, Senior Africa Advisor to Jack Ma Foundation and Africa Business Heroes, Jury for the FAO Africa Innovation Prize, a member of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and group on Financing for Development.

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We interviewed Christian Saunders, Assistant Secretary General for the Office of the Special Coordinator for Improving the UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. 

Mr. Saunders just came back from a visit to Colombia where he met with community leaders and UN officials based in the country. We discussed what are the main tasks of the Office of the Coordinator for Improving the UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA)and the positive changes that are happening in terms of a UN system-wide framework to address the issue.

We also spoke about how a victims' centered approach is becoming standard in the training of first responders, police officers, and the judiciary systems. 

What are the challenges when the UN is operating in fragile states and peacekeeping forces, humanitarian operations, and development programs have staff from multiple countries and cultures that have outdated ways at looking at power asymmetries in the workplace, and do not view women as equals in the public and private spheres?

He explained how he will be working with agencies in the UN system to deliver policy coordination and implementation, and how these partnerships will work in practice.

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Discussion on AI and the Google developer who believed AI was "sentient". We were joined by Dr. Luis Lamb, Gary Marcus, and special guests to clarify the state of AI, the hype around it and who it serves, and how far we still are from AGI. This Twitter Space took place in July 2023. 

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Subscriber-only episode

Interview on Brazil’s Transfer of Power and Democracy

I interviewed Dr. James Green, Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown University.  He is the author of, among many other books on the political history of the region, "We Cannot Remain Silent: Opposition to the Brazilian Military Dictatorship in the United States" and national coordinator for the Washington Brazil Office. 

We spoke about his books on Brazil and the Washington Brazil Office, an independent think tank that connects, supports, and carries advocacy to strengthen civil society, defend democracy and the rule of law, and protect human rights in Brazil.

We also spoke about the transfer of power, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the significance of the moment in the history of the country.

UN Refugees Agency fundraiser Mark Manley on the success of the campaigns and the increase in number of private donors via their website.

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