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Dec 19: The digital projects I have been developing have taken shape and found interesting cooperation partners. The project emphasis is on young people, mental health, telemedicine, Early Childhood Development, public policy and the SDGs.

Nov 19: Honored to moderate a two-day conference of data specialists connected to the EU Parliament (credit: Parlimentsdirektion-Jantzen)

Oct 19: Participated in two ‘Chatham House Rule’ events debating the future impact of Artificial Intelligence – both on the labor market and in the humanitarian field. Leveraging big data for social good is tricky, to say the least.

Sept 19: A pleasure to speak about the humanitarian implications of Artificial Intelligence at an OSCE conference focused on HR topics.

Aug 19: What an honor to interview former UN SG Ban Ki-moon, a truly inspiring world leader. Many thanks to the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens for having facilitated this opportunity (credit: EFA – Matteo Vegetti).

Aug 19: Our first interview at European Forum Alpbach this year was with Pascal Lamy, former DG of the World Trade Organization, current President of the Paris Peace Forum (credit: EFA – Matteo Vegetti).

Jul 19: What an honor to interview former Austrian President Dr. Heinz Fischer at the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. (credit: Webster Vienna Private University)

Jun 19: It was my pleasure to support Suad Mohamed in preparing for her great speech for World Refugee Day 2019. (credit: KAICIID)

May 19: Participated in the Mayor’s reception celebrating the ‘40th Anniversary of the Vienna International Centre’ in the stunning City Hall. Most Vienna-based UN organizations were there in promotion of multidisciplinary cooperation.

Apr 19: Appeared on the Webster University Ten-Twenty international relations podcast to discuss the 150th anniversary of the births of Mahatma and Kasturba Gandhi.

Mar 19: Had a great visit to the office of Austrian Parliamentarian Dr. Alma Zadić. Creative cooperation between government and civil society is crucial in reaching the SDGs.

Feb 19: Spoke at a UPF leadership event in Seoul with an eclectic group of participants. I echoed the sentiment of many speakers calling for nuclear non-proliferation on the Korean Peninsula.

Feb 19: Woman power at the United Nations in Vienna! Suad Mohamed (to my right) and I both joined panels at the “Migration and Interreligious Understanding in the Age of Globalization” conference.

Jan 19: At the United Nations Vienna to meet the young researchers of the study I reviewed: ‘Electoral reform in Haiti: Ensuring increased women’s participation.’ SDG implementation. Congratulations to RAUN for a great conference!

Nov 18: Honored to speak at the ‘RELX Group SDG Inspiration Day Amsterdam’ which explored the power of partnerships. RELX Group has been at the forefront of innovation in related areas. (photo credit: Minji Kwag)

Sept 18: Filming the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation’s television segment covering our visit to KAICIID.

Sept 18: For the International Day of Peace, I initiated a refugee-related event at The World Museum. Many thanks to Second President of the Austrian National Council Doris Bures for hosting, to Doaa Al Zamel, Rania Ali and Nour Barakeh for their keynotes, and to Suad Mohamed for her contribution.

Aug 18: Many thanks to all of those who participated in my ‘Be the Media’ workshops this summer. Never forget the importance of your voice and your energy in effecting positive social change…

June 18: Had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Khojesta Fana Ebrahimkhel of Afghanistan at the Women in International Security Vienna event at the Diplomatic Academy last night. We discussed her great initiative, the Association of Afghan Women Diplomats.

Feb-Mar 18: Prominent whistleblowers spoke at the Elevate panel ‘From Pentagon to Paradise.’ From left: Matthew Hoh, Thomas Drake, Jesselyn Radack, Lisa Ling, and Cian Westmoreland.

Feb-Mar 18: Participated in the Opening Session at Elevate, an interdisciplinary festival uniquely combining critical political discourse and contemporary music and art.’ This year’s event focused on Risk and Courage. (photo credit: Elevate)

Jan 18: Closing shot of the wonderful team of volunteers who carried out our three-day United Nations event dedicated to exploring SDG 5 within the context of refugee issues. Honored to have been the Conference Coordinator.

Jan 18: The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation’s Klaus Unterberger (Public Value) and Andreas Pfeifer (Intl. News) on stage. Karuna Parajuli discussed the role of women in post-armed-conflict, peace-building efforts. (photo credit: Webster Vienna Private University)

Nov 17: Setsuko Thurlow will jointly accept the Nobel Peace Prize on ICAN’s behalf next month. I initiated and produced a short video of her contribution to the 2014 Humanitarian Impact Conference, her testimony to students, and reaction to the Austrian Pledge. What an amazing woman she is!

Sept 17: At  the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, I moderated an event which gathered stakeholders in aviation security and education to reduce human trafficking. Here, doing a bit of pre-planning with Nancy Rivard, President, Airline Ambassadors International.

Feb 17: Wonderful to see Ela Gandhi again! During her years as a Parliamentarian in South Africa, she was integral in developing the country’s Constitution along with its Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was a treat taking her for a tour of the Austrian Parliament.

Jan 17: Chaired at this UN Vienna event: ‘Toward Peace and Reconciliation in Conflict Zones – The Role of Religions.’ Participants were UN diplomats, religious leaders and NGOs. Discussed Syria and the plight of refugees.

Dec 16: Participated in the Prague Agenda Conference at the Czech Republic Foreign Ministry where we debated Obama’s nuclear legacy. Warsaw Pact signed in this room.

Nov 16: To mark the International Day to eliminate Violence against Women, I participated in a “Femicide Watch” event with UNODC, OSCE and others aimed at systematizing data collection and analysis on gender-based violence.

Sep 16: Afternoon panel with two of the WWII witnesses and the respective Permanent Mission to the UN — with Ambassador Leigh Turner, UK Permanent Mission, Reiko Yamada, Japan, Fukuichiro Tanaka, Japan Permanent Mission and Hazel Richardson, England.

Aug 16: Massive turnout for the ‘Building a Nuclear Weapon Free World‘ conference in Astana, Kazakhstan. A who’s who of nuclear-disarmament figures participated. Kudos to Alyn Ware and his PNND for a terrific job in organizing the conference (photo from PNND).

Dec 19: Honored to be given access to the World Health Organization’s QualityRights Initiative e-learning material, focused on building capacity for mental health services. A wealth of information to research for these next steps.

Nov 19: ‘Throwback Thursday’ photo with Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz and Anya Schiffrin at EFA with the self-organizing group.

Oct 19: Did quite a few media interviews this month on topics ranging from the Austrian political landscape to the impact of US withdrawal from Northern Syria on the refugee crisis.

Sept 19: Participated in the interactive data lab for the launch of the Women Count Data Hub, which provides public access to gender data that can be used to monitor SDG progress (credit: UN Women).

Sept 19: Attended the United Nations  General Assembly and corresponding SDG Action Zone activities in New York. Had some talks about a series of new digital projects I am developing.

Aug 19: Nour Barakeh, Suad Mohamed and I interviewed H.E. Ban on everything from defunding war to promoting the SDGs. Stefan Yazzie Herbert was the videographer (credit: EFA – Matteo Vegetti).

Aug 19: With Jeffrey and Sonia Sachs at the pitch of the Telemedicine team at EFA. Suad Mohamed is part of this team with a medical background and a compelling digital project.

Jul 19: The interview was both wide-ranging and fascinating. Here with co-interviewers Nour Barakeh and Rania Ali and staff of Webster Vienna Private University. (credit: WVPU)

Jun 19: I wrote an op-ed which questioned how a recent political decision will impact capacity building regarding integration. (credit: KAICIID)

May 19: UNHCR, Act.Now and others have partnered with Yo-Yo Ma on the Bach project to promote positive social activism. Thrilled to see UN Secretary-General António Guterres at this related Brunnenpassage event (credit: Caritas)

Apr 19: Spoke at a UN event exploring capacity building in the Global South. Innovative and collaborative approaches for reaching the SDGs are critical.

Mar 19: Working in Madrid quite a bit this month due to an organizational development project. Wonderful city and great team!

Feb 19: So nice to see former UN SG Ban Ki-moon again at the Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development in Seoul. Former Austrian President Heinz Fischer was also in attendance (credit: BKMC).

Feb 19: At this well-attended World Interfaith Harmony Week event at the UN in Vienna, I represented Ela Gandhi in describing two initiatives connected to the Gandhi  Development Trust.

Oct 18: The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) did a television segment on my recent initiative to impact the narrative on refugee topics in Austria. This ‘Hohes Haus’ segment aired – and was terrific! Many thanks to ORF and to the Austrian Parliamentary team supporting this program.

Aug 18: Supported a wonderful group of Scholarship Holders bringing Nour Barakeh’s theater piece ‘Not a Fate’ to life. We were deeply honored to have Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens Board Members present, including the Founders, Former Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon and Former President of the Republic of Austria Heinz Fischer. (Photo credit: © Laurent Ziegler / Forum Alpbach)

May 18: Attended a breakfast meeting at the Ban-ki Moon Center for Global Citizenship. We discussed strategies and synergies for empowering women and youth.

May 18: It was a pleasure to join the CTBT Science and Diplomacy Symposium, which focused on CTBT’s contribution to international peace and security. Delighted to see Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh there; we discussed innovations in nuclear test monitoring science and technology.

Feb-Mar 18: Opening Session of Elevate, with Daniel Erlacher, one of the founders of the Elevate Festival in Graz and all-round amazing guy. Joining live was Julian Assange talking about his activities from inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. (photo credit: Elevate)

Jan 18: In the Opening Session of the ACUNS Vienna 2018 Conference, Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization keynoted on the importance of empowering women in achieving peace. (photo credit: UNIS Vienna)

Dec 17: Poster for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) event I initiated and will help moderate. Two of UNODA’s Global South graduates will join, along with Doaa Al Zamel. We will discuss disarmament, inspiring young people… Side Event live-streamed to viewers on four continents.

Sept 17: To my right is Ismail H. Balla, the Chief of UNODA Vienna. He gave a great talk on the connection of disarmament to both development and sustained peace.

Aug 17: For the past two years, I have helped organize and implement Genbaku No Hi, a United Nations event which honors those who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and calls for nuclear disarmament.

Feb 17: Next, we went to Webster Private University Vienna for an event covered by Austrian television and live streamed. Ms. Gandhi spoke about life under apartheid, her activism, her views on nuclear disarmament and her work via the Gandhi Development Trust.

Feb 17: Inside the ornate Federal Assembly Chamber of the Austrian Parliament, Ms. Gandhi started reminiscing about her grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, and her meetings with Nelson Mandela in the South African Parliament… wow! A very wise and humble woman.

Jan 17: Honored to attend Austria-based Act.Now’s third International Mayors’ Conference NOW Vienna, focused on refugee ‘Children under the Radar.’ Here is the dramatic backdrop installation – symbolically made of life vests.

Dec 16: Inside the ATOM Museum, a former Soviet military base where Soviet nuclear weapons were reportedly stored during the Cold War.

Sep 16: I initiated and co-organized an International Day of Peace conference at the UN Vienna. The goal was to underscore that weapons (and especially nuclear weapons) must be addressed when discussing peace and sustainable development.

Aug 16: A military person accompanying us to Ground Zero of the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan – measuring radiation levels with a handheld Geiger counter.

May 16: Attended Geneva’s Open-ended Working Group of the UN General Assembly  on nuclear weapons. To my left is Alyn Ware, the Global Coordinator for PNND and co-founder of  UNFOLD ZERO, among other groups.

Jan 19: Honored to have made this website for Doaa Al Zamel – doaa.news.

Oct 18: Did some organizational development consulting focused on learning architecture in Sicily this month; great project. Also took a few days to see the incredible sites in Taormina and Catania. Mt. Etna awaits…

Sept 18: I co-moderated the ICDO event at the Vienna City Hall and was very happy to see Rania Ali again. A journalist, her “Escape from Syria: Rania’s Odyssey” has been viewed over 9 million times (credit: Abdulla Abood).

Aug 18: Pure joy after the theater piece premiere. Pictured are performers Pascal Rathle, Carlos Gil Soriano and Jophin Mathai; hidden by group hug are Nour Barakeh, Mădălina Boț and Doaa Al Zamel. Also seen is Julia Zimmerman of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens who was instrumental in this process. (Photo credit: © Laurent Ziegler / Forum Alpbach)

Apr 18: Co-hosted the two-hour UPF Vienna Festival with Dr. Dieter Schmidt. 10,000 participants and far more via live stream. Kudos to the organizers!

Feb-Mar 18: At Elevate, I gave a 45-minute talk on the Psychology of Risk and Courage. ‘How can the natural urge for personal growth impact life’s adversities?’ Is there a shared psychological denominator in courageous people?’ (photo credit: Elevate)

Feb-Mar 18: Interview with Maria Motter of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) progressive radio channel FM4. We discussed risk, courage, whistleblowers and the contribution of atomic bomb witnesses to contemporary narrative re. nuclear weapons.

Jan 18: Doaa Al Zamel has been described as ‘the refugee boat hero who saved a child and stirred a continent.’ This amazing young Syrian woman spoke eloquently at our UN SDG 5 event (photo credit: UNIS Vienna).

Dec 17: Final planning stages for the three-day conference I am organizing to take place at the UN Vienna in a few weeks. Massive volunteer effort but will be worth it. Heavy media involvement, live-streamed interaction with universities, etc.

Sept 17: I moderated the panel on ‘Perspectives for the 21st Century – Migration, Refugee Crisis, European Identity’ at the UPF Peace Day event at the UN Vienna.

May 17: Airing of my televised interview with Dr. Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science who specializes in the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear secrecy. Wellerstein discusses his blog (Restricted Data) and his innovative tools such as NUKEMAP. Part of ‘Leaving the Nuclear Age’ television series from MNN in New York; the Director is Gloria Messer

Feb 17: Here is a guest post I wrote for Arms Control Wonk: The Prague Agenda in a Post-Truth World. The piece looks at Obama’s legacy regarding nuclear weapons.

Feb 17: Spent the afternoon at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) shooting a news segment about the reactions of US citizens living in Vienna to recent stateside developments. Was with a brilliant group of students working on advanced degrees in Human Rights.

Jan 17: ACUNS conference on the 2030 Agenda re. the Sustainable Development Goals. This wonderful team supported me with the panel on SDGs and water.

Nov 16: The latest ACUNS Vienna FEMICIDE report focuses on girl refugees, displaced girls, migrant children, and the specific forms of violence and abuse occurring in the context of their flight. It’s available for free download here.

Sep 16: The three witnesses (Hazel Richardson – UK, Rosina Wernig – Austria, Reiko Yamada – Japan) ringing the UN Vienna Peace Bell with Aldo Lale-Demoz, UNODC Deputy Executive Director.

Aug 16: Lunch at the Semipalatinsk Test Site. To my left is Ela Ghandi, the former parliamentarian, peace activist, and granddaughter of Mahatma Ghandi. What a beautiful and inspiring soul. Also pictured are new friends: Rachel Carlsen, Carien Du Plessis and Alice Bromage.

May 16: At the OEWG,  a significant working paper, A/AC.286/WP.36, was submitted by 126 states which had endorsed the pledge originating at the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in 2014.

May 16: I wrote a Letter to the Editor of the NYT – entitled Denuclearization Must Be Global.