Global Bridges: Changing Flows of People and Trade GlobalBridges

From Tbilisi: The country of Georgia is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, a part of the ancient Silk Road, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea and a geopolitical flashpoint bordering Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey.   Georgia is on the leading edge of growth as it blazes a trail in the Caucasus region by developing capital markets and a culture of innovation.  The former member of the USSR is a vibrant democracy and an open economy of nearly 4 million people.  The vineyards and wine cultivation are major industries in the country defined by mountain regions, lifestyle, tourism, global investment, and entrepreneurship.

Guest: Ms. Thea Jokhadze is business expert with distinction as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and deputy CEO of the Georgian Co-Investment Fund, a private equity fund focused on Georgia.

From Riyadh & Washington, DC:  Culturally, economically, and socially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is implementing Vision 2030.  Looking to the future, Vision 2030 was launched in 2016 to support innovation, sustainability, and diversity in the Kingdom.  Sustainable development is central to Vision 2030, as evidenced by the announcement of the Saudi Green Initiative and the creation of Neom. Neom is a smart city on the Red Sea to be powered completely by renewable energy.  The Kingdom has played a leading role in OPEC, OPEC Plus, The League of Arab States, and the G-20.  There are five UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kingdom including Al-Ula in the northwest region of the Kingdom. The country has taken several measures to encourage tourists to discover the Kingdom.

Guest:  Mr. Fahad Nazer is the official spokesperson for the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States in Washington, DC. Given his extensive knowledge of and experiences in Saudi Arabia, he highlights the cultural and economic transformation currently underway in the Kingdom.

From Roskilde: Danish society is distinguished by a high level of social trust in others and in institutions, which has facilitated the transitions through the pandemic. A constitutional monarchy, a large public sector and close cooperation between government and the private sector characterize the economic system. State-owned investment funds, such as the Innovation Fund Denmark and the Green Growth Fund, are supporting the transition into renewable energy sources. Increasingly, population diversity and migration are new influences on a country that combines a strong social welfare state and liberal capitalism in the Nordic tradition.

Guest: Dr. Thomas Paster is a political economist and assistant professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde University in Denmark. His expertise is on business interest groups and welfare state reforms. Providing a comparative perspective on Denmark, he emphasizes how the country is using its competitive edge.

From Houston: Our guest is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Through her generous courage we can listen to lessons from this brutality – we all share common humanity and can choose unity. Additional lessons are that strength comes from forgiveness and words are powerful. As we look to history, we see the truths that societies must reject hateful ideology to live in unity. The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) has been in effect for more than two decades in Rwanda.

Guest: Jeanne Celeste Lakin is an Award-Winning Author of the book A Voice in the Darkness: Memoir of a Rwandan Genocide Survivor and a Human Rights Advocate. Passionate about the unmet needs of children, Jeanne founded the nonprofit organization, One Million Orphans.

​From Geneva: Giving insights from Liberia and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), this episode focuses on Reconsidering Resilience: How young people in conflict contexts cope with violence, and what we learn from them. The framework has three parts: resilience with human agency, social safety in conflict countries, and meaning attribution. The dialogue breaks down the grassroots process for peace and access to resources through aid, trade, and economic development.  An example of advocacy from the DRC is Lucha to support peace through civil society and rule of law.

Guest: Dr. Claudia Seymour is head of Applied Research Projects and Practice in Interdisciplinary Programmes at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. She is author of The Myth of International Protection: War and Survival in Congo.

From Barcelona: Rethinking higher education and business gives insights into change that comes from technology and investments. This dialogue provides insights into the power of education to elevate from poverty, the role of technology in global education, and the need for investment to address education inequities.  Firms that invest in innovation align with the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) while moving forward with change solutions.

Guest: Xavier Prats-Monné is former Director General of Education + Culture and Health + Food Safety with the European Commission. Presently, he is a Special Advisor for Teach for All and a Strategic Advisor for Astranor Ventures.