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Globesight’s Virtual Conversation convened The Global Fund’s Head of Private Sector Engagement, John Fairhurst, and President and COO of (RED), Jennifer Lotito to discuss the role of the private sector in moving to a healthier post-pandemic world. As the world steps into 2021 and with the advent of successful treatments and vaccines,  the global conversation is shifting towards recovery, rebuilding, and resilience. Activating the capacities and innovative thinking of the private sector will be crucial to achieving a sustainable, holistic recovery in 2021, as well as building stronger health systems in the years to come. Moderated by Globesight’s Executive Director, Taufiq Rahim, the discussion explored how global health institutions, such as The Global Fund are approaching the changing response and looking to the future, as well as how the private sector can aid in maintaining the momentum and awareness of global health. 

Jennifer Lotito stressed the importance of a concerted global effort, explaining that, “The roll-out in ending COVID will be the biggest global health effort in the history of the world. That means that governments need to step up, and the private sector needs to step up.” 

For leaders in the UAE private sector, they will be at the forefront of that conversation, particularly as it relates to the  Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa. When it comes to domestic responses, John Fairhurst highlighted that, “the global response must invest in local resilience. The skill transfer, investment, and support for building the resilience of the domestic private sector is also very important to build world-class capabilities to address crises like COVID. The private  sector has an incredible role to play in building the private sectors in other countries.” As Jennifer Lotito concluded, “Until all of us are safe, none of us are safe.” 

Watch the full recording on our YouTube channel.

Amidst a global pandemic, world leaders convened virtually last week for the 75th Session of #UNGA. The High-Level Meetings have stressed the need for ‘transformative action’ and ‘solidarity’ for a world in crisis. Yet five years into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda we are further than ever from meeting the #SustainableDevelopmentGoals. The same ideas and institutions are simply not going to be enough. We need new thinking. We need new solutions.

We are announcing today a new platform, 2030.solutions/, that will provide a space to challenge existing assumptions and promote new solutions for a more just, equal, decent, and inclusive world. Incisive commentary will aim to provoke discussion and critical thinking to help ensure the world reaches the outcomes set out by the #SDGs by 2030.

Find out more at: 2030.solutions/ and join the conversation

In January 2020, the start of the United Nation’s 75th anniversary, Secretary-General António Guterres launched the world’s biggest conversation on building a better future for all. Guided by the vision of building greater solidarity around the world and the articulation of #TheWorldWeWant, the UN’s goal was to spark conversations, the UN75 dialogues, in diverse settings globally. From classrooms to boardrooms, parliaments to village halls, and ultimately on computer’s and mobile screens with the advent of COVID-19, global citizens exchanged their ideas on priorities for the future, obstacles to achieving them, and the role of international cooperation in making progress. As of late September, over a million people from all countries and all walks of life had already participated. Each dialogue presented a unique opportunity to encourage local action and build greater trust between groups and sectors. In a time of great disruption and uncertainty, as well as waning international cooperation, the UN sought to uncover shared priorities and outlooks for getting through the still-unfolding health crisis, and subsequent social and economic crises, together. 

In line with the UN75 vision, Globesight hosted a virtual dialogue, “Championing Gender Equality amidst a Pandemic: Catalyzing Innovative Solutions to Narrow a Widening Gap,” bringing together diverse international stakeholders to explore how women have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and what the world can do, as a global community, to respond. The international community needs to prioritize gender equality, and particularly local solutions that help to achieve it. Community-based solutions, funded and empowered by governments, international organizations, and the private sector, are the most effective ways of solving the most pressing problems the world is facing today. Local expertise and credibility go a long way, and thus international actors must tap into this wealth of knowledge and talent, especially during the pandemic, to help end gender inequality which has been seriously exacerbated in the past year. Given that women have been most negatively impacted by the pandemic, any efforts and initiatives must take a gendered lens at all stages to ensure the issue of gender inequality is not further exacerbated when responding to the pandemic in our economy, health, labor, education, financing, and other responses. 

Participants believed women will be better off in 2045 than they are today given that so many efforts across individuals, CSOs, private sector organizations, governments, multilateral organizations, and international organizations are working across so many different dimensions (e.g., education, health, finance, etc…) to help women succeed and achieve greater equality with their male peers. Gender inequality existed long before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has simply removed the veneer and is helping to move the conversation about gender equality into the mainstream.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoT9y0InqaE

The devastating explosion in Lebanon’s capital killed at least 150 people, injured more than 5,000, and left hundreds and thousands of people homeless. The Lebanese people are left dealing with injuries, loss of loved ones, and damaged homes as they look towards rebuilding their lives. 

To help rescue efforts and support the strong people of Lebanon, Globesight supported the Global Aid for Lebanon Campaign, led by Global Citizen, which called on the global community to help the Lebanese people.

The campaign was kicked off by a $250,000 donation by Sal & Rima Slaiby, Sal being the manager of artists including The Weeknd, French Montana, and more. The campaign directed funds to Red Cross Lebanon, the United Nations World Food Programme, as well as the Children’s Cancer Center Lebanon (CCCL). 

Lebanon was already facing economic trouble before the August 4 explosion that destroyed the Port of Beirut, which handles 80% of the country’s imports, including food. The country has been experiencing high rates of unemployment, and COVID-19 further made day-to-day life for many a struggle. Human Rights Watch issued a report a week before the explosion warning of mass hunger across the country due to COVID-19.

As part of our commitment to the campaign, Globesight also called on its partners to join the campaign and help support the people of Lebanon during such trying times.

To read more about the campaign visit: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/global-aid-lebanon/

Syria remains afflicted by violence and war. As the years have passed since the conflict began in 2011, the focus of conversation has recently turned to the issue of reconstruction of the country. While the United States, European Union, and most international organizations have largely refrained from any substantive support for reconstruction in Syria without a political transition, many other countries have begun to engage, with varying degrees of intensity, in coordination with the Syrian government. There is a growing lack of overlap between the needs of Syrians on the ground, and the priorities and engagement in reconstruction of not only the Syrian government, but also of these external actors who are now involved in these efforts.

The report puts forward a framework highlighting the priority needs of Syrians in reconstruction across four dimensions: livelihoods, housing, infrastructure, and services. These sectors are analyzed in terms of previous lessons learned in cases of post-conflict reconstruction, as well as the pre-conflict reality in Syria. The external priorities and engagement in Syria of Russia, Iran, China, Turkey, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and various additional actors are addressed in particular, according to the framework of needs.

Russia, Iran, and China are largely focused on infrastructure that they believe will be financially and politically beneficial for their countries, with a limited lens on the development needs of the local Syrian population. Iran has also focused on financially rewarding infrastructure while also investing in strategic locations in Syria aligned with its political priorities in the region. Turkey’s efforts have concentrated in areas in the north over which they have varying degrees of control, motivated in part to see the return of Syrian refugees. Other countries also have varying levels of involvement, albeit currently limited.

There is a need for overall reconstruction of Syria to be guided along a core set of principles that improve livelihoods, build sustainable infrastructure, provide affordable housing, and enhance services. Through this lens, national and international institutions and policymakers can engage with countries, whether informally or formally, to adjust their efforts where possible to better serve the development outcomes for the local population.

Read the full report: http://globesight.com/gs_reports/framework-for-engaging-external-actors-in-reconstruction-in-syria/

Globesight is proud to announce at the Vatican that #RefugeesShine will launch in New York and Dubai in 2018. The campaign will show the most vulnerable among us in a different light.

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Globesight Executive Director, Taufiq Rahim joined Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former UNDP Administrator, and Mona Hammadi, Senior Director of the Office of Strategic Affairs, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, to discuss ideas on how to increase sustainable development finance flows during a research roundtable hosted by the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA). The panel addressed how philanthropy remains a key source of development finance that can complement efforts of governments and agreed that more strategic, coordinated and innovative approaches to remittances and philanthropy are needed.

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‘Great Expectations: The Growth of Institutional Philanthropy in the United Arab Emirates’ is a new report by the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School with research partner Globesight. The report presents the first comprehensive study of the UAE philanthropic ecosystem, with a focus on institutional philanthropy, and its potential in the country.

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