June 22, 2021
THE ACADEMY ELECTS 2021-2022 BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Photo: Erik Messerschmidt poses backstage with the Oscar for Cinematography and Halle Berry during the live ABC Telecast of The 93rd Oscars at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Image provided by & copyright © Matt Petit / A.M.P.A.S. [File Photo]
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced its newly elected 2021-2022 Board of Governors. The governors will take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the new term.
• Elected to the Board for the first time:
- Rita Wilson, Actors Branch
- Kim Taylor-Coleman, Casting Directors Branch
- Paul Cameron, Cinematographers Branch
- Eduardo Castro, Costume Designers Branch
- Jean Tsien, Documentary Branch
- Pam Abdy, Executives Branch
- Terilyn A. Shropshire, Film Editors Branch
- Laura C. Kim, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
- Lesley Barber, Music Branch
- Gary C. Bourgeois, Sound Branch
- Brooke Breton, Visual Effects Branch
- Howard A. Rodman, Writers Branch
• Incumbent governors reelected to the Board:
- Susanne Bier, Directors Branch
- Jennifer Todd, Producers Branch
- Tom Duffield, Production Design Branch
- Bonnie Arnold, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
• Returning to the Board after a hiatus:
- Bill Corso, Makeup Artists, and Hairstylists Branch
They will join returning governors Kate Amend, Craig Barron, Howard Berger, Charles Bernstein, Jon Bloom, Rob Bredow, Ruth E. Carter, Kevin Collier, Laura Dern, Teri E. Dorman, Dody J. Dorn, Ava DuVernay, Linda Flowers, DeVon Franklin, Rodrigo García, Donna Gigliotti, Whoopi Goldberg, Lynette Howell Taylor, Mark Johnson, Larry Karaszewski, Laura Karpman, Christina Kounelias, Ellen Kuras, David Linde, Isis Mussenden, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Jan Pascale, Stephen Rivkin, Eric Roth, David Rubin, Steven Spielberg, Wynn P. Thomas, Nancy Utley, Mandy Walker, Roger Ross Williams, Janet Yang, and Debra Zane.
As a result of this election, the number of women Academy governors increases from 26 to 31, and the number of governors from underrepresented racial/ethnic communities increases from 12 to 15.
The Academy has 17 branches. Three governors represent each branch. The governors may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms with a lifetime maximum of 12 years. The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures its mission.
Source: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 10:10 AM | View the original post
June 21, 2021
Joint Statement on Spectator Capacities at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Photo: Tokyo 2020 - 100 days to go. General view. Image provided by & copyright © 2021 - International Olympic Committee/Yuichi Yamazaki.
Photo: Aichi, JAPAN - April 5, 2021. The Olympic Torch Relay in Kasugai City, Aichi prefecture, Japan. Image provided by & copyright © 2021 - International Olympic Committee.
Tokyo, June 21, 2021 — Today, on June 21, the five parties, namely the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), and the Government of Japan (GoJ), met to discuss spectator limits for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
They took the following main decisions:
In light of the government’s restrictions on public events, the spectator limit for the Olympic Games will be “50 percent of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people” at all venues. (Students in the schools’ spectator program and their supervisors will not be considered in these numbers since they are not spectators.)
The current competition schedule remains unchanged. In principle, spectators will be admitted to events subject to the above limits.
However, suppose a state of emergency or other priority measures aimed at preventing infection gets implemented at any time after July 12, 2021. In that case, restrictions on spectator numbers at the Games, including non-spectator competitions, will be based on the content of the state of emergency or other relevant measures in force at that time.
In the event of any rapid change in infection status and the capacity of the medical care system, the five parties will meet promptly to consider further measures.
The Japanese parties have formulated guidelines for spectators aimed at ensuring safe and secure environments. These stipulate that —
- The spectators should wear masks in venues at all times;
- Speaking in a loud voice or shouting will be prohibited;
- The organizers would avoid congestion through appropriate announcements;
- Visitors should leave venues in a staggered manner;
- Spectators will be requested to travel directly to venues, return home straight, and take all necessary precautions when moving between prefectures.
Given the COVID-19 situation, the Japanese parties may cancel or reduce the scale of any live sites and public viewing events to minimize the movement of people. They may review the other Games-related events and establish new safe and secure ways of cheering and supporting the athletes.
The organizers would implement a framework to monitor the status of infections and medical care using expert advice.
The five parties would deliver consistent and unified messages aimed at ensuring safe and secure Games.
The Paralympic Games’ equivalent policies will be decided by July 16, 2021, a week before the Olympic Games opening.
There will be strong coordination and cooperation with local governments in Japan to ensure compliance with the above guidelines.
The situation will be monitored in Japan and abroad, including the status of the different variants of the coronavirus. The organizers will promptly take all necessary action. Vaccination of those involved with the Games will continue. The organizers would further update the vaccination status.
There are 32 days to go until the Olympic Games. There are 64 days to go until the Paralympic Games. The five parties will continue to work together to ensure safe and secure Games for all.
Source: International Olympic Committee
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:18 AM | View the original post
June 20, 2021
Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, asks 'Global Citizens' to Cooperate more Closely.
Photo: The cover of “Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World” by Ban Ki-moon. Columbia University Press.
Photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) addresses the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He discussed the challenges and opportunities that the United Nations faces in its 70th year, from fostering sustainable development and dealing with climate change to confronting violent extremism. He took questions during an hour-long session. At right is John Hughes, President of the National Press Club. April 16, 2015. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe. [File Photo].
Washington, DC, June 18, 2021 — Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a return to multilateral diplomacy and for people to be “global citizens.” He was speaking during a National Press Club Virtual Headliners Book Event on Thursday.
In a discussion coinciding with the release of his new book “Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World,” Ban said global alliances have fractured amid the crises of coronavirus, climate change, and refugees fleeing conflict. He blamed world leaders for not doing enough.
“Why are we not doing more and better? For me, the fault most often lies with the leaders of the world,” Ban said. “Too many autocrats and also dictators put themselves before their countries and before the people who elected them.”
That fracturing of global alliances undermined the world’s response to COVID-19, mainly when the United States chose to withdraw from the World Health Organization, a move Ban called “totally unacceptable.” And he said the wealthiest countries “looked inward first,” meaning an uneven distribution of vaccines.
However, the recent G7 summit in the United Kingdom gave Ban some reasons for optimism as leaders there agreed to share 1 billion doses with poorer countries and reaffirmed their pledge of $100 billion a year for poorer countries to help them fight climate change.
But he criticized the United States, which under the Trump administration, stepped back from the global fight against climate change and withdrew from the Paris climate accord.
“This kind of leadership has shown no concern to the people, and it is only the people on the ground who will suffer,” Ban said. “This is what I found heartbreaking.”
And he said the UN could do more to help, especially in Syria, which has struggled for a decade amid civil war and a humanitarian crisis. Instead, Ban said, it is paralyzed and unable to “deliver timely, effective, and powerful messages or actions because of the divisions among the Security Council members, particularly veto-power members.”
Multilateralism has borne good work in recent years, Ban said, especially in getting 196 signatories for the Paris climate accord and adopting the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. But he said there is “so much work ahead,” not only in fighting climate change but also promoting peace in Myanmar, Afghanistan, Israel, and elsewhere.
Ban served as UN Secretary-General from January 2007 to December 2016. His tenure coincided with numerous incidents, including the Arab Spring, nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, the Ebola epidemic, and brutal new conflicts in Central Africa.
Ban, who served as a South Korean diplomat and foreign minister before becoming the UN’s eighth Secretary-General, said his home country showed what is possible. Ban recalled being raised during the Korean War, then coming of age and watching the country grow from a dictatorship to a “stable and prosperous democracy.”
“Without the United Nations, Korea would not be as it is today,” Ban said.
Resolved is Ban Ki-moon’s account of his decade at the organization’s helm during a period of historical turmoil and promise. Meeting challenges and resistance with a belief in the UN’s peacekeeping mission, development, and human rights, he steered the United Nations through a volatile period. As secretary-general, Ban also forged global agreements to fight extreme poverty and address the climate crisis.
Ban performed what has been called “the impossible job on this earth” with a genuine belief in collective action and global transformation. Freed from the diplomatic constraints of a lifetime of public service, he offers a candid assessment of the people and events that shape this era and a bracing analysis of what lies ahead.
The one-hour program streamed live on the National Press Club’s website and YouTube Channel. Thus, it was accessible to both the media and members of the general public.
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the “World’s Leading Professional Organization for Journalists.” The Club has about 3,000 reporters, editors, and professional communicators worldwide, representing nearly every major news organization. It hosts almost 2,000 events per year in its 54,000 square foot facility located in downtown Washington, just three blocks from the White House.
Source: National Press Club, Washington, DC
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The Editor is a Member of the National Press Club.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:56 AM | View the original post
June 18, 2021
Rating Agency QS I-Gauge hosts Redefining Institutional Strategy for Excellence (RISE) Conference Punjab Edition in India.
The City of Mohali has emerged as the education hub of North India, says Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab.
Punjab has emerged on the International Map as a destination for International Students for undergoing their Higher Education, says Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, CEO QS I-Gauge.
CHANDIGARH, India, June 18, 2021 — The emergence of world-class Higher Education institutions like Chandigarh University and Chitkara University has made Mohali the education hub of North India, Tejveer Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab, said. He was speaking during the inaugural session of the QS I-Gauge Virtual RISE Conference, Punjab Edition. It is the first state-level conference organized by QS I-Gauge in association with Chandigarh University and Chitkara University on the theme “Redefining Institutional Strategy for Excellence” (RISE-2021).
The virtual conference involved education leaders and renowned academicians from all over Punjab, India. International speakers were from 3 countries — Germany, U.K, and Australia. Prominent discussants included Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, CEO, QS I-Gauge; Satnam Singh Sandhu Chancellor, Chandigarh University; Dr. Heike Schinnenburg, University of Applied Sciences, Osnabrück, Germany; Prof Paul Stapley, University of Wollongong, Australia; Dr. Harivansh Chaturvedi, President, EPSI; Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director IIT Ropar; and Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University.
Delivering the inaugural address, Tejveer Singh, Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab, said, “In India, we still have a long way to go as far as improving access to higher education is concerned. While the gross enrolment ratio for higher education in India is 27.1 percent, Punjab has a better GER of 30 percent. The National Education Policy announced by the Government of India provides a road map for steps to improve the current situation.” Tejveer Singh added, “We need to focus on the ability to attract quality faculty, create a liberal campus environment where young minds bloom, and concentrate on content & pedagogy.”
Giving the keynote address, Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, CEO, QS I-Gauge, said, “Punjab has emerged as the next education hub of India, which currently accounts for ten lakh students pursuing Higher Education. Moreover, Punjab has also appeared on the International map as it has successfully attracted a reasonable number of international students from more than 50 countries, which are currently 4500 in number.”
Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University, said, “With an emphasis on meeting the aspirations of today’s youth, the higher education institutions of Punjab have been able to attract quality students from all over the world to choose Punjab as their preferred destination for education. Ranking and rating agency QS I-Gauge has helped the institutions to understand the framework of global ranking parameters which are necessary to implement for upgrading the level of education imparted.”
Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University, said, “RISE Conference is a positive initiative considering the demand for strategic transformation of the institutions. The education sector has emerged as a beacon of hope. The pandemic has allowed us to learn, re-learn, evolve ourselves, and redefine the new education paradigm for the generation to come and follow. This pandemic enables us to redefine our strategy for new possibilities.”
Sources: Chandigarh University, Chitkara University
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:02 PM | View the original post
June 17, 2021
Ironman and Breitling launch the Endurance Pro Ironman Watches.
As the new Official Luxury Watch of IRONMAN, Breitling celebrates the power and stamina fueling the phenomenal Triathlon sporting events with a new series of timepieces.
Breitling and IRONMAN have signed a long-term partnership and teamed up to co-design the Endurance Pro IRONMAN Watches, a unique series of Breitling’s ultimate athleisure watch. The result is a set of perfectly lightweight and lighthearted luxury sports watches combining high precision, innovative technology, and vibrant, colorful design. The launch features two exciting new watches: a red version available globally at all Breitling boutiques and retailers for sports and timekeeping enthusiasts and a black and gold piece exclusively available for IRONMAN race finishers.
“IRONMAN truly reflects our core values of performance and endurance. We’ve designed this to be an ideal watch for elite athletes as well as a casual, everyday sports chronograph for active people who want that winning combination of performance and luxury,” said Breitling CEO Georges Kern.
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with such an exceptional and well-respected watchmaker. After the success of our collaboration in 2019, we are pleased to partner with Breitling in creating this new watch which embodies the strength and tenacity of IRONMAN triathletes,” said Andrew Messick, President and CEO of The IRONMAN Group.
The new Endurance Pro IRONMAN collection serves athletes and luxury clients looking for the ultimate athleisure timepiece.
Source: Breitling
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Breitling Endurance Pro IRONMAN
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:07 AM | View the original post
June 16, 2021
Summary of Carbis Bay G7 Summit Communique
Photo: Setting up the US press conference during the G7 Summit at Newquay airport, Cornwall, UK, on 13th June 2021. Image provided by & copyright © Karwai Tang/G7 Cornwall 2021.
— SUMMARY OF CARBIS BAY G7 SUMMIT COMMUNIQUÉ —
• Our Shared Agenda for Global Action to Build Back Better
We, the Group of Seven leaders, met in Cornwall on 11-13 June 2021, determined to beat COVID-19 and build back better. We remembered everyone who has been lost to the pandemic and paid tribute to those still striving to overcome it. Inspired by their example of collaboration and determination, we gathered united by the principle that brought us together initially, that shared beliefs and shared responsibilities are the bedrock of leadership and prosperity. Guided by this, our enduring ideals as free open societies and democracies, and by our commitment to multilateralism, we have agreed on a shared G7 agenda for global action to:
End the pandemic and prepare for the future by driving an intensified international effort, starting immediately, to vaccinate the world by getting as many safe vaccines to as many people as possible as fast as possible. Total G7 commitments since the start of the pandemic provide for a total of over two billion vaccine doses, with the pledges since we last met in February 2021, including here in Carbis Bay, providing for one billion doses over the next year. At the same time, we will create the appropriate frameworks to strengthen our collective defenses against threats to global health by:
- Increasing and coordinating on global manufacturing capacity on all continents
- Improving early warning systems
- Supporting science in a mission to shorten the cycle for the development of safe and effective vaccines, treatments, and tests from 300 to 100 days
Reinvigorate our economies by advancing recovery plans that build on the $12 trillion of support we have put in place during the pandemic. We will continue to support our economies for as long as is necessary, shifting the focus of our support from crisis response to promoting growth into the future. We would work with plans that create jobs, invest in infrastructure, drive innovation, support people, and level up so that no place or person, irrespective of age, ethnicity, or gender, is left behind.
Secure our future prosperity by championing freer, fairer trade within a reformed trading system, a more resilient global economy, and a fairer global tax system that reverses the race to the bottom. We will collaborate to ensure future frontiers of the global economy and society, from cyberspace to outer space, increase all people’s prosperity and well-being while upholding our values as open societies. We are convinced of the potential of technological transformation for the common good per our shared values.
Protect our planet by supporting a green revolution that creates jobs, cuts emissions, and seeks to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees. We commit to net-zero no later than 2050, halving our collective emissions over the two decades to 2030, increasing and improving climate finance to 2025, and conserving or protecting at least 30 percent of our land and oceans by 2030. We acknowledge our duty to safeguard the planet for future generations.
Strengthen our partnerships with others around the world. We will develop a new partnership to build back better for the world through a step-change in our approach to investment for infrastructure, including through an initiative for clean and green growth. We resolve to deepen our current partnership to a new deal with Africa. It includes magnifying support from the International Monetary Fund for countries that most need it. It would support our aim to reach a total global ambition of $100 billion.
Embrace our values as an enduring foundation for success in an ever-changing world. We will harness the power of democracy, freedom, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights to answer the most critical questions and overcome the most significant challenges. We will do this to value the individual and promote equality, especially gender equality, including by supporting a target to get 40 million more girls into education and at least $2 billion for the Global Partnership for Education.
We shall seek to advance this open agenda in collaboration with other countries and within the multilateral rules-based system. In particular, we look forward to working alongside our G20 partners and with all relevant International Organisations to secure a cleaner, greener, freer, fairer and safer future for our people and planet.
••••••••
Source: G7 SUMMIT 2021
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:50 AM | View the original post
June 15, 2021
Bloomberg Philanthropies 2021 Mayors Challenge Names Top 50 Global Urban Innovations Emerging From Pandemic.
As Mayors Challenge Innovation Competition Proceeds, 50 Finalist Cities Set to Strengthen Ideas with Residents in Coming Months.
Grand Prize Winners to be Chosen Early 2022.
Photo: Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Aspen Institute, and The Atlantic co-host CityLab 2017 in Paris. Image provided by & copyright © Bloomberg Philanthropies. [File Photo]
Photo: Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, hosted over 130 advisors and staff from the CollegePoint Initiative for the program’s 2020 Midyear convening. CollegePoint is a virtual advising initiative that aims to increase the number of high achieving low and moderate-income students who attend top colleges across the USA. Image provided by & copyright © Bloomberg Philanthropies. [File Photo]
NEW YORK, June 15, 2021, — Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the 50 Champion Cities, representing the boldest urban innovations of the past year, which will advance to the final stage 2021 Global Mayors Challenge. This worldwide innovation competition encourages and spreads the cities’ most promising ideas. This year’s program focuses on elevating the essential public innovations generated in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The 50 cities named hail from 29 nations on six continents. They emerged from a highly competitive applicant pool: Mayors from 631 cities in 99 countries submitted their most promising ideas for consideration which is near twice the number of cities that applied in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ last Mayors Challenge, held in the United States in 2018. The finalists were elevated based on four criteria: vision, the potential for impact, feasibility, and transferability.
The ideas provide a powerful snapshot of the innovation priorities of the world’s cities. At the global level, innovations focusing on improving health and reducing unemployment were most common. Racial justice emerged as the highest priority for U.S. cities, while social inclusion topped the European submissions. In Africa, where the world is experiencing its fastest rates of urbanization, infrastructure was dominant. Nearly half of the recommendations were generated in part through participatory processes with residents.
“These 50 finalists are showing the world that in the face of the pandemic’s enormous challenges, cities are rising to meet them with bold, innovative, and ambitious ideas,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. “By helping these cities test their ideas over the coming months, we will have a chance to identify cutting-edge policies and programs that can allow cities to rebuild in ways that make them stronger and healthier, and more equal and just.”
• The 50 Champion Cities of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge are:
• Africa (16% of Finalists):
Cape Town, South Africa: Transforming soup kitchens into a sustainable food-distribution infrastructure
Danané, Côte d’Ivoire: Transforming mobility for vulnerable residents
Freetown, Sierra Leone: Incentivizing community action to combat urban deforestation
Kigali, Rwanda: Adopting proven rainwater-harvesting technologies in informal communities
Kumasi, Ghana: Training unemployed youth to create new household toilet technologies
Lusaka, Zambia: Incentivizing the repurposing of trash into needed products
Meru, Kenya: Using Black Soldier Fly larvae to fix an inadequate waste-collection system
Umuaka, Nigeria: Digital support for survivors of gender-based violence
• Asia-Pacific (16% of Finalists):
Auckland, New Zealand: Calculating carbon emissions for infrastructure development
Butuan, Philippines: Leveraging predictive data to bolster local farmers
Daegu, South Korea: Digital permission to bring new life to urban spaces
Manila, Philippines: Building a 21st-century data infrastructure to improve city services
Pune, India: Building the foundation for an all-electric-vehicle future
Rourkela, India: Supporting solar-powered cold storage—plus women entrepreneurship—to reduce food waste
Taipei, Taiwan: Using virtual reality to promote safe, active lifestyles for seniors
Wellington, New Zealand: Leveraging a city digital-twin to encourage resident engagement on climate action
• Europe (16% of Finalists):
Bilbao, Spain: Building a cyber secure city and citizenry
Glasgow, United Kingdom: Unleashing a neighborhood-level participatory approach to community wellbeing
Istanbul, Turkey: Creating a platform for individual philanthropy at a citywide scale
Leuven, Belgium: Using ‘civic contracts’ to drive personal and organizational climate action
London, United Kingdom: Deploying rapid, upstream interventions to prevent chronic homelessness
Paris, France: Offering free climate-activism education for Parisian youth
Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Using digital tokens to incentivize social impact from the private sector
Vilnius, Lithuania: Building a resilient, post-COVID model for hybrid learning
• South America (16% of Finalists):
Bogotá, Colombia: Creating “care blocks” to shift the gender inequity of care
Cartagena, Colombia: Pioneering a gender-aware approach to emergency response
La Paz, Bolivia: Co-designing nine new urban centers with residents to ensure equitable access to services
Recife, Brazil: Deploying a unique mix of services to foster women’s entrepreneurship at scale
Renca, Chile: Enlisting the wisdom of seniors to create community-development projects and reduce isolation.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Improving housing conditions in favelas using cutting-edge mapping technology.
Rosario, Argentina: Formalizing and subsidizing informal waste collection
Tunja, Colombia: Transforming public space with a circular-economy lens
• Middle East (4% of Finalists):
Amman, Jordan: Using “reachability maps” to improve the city’s emergency response and guide investments
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel: Engaging youth to make the city’s cultural center more resilient
• North America (32% of Finalists):
Akron, Ohio: Taking lessons from how we train medical students to support Black entrepreneurs
Baltimore, Maryland: Deploying a citywide, coordinated system to support Black-owned businesses
Birmingham, Alabama: Investing in the next generation of food entrepreneurs
Columbus, Ohio: Providing last-mile Wi-Fi access to underserved neighborhoods
Durham, North Carolina: Building a team to help residents access untapped federal resources and support
Guadalajara, Mexico: Creating a “citizen-safety index” to combat violent crime
Hermosillo, Mexico: Providing new employment opportunities for women in the circular economy
Lansing, Michigan: Launching cross-sectoral partnerships to halt learning loss in children
Long Beach, California: Using the city’s power to bring transparency to the gig economy
Louisville, Kentucky: Creating the diverse tech workforce of the future
New Orleans, Louisiana: Bringing a trust-building lens to the delivery of public services
Newark, New Jersey: Reducing crime by focusing on the city’s most persistent offenders
Paterson, New Jersey: Providing a proven, on-demand treatment to those struggling with opioid addiction
Phoenix, Arizona: Deploying “career mobility units” to support job-seekers
Rochester, Minnesota: Creating a pathway for women of color into the growing, high-paying local construction field
San Jose, California: Bolstering the college-support pipeline for marginalized families
The Mayors Challenge selection committee helped Bloomberg Philanthropies select the 50 finalists. The selection committee includes a wide range of global experts:
- Mellody Hobson,, Co-CEO & President, Ariel Investments (Co-Chair)
- David Miliband, President & CEO, International Rescue Committee (Co-Chair)
- Sir David Adjaye, OBE Founder, Adjaye Associates;
- Dr. Yogan Pillay, Country Director for South Africa and Senior Global Director for Universal Health Coverage, Clinton Health Access Initiative;
- Jagan Shah, Senior Infrastructure Adviser, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, British High Commission, New Delhi;
- Linda Gibbs, Principal, Bloomberg Associates; Julia Gillard, 27th Prime Minister of Australia;
- Olafur Eliasson, Artist;
- Gael Garcia Bernal, actor and producer;
- Dr. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics and Director, Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford;
- Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of U.N. Women;
- Federica Mogherini, Rector, College of Europe and Former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;
- Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Director, Bloomberg American Health Initiative, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health;
- Jennifer Pahlka, Founder and Former Executive Director, Code for America;
- Mariana Costa Checa, Co-Founder And CEO, Laboratoria.
“The level of creativity and innovation among this year’s fifty Champion Cities is a clear sign that cities are continuing to step up amid even the biggest challenges,” said Mellody Hobson. “I look forward to seeing these ideas begin to come to life in the next phase of the competition.”
“With fifty Champion Cities come fifty exciting opportunities to foster innovative ideas,” said David Miliband. “The next Champion Phase will equip city leaders with critical tools to test, learn, and grow these solutions.”
The 50 finalist cities will now enter a four-month testing phase to refine their ideas with technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies and its network of leading innovation experts. Fifteen of the 50 cities will ultimately win the grand prize, with each receiving $1 million and robust multi-year technical assistance to implement and scale their ideas.
“This is always a fascinating phase of the Mayors Challenge, helping mayors push their innovations to even greater heights,” said James Anderson, head of Government Innovation at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “While 15 cities will ultimately take home grand prizes, all 50 cities receive world-class coaching and support to improve their ideas and their potential to improve lives.”
The 2021 Global Mayors Challenge builds on the success of four previous Bloomberg Philanthropies Challenges in the U.S. (2013 and 2018), Europe (2014), and Latin America and the Caribbean (2016). Previous Mayors Challenge grand prizewinners include Los Angeles, USA, Stockholm, Sweden, and Barcelona, Spain.
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries worldwide to ensure better, longer lives for the most significant number of people. The organization focuses on five critical areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy, as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion.
Source: Bloomberg Philanthropies
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:52 AM | View the original post
June 14, 2021
Novavax says its COVID-19 Vaccine Demonstrates 90% Overall Efficacy and 100% Protection Against Moderate and Severe Disease in PREVENT-19 Phase 3 Trial.
93% efficacy against predominantly circulating Variants of Concern and Variants of Interest.
91% efficacy in high-risk populations
100% efficacy against variants “not considered Variants of Concern/Interest.”
Photo: Novavax laboratory scientist. Image Credit: Patrick Seibert/ Novavax.
GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 14, 2021, — Novavax, Inc. today announced that NVX-CoV2373, its recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, demonstrated 100% protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4% efficacy overall, and met the primary endpoint in its PREVENT-19 pivotal Phase 3 trial. The study enrolled 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the U.S. and Mexico to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity, emphasizing recruiting a representative population of communities and demographic groups most impacted by the disease.
“Today, Novavax is one step closer to addressing the critical and persistent global public health need for additional COVID-19 vaccines. These clinical results reinforce that NVX-CoV2373 is extremely effective and offers complete protection against both moderate and severe COVID-19 infection,” said Stanley C. Erck, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax. “Novavax continues to work with a sense of urgency to complete our regulatory submissions and deliver this vaccine, built on a well understood and proven platform, to a world that is still in great need of vaccines.”
“PREVENT-19 confirms that NVX-CoV2373 offers a reassuring tolerability and safety profile,” said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development, Novavax. “These data show consistent, high levels of efficacy and reaffirm the ability of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 amid ongoing genetic evolution of the virus. Our vaccine will be a critical part of the solution to COVID-19, and we are grateful to the study participants and trial staff who made this study possible, as well as our supporters, including the U.S. Government.”
In the placebo-controlled, observer-blinded study randomized 2:1, NVX-CoV2373 demonstrated overall efficacy of 90.4% (95% CI: 82.9, 94.6), achieving its primary endpoint, the company said.
According to Novavax, preliminary safety data from PREVENT-19 showed the vaccine to be generally well-tolerated. Severe and adverse events were low in number and balanced between vaccine and placebo groups. In assessing reactogenicity seven days after Dose 1 and Dose 2, injection site pain and tenderness, generally mild to moderate in severity, were the most common local symptoms, lasting less than three days. Fatigue, headache, and muscle pain were the most common systemic symptoms, lasting less than two days.
PREVENT-19 (the PRE-fusion protein subunit Vaccine Efficacy Novavax Trial | COVID-19) is a 2:1 randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded study. It evaluates the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 with Matrix-M™ adjuvant in 29,960 participants 18 years of age and older in 119 locations in the United States and Mexico, compared with placebo.
Novavax said it is conducting PREVENT-19 with support from the U.S. government. The government agencies involved include the Department of Defense, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at HHS. BARDA is providing up to $1.75 billion under a Department of Defense agreement.
NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine candidate engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.
NVX-CoV2373 is stored and stable at 2°- 8°C, allowing the use of existing vaccine supply chain channels for its distribution. Its packaging comprises a ready-to-use liquid formulation in 10-dose vials.
Novavax expects to share further details of the PREVENT-19 trial results as additional data become available. Other analyses of the trial are ongoing. The company would submit them to peer-review journals for publication.
The company intends to file for regulatory authorizations in the third quarter to complete the final phases of process qualification and assay validation needed to meet chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) requirements. Upon regulatory approvals, Novavax remains on track to reach a manufacturing capacity of 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter and 150 million doses per month by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021.
Source: Novavax, Inc.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:09 AM | View the original post
June 12, 2021
G7 Cornwall Summit — Summit Meeting Agenda
Photo: United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, United States of America President Joe Biden and Jill Biden pose for the official family picture at Carbis Bay hotel during the G7 Summit in Cornwall, UK, on the 11 June 2021. Image provided by & Copyright © Justin Goff/G7 Cornwall 2021.
Photo: G7 Leaders Plenary Session at G7 Leaders’ Plenary Room, Carbis Bay, during the G7 Summit in Cornwall, UK, on 11 June 2021. Image provided by & Copyright © Karwai Tang/G7 Cornwall 2021.
Photo: Boris Johnson and wife Carrie at Carbis Bay hotel during the G7 Summit in Cornwall, UK on 11 June 2021. Image provided by & Copyright © David Fisher/G7 Cornwall 2021.
Photo: G7 Leaders’ Family Photo. (Back row L to R) EU Council President of the European Council Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, (Front row L to R) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, United States of America President Joe Biden, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pose for the official family picture at Carbis Bay hotel during the G7 Summit in Cornwall, UK on 11 June 2021. Image provided by & Copyright © G7 Cornwall 2021.
• G7 Cornwall Summit — Summit Meeting Agenda
• Friday 11 June
Plenary Session One: Economic Recovery
G7 Leaders
Sarah Sands, Chair of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, will address the G7 leaders.
• Saturday 12 June
Plenary Session Two: Global Resilience
G7 Leaders
Mark Sedwill, Chair of the G7 Economic Resilience Panel, will address the G7 Leaders.
Plenary Session Three: Foreign Policy
• G7 Leaders
Plenary Session Four: Health
G7 Leaders and Guests, plus International Organisations
Patrick Vallance, Chair of the International Pandemic Preparedness Partnership, and Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, and Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will address the G7 Leaders and Guests.
• Sunday 13 June
Plenary Session Five: Open Societies
G7 Leaders and Guests, plus United Nations Secretary-General
Plenary Session Six: Climate and Nature
G7 Leaders and Guests, plus United Nations Secretary-General, plus International Organisations.
International Organisations participating virtually: International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank Group, World Health Organisation, and World Trade Organisation.
Source: G7 UK 2021
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:07 AM | View the original post
June 9, 2021
QS ranks MIT the World's No. 1 University for 2021-22
• QS announces World University Rankings 2022.
• MIT celebrates a decade as the world’s best university.
Photo: Stata Center, MIT campus, Cambridge, MA. Image credit: Nicole Cho.
Photo: Stanford University. Knight Management Center (Stanford Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto, California). Image Credit: Corey Seeman.
LONDON, June 8, 2021 — QS Quacquarelli Symonds, global higher education analysts, have released the eighteenth edition of the QS World University Rankings. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) celebrates an unprecedented, unbroken decade as the world’s best university.
L. Rafael Reif, President of MIT, said: “We deeply appreciate the recognition of our institution and the faculty, staff, alumni, and students that make MIT what it is - and we also tremendously admire the achievements of academic institutions around the globe. The world benefits from a strong higher education network that delivers countless benefits for humanity, from fundamental discoveries to novel solutions to pressing challenges in climate and health to the education of the next generation of talent. We are proud and grateful to belong to this great human community of scholars, researchers, and educators, striving together to make a better world.”
The top five universities experience their most significant reconfiguration for half a decade: Harvard University (5th) falls out of the top three - its lowest-ever rank - to be replaced by the University of Oxford (2nd, up from 5th) and the University of Cambridge (joint-3rd, shared with Stanford University).
Caltech (6th) drops out of the top five for the first time since 2015.
ETH Zurich remains continental Europe’s best university for a fourteenth consecutive year.
In a significant milestone, Mainland China is home to two of the world’s top twenty universities for the first time.
Asia’s two top universities are the National University of Singapore (11th) and Nanyang Technological University (12th).
Australia’s four top universities rise, with Australian National University re-entering the top 30.
The progress of Malaysia and Russia slows after years of improvement, but both are home to one of the world’s top 100 universities each.
48% of Japan’s universities decline.
Latin America’s best university is Universidad de Buenos Aires (69th). Hampered by low research impact scores, more of the continent’s universities have fallen.
Saudi Arabia’s top university - King Abdulaziz University, 109th - reaches a record high.
• QS World University Rankings 2022: Global Top 60
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, United States
- The University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Stanford University, Stanford, United States
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, United States
- Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland
- UCL, London, United Kingdom
- University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
- National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, Singapore
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore, Singapore
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
- EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Yale University, New Haven, United States
- The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (Mainland)
- Peking University, Beijing, China (Mainland)
- Columbia University, New York City, United States
- Princeton University, Princeton, United States
- Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
- The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
- The University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
- Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Mainland)
- The University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Berkeley, United States
- Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
- The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, United States
- KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
- New York University (NYU), New York City, United States
- The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Sydney, Australia
- Université PSL, France
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China (Mainland)
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- The University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego, United States
- Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau Cedex, France
- The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), London, United Kingdom
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China (Mainland)
- The Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Duke University, Durham, United States
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, United States
- City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR5
- University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Tokyo, Japan
- Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
- Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Brown University, Providence, United States
Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The editor holds a certificate in Design Thinking for Leading and Learning from the MIT Teaching Systems Lab.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:41 AM | View the original post
June 8, 2021
Preparing for Booster Shots: Adapting to the New Normal
• COVID-19 Vaccination Passports Must Have the Adaptability to Account for Booster Shots.
Photo: Real Vaccination ID COVID-19 Vaccine & Waiver Cards, used to help CastleBranch implement a legally compliant vaccine requirement. Image credit: CastleBranch.
Photo: Real Vaccination ID cards are embedded with industry-leading forgery-prevention technology to combat counterfeiting and help people prove their COVID-19 vaccination status. (CastleBranch)
WILMINGTON, N.C., June 7, 2021 — As global health professionals discuss the necessity of a booster shot to ward off COVID-19 variants unaffected by the current vaccines, businesses, schools, and individuals who need proof of vaccination status will want facile documents that can update quickly.
CastleBranch, a compliance management company located in Wilmington, N.C., has announced that its RealVaccinationID card empowers individuals to quickly prove their vaccination or waiver status. The card addresses this long-term need, making it easy for individuals to verify their vaccination, waiver, or booster status, the company said.
The company asks individuals to provide documentation to prove their vaccination status or legally permissible waiver request. Once validated, the company issues to the individual a driver’s license-sized card featuring highly sophisticated anti-fraud technology. The card includes the individual’s name, address, date of birth, physical identifiers, photo, and a QR code.
Using the QR code on the back of the card, along with a unique access code and the PIN, third parties presented with this information can access digital copies of primary-source documentation to confirm status. However, it is entirely up to the cardholder when and with whom he shares the data. Private data gathered for the RealVaccinationID.com cards will never be transmitted or collected in a database and distributed to third parties by CastleBranch, the company clarified.
Updating the cards to reflect booster shots is just as simple. When someone receives a booster, they can submit their documentation to CastleBranch, whose team of experts will verify the documentation. CastleBranch houses the new information in their protected digital space, visible via the QR code on the individual’s card.
“Our understanding of the COVID-19 virus changes with each passing day, requiring a response that also adapts and grows,” said Brett Martin, CastleBranch CEO. “With variants come boosters, which requires a form of vaccination proof that can get updated over time. Our RealVaccinationID.com cards respond to these emerging realities, helping people and organizations as they continue to navigate the new normal.”
Source: CastleBranch
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:41 AM | View the original post
June 7, 2021
FORTUNE announces 2021 FORTUNE 500 List, Launches First-Ever "Most Progressive Companies On Racial Inclusion" List.
Walmart takes No. 1 spot for a ninth straight year, followed by Amazon.com and Apple.
Photo: The cover of the June/July 2021 issue of FORTUNE.
NEW YORK, June 7, 2021 — FORTUNE has announced the 67th FORTUNE 500, its annual list of the largest corporations in the United States, ranked by revenue for the 2020 fiscal year. The revenue threshold for the 2021 FORTUNE 500 list was $5.4 billion, down 5% from last year. In total, FORTUNE 500 companies represent two-thirds of the U.S. GDP with $13.8 trillion in revenues (down 3%), $859 billion in profits (down 30%), $32.7 trillion in market value (up 60%), and employ 29.1 million people worldwide. Women CEOs lead forty-one companies on the 2021 FORTUNE 500 — an all-time high.
Walmart took the top spot on the 2021 list for the ninth year in a row, generating $4.5 trillion cumulative revenue over that time. Amazon.com also held onto their No.2 spot with a 38% jump in revenue. At No. 3 position, Apple is the most profitable company on the 2021 FORTUNE 500 and the only company on the list valued at over $2 trillion. At No. 4, CVS Health and CEO Karen Lynch make in FORTUNE 500 history the highest-ranked company ever led by a female CEO.
THE TOP TEN COMPANIES ON THE 2021 FORTUNE 500 LIST ARE:
- Walmart
- Amazon.com
- Apple
- CVS Health
- UnitedHealth Group
- Berkshire Hathaway
- McKesson
- AmerisourceBergen
- Alphabet
- Exxon Mobil
As part of FORTUNE’s Measure Up partnership with Refinitiv, a global provider of financial markets data and infrastructure, the FORTUNE 500 list now includes Diversity & Inclusion information online. Users will sort the companies by a ranking based on their self-reported D&I data, provided by Refinitiv. FORTUNE has used this data to identify the top 20 Most Progressive Companies on Racial Inclusion. Microsoft (No. 15) takes top honors, followed by Centene (No. 24), Target (No. 30), Gap (No. 221), and Biogen (No. 228).
“A year ago, companies made a promise to end racial injustice in the workplace and broader society. To keep that promise, companies will need courage in sharing with the world a picture of what they look like today. From this starting point, we can make real progress, as they say ‘what gets measured gets managed,’” comments David Craig, Group Head of Data & Analytics Division at LSEG and CEO, Refinitiv. “U.S. companies lead the world when it comes to collecting data on their employees’ race and ethnicity. Through this partnership and Refinitiv’s own ESG data and analytics, we have developed a standard taxonomy to help simplify disclosure and give investors, customers, and employees the information they now seek to measure progress.”
FORTUNE and Qlik, the official analytics partner of the FORTUNE 500, also published the “The Pandemic Effect on the Fortune 500” interactive site. This visual experience, developed by Qlik, details the revenue and performance of the sectors and industries that shape the 2021 FORTUNE 500. It takes users on a journey through the crises that have shaped the Fortune 500 over the years.
FORTUNE is an American international business magazine headquartered in New York City. It says it drives the conversation about business. “With a global perspective, the guiding wisdom of history, and an unflinching eye to the future, we report and reveal the stories that matter today — and that will matter even more tomorrow,” the magazine stated.
Source: FORTUNE Media
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:17 AM | View the original post
June 6, 2021
NYC Performing Arts Organization, New 42, celebrates Arts Education Outdoors.
Photo: Times Square, 42nd Street 7th Avenue, New York, NY. Image Credit: Joe Nicholl.
NEW YORK, June 5, 2021 — On Saturday, June 5, New 42, a nonprofit organization focused on making performing arts a vital part of everyone’s life from the earliest years onward, celebrated arts educators in an outdoor celebration on 42nd Street in Times Square.
The event featured Sara Bareilles, Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, Bill Irwin, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Chop & Quench, Sahr Ngaujah, DJ Duane Harriott, Brooklyn United Marching Band, and Saxophone Ensemble of Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music.
The event honored the New York City Department of Education, Office of Arts, and Special Projects. NYC Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter accepted the awards on their behalf. The event also honored Jody Gottfried Arnhold, a New York City public school teacher, a great supporter of dance and arts education. Presenters included Brian Stokes Mitchell, DeAngelo Blanchard, and Misty Copeland.
“Now more than ever, it’s important for us to celebrate the arts with a focus on arts educators, truly essential workers, who have continued to encourage and inspire children throughout the pandemic and beyond,” said Russell Granet, New 42 President & CEO.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also made an appearance during the event and shared remarks about the importance of arts education for the very young. He congratulated the New York City Department of Education, Office of Arts, and Special Projects on being honored and noted that this honor extends to all teachers across the city.
“Building a recovery for all of us means reconnecting with the arts and cultural events that make New York City unique, and I’m proud to stand with and celebrate that recovery in the heart of Times Square,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Today and every day, we’re grateful to all the educators who have engaged their students with uplifting, empowering, and healing artistic expression.”
“The arts have been a critical lifeline during this challenging year, providing students with outlets to express themselves and helping our school communities build resiliency,” said NYC Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “I’m grateful to our educators who have led with creativity and passion throughout this crisis, creating invaluable spaces for our children to chase their dreams.”
Several celebrities - including Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kal Penn, Neil deGrasse Tyson, John Leguizamo, Alison Pill, Michael James Scott, and New York Giants players Lorenzo Carter and Andrew Thomas - also participated virtually by sharing stories of their favorite teachers and the importance of arts education to them.
The June 5 event closed down traffic on West 42nd Street, filling the block between 7th and 8th Avenues with programming. Performances took place on the main stage in front of The New Victory Theater with event production provided by Empire Entertainment. At New 42 Studios, xRStage Times Square powered by WorldStage presented their innovative LED Stage & Studio designed for all types of live events and entertainment projects.
New 42 also announced New Victory Summer Programming, including the New Victory Dance summer series, a programming partnership with Little Island.
The New 42nd Street is a not-for-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York City. In 1990, New York City and State established it to oversee the redevelopment of seven historic theatres on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues and restore the block to a desirable tourist destination in Manhattan.
Its mission is to make extraordinary performing arts a vital part of everyone’s life in New York City. It connects people to world-class performances, essential education, employment programs, and creative communities that push culture forward. New 42 says it strives to serve artists, educators, and New Yorkers of all ages with invaluable arts engagement and resources in and beyond the performing arts.
Source: New 42
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:19 PM | View the original post
June 5, 2021
World's leading film school, New York Film Academy, inks MoU with Chandigarh University.
• Due to the increase in Digital Entertainment, Content has become a commodity today, says Prof. Michael Young, President of New York Film Academy.
Photo: Learning Cinematography. New York, NY. Image Credit: Gwenael Piaser.
CHANDIGARH, India, June 5, 2021 — World’s leading and distinguished film school, New York Film Academy (NYFA), today signed an academic MoU with Chandigarh University. As a part of the agreement, Indian students can now pursue globally recognized Under-Graduate 3 years degree in Film Making from New York Film Academy by studying the first year of the program at Chandigarh University while studying the remaining two years at the New York Academy, USA.
The official MoU signing ceremony took place virtually today, where Mr. David Klein, Senior Executive, New York Film Academy, and the Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, and other university officials exchanged the Memorandum of Understanding.
“NYFA is known for imparting hands-on practical learning to the students where they learn every minute aspect of film making. The students will undergo thousands of hours working and creating their content and projects under the guidance of renowned filmmakers, technicians, and experts from Hollywood,” said Prof. Michael Young, President of New York Film Academy. “We introduce the students to various career options in Filmmaking such as Direction, Script Writing, Sound Engineering, Visual Effects, Animation, Camera Handling, Lights and Camera Set-up. They are required to work as a team on small projects,” Prof. Young added.
Prof. Michael Young further said, “Eminent Hollywood directors like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Mira Nair, Doung Liman are some of the prominent guest faculty that the students who are joining the program would be interacting. The students would have the chance to work with them during their academic learning.” Professor Young explained that the students would learn and work on the latest technology and tools in the International film industry to become experienced and ready when they move out of university and start their careers. He further said, “With digital platforms such as OTT, Social Media taking the lead, the content has become a commodity, and the students have to understand the art of developing quality content which is recognized and appreciated by the global audience.”
The Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, said, “This year, most Indian students might not be able to travel abroad to study due to the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic situation. We at Chandigarh University offer a unique opportunity to the students in India through our International Articulation programs. The students get the global academic learning experience by studying for one or two years in India and then moving to respective Universities in the USA, Australia, and the UK to complete their degree programs. By then the situation will improve for traveling. The other important aspects of the International Articulation Programs are that the students save precious academic years and education costs. During the initial years of the academic program, the student would pay fees per Indian fee structure and also in Indian Currency which saves at least 33% cost incurred in comparison if you pursue the full degree abroad.”
Source: Chandigarh Educational Trust
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:10 PM | View the original post
June 4, 2021
The White House issues Statement on Vice President Kamala Harris’s Calls with Foreign Leaders on the Global Allocation Plan for the First 25 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines.
Photo: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks to the National League of Cities via video conference from the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson).
• Statement by Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders on Vice President Kamala Harris’s Calls with Foreign Leaders on the Global Allocation Plan for the First 25 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines.
JUNE 03, 2021
Vice President Kamala D. Harris spoke this morning to President Andres Manuel López Obrador of Mexico, President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Keith Rowley, Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In four separate calls, the Vice President notified each of the leaders that the Biden-Harris Administration would begin sharing the first 25 million doses of COVID vaccines to their respective countries and others. It is a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s framework for dispatching at least 80 million vaccines globally by the end of June.
The Vice President reiterated that the Administration’s efforts are focused on achieving broad global coverage, responding to surges and other urgent situations and public health needs, and helping as many countries as possible who requested vaccines. The four leaders thanked the Vice President, and they agreed to continue working together to address COVID-19 and advance our mutual interests around the world.
Source: The White House Briefing Room
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:40 AM | View the original post
June 3, 2021
India's Union Cabinet approves the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAl) with Foreign Professional Accountancy Bodies/Organisations.
Photos: Covers of two recent issues of “The Management Accountant,” the monthly journal of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
New Delhi — The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has granted ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAl) with various Foreign Countries/Organisations.
The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAl) has signed MoUs with several foreign organizations, such as the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), Australia, Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, UK (CISI), Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA), UK, and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka.
The various memoranda seek to facilitate mutual recognition of qualifications and a range of collaborative activities for exchanging knowledge, experience sharing, and technical cooperation through participation in annual conferences/training programs/workshops, seminars, and joint research projects relevant to their jurisdiction.
• Impact:
The signed MoUs would help advance equity, public accountability, and innovation among the beneficiaries countries.
• Background:
The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAl) was established by a Special Act of Parliament, namely, the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959, as a statutory professional body for regulating the profession of Cost Accountancy. The Institute is the only recognized statutory professional organization and licensing body in India specializing exclusively in Cost Accountancy. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, governs the Institute.
The Institute is the 2nd most significant Cost & Management Accounting Body in the World and the largest in Asia, having qualified CMAs either in practice or in employment all over the globe. The Institute is a founder member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA), and the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA).
Sources: The Union Cabinet Secretariat, ICAI
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The editor is an alumnus of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. He was a delegate to the 18th All India Cost Conference, New Delhi, organized by the Institute and inaugurated by the President of India.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:01 AM | View the original post
June 2, 2021
New US$50 Billion Health, Trade, and Finance Roadmap to End the Pandemic and Secure a Global Recovery
Heads of International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group (WB), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Trade Organization (WTO) issue extraordinary calls for financing actions by government leaders to accelerate an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
IMF, WB, WHO, and WTO chiefs call for US$50 billion investment to generate US$9 trillion in global economic returns by 2025 and boost manufacturing capacity, supply, trade flows, and the equitable distribution of diagnostics, oxygen, treatments, medical supplies, and vaccines.
The call to action by this quadrilateral grouping comes at a dangerous point in the pandemic. As the historic World Health Assembly concludes, G7 meetings commence and follow the G20 Global Health Summit.
Doses need to be donated immediately to developing countries, synchronized with national vaccine deployment plans, including through COVAX, co-led by CEPI, Gavi, and WHO, alongside key delivery partner UNICEF.
Photo: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva meets with Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), at the IMF Paris Office. May 17, 2021. Paris, France. IMF Photo/Cyril Marcilhacy.
Photo: A doctor holds a syringe containing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Howard University Hospital. March 12, 2021. Washington, DC, United States. IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts.
Geneva/Washington, DC, June 1, 2021 — The heads of the world’s predominant global financing, health and trade agencies have united in urging government leaders to urgently finance a new US$50 billion roadmap to accelerate the equitable distribution of health tools. It would help end the pandemic that has devastated lives and livelihoods for 18 months. It would also set the foundations for a genuinely global recovery, as well as enhanced health security.
The leaders of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization [Kristalina Georgieva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, David Malpass, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala] have issued a joint statement. They say the governments must act without further delay or risk continued waves and explosive outbreaks of COVID-19 and more transmissible and deadly virus variants undermining the global recovery.
Leaders of the four agencies said: “By now, it has become abundantly clear there will be no broad-based recovery without an end to the health crisis. Access to vaccination is key to both.”
The joint statement draws on a recent IMF staff analysis, which stated that US$50 billion in new investment is needed to increase manufacturing capacity, supply, trade flows, and delivery, which would accelerate the equitable distribution of diagnostics, oxygen, treatments, medical supplies, and vaccines. This injection would also give a significant boost to economic growth around the world.
“At an estimated US$50 billion, it will bring the pandemic to an end faster in the developing world, reduce infections and loss of lives, accelerate the economic recovery, and generate some US$9 trillion in additional global output by 2025, “said the leaders.
It echoes economic analysis by the International Chamber of Commerce and the Eurasia Group - both of which make a case for a relatively modest investment by governments compared to the trillions spent on national stimulus plans and lost trillions in foregone economic output. But the critical element of this is that it effectively spurs global vaccination and bridges the equity gap.
“Increasing our ambition and vaccinating more people faster: WHO and its COVAX partners have set a goal of vaccinating approximately 30% of the population in all countries by the end of 2021,” said the four leaders. “But this can reach even 40% through other agreements and surge investment, and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022.”
The leaders have urged the governments to act on the investment opportunity to boost vaccines, oxygen, tests, and treatment supplies. The IMF, WBG, WHO, and WTO chiefs issued their joint statement as the World Health Assembly drew to a conclusion.
“To urgently get more shots in arms, doses need to be donated immediately to developing countries synchronized with national vaccine deployment plans, including through COVAX,” said the four leaders. “Cooperation on trade is also needed to ensure free cross-border flows and increasing supplies of raw materials and finished vaccines.”
The IMF, WBG, WHO, and WTO leaders would address a joint press conference later today to outline the new joint roadmap to ending the pandemic and driving the genuinely global and fast recovery.
Sources: IMF, WHO, WB, WTO
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Photo: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva walks back to IMF HQ following her interview with the BBC’s Katty Kay. April 7, 2021. Washington, DC, United States. IMF Photo/Cory Hancock.
• Following is the Joint Statement by Kristalina Georgieva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, David Malpass, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala:
• A NEW COMMITMENT FOR VACCINE EQUITY AND DEFEATING THE PANDEMIC •
As preparations are made for the G7 Summit in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland next week, the top of the agenda is how to end the COVID-19 pandemic and secure the global recovery. Urgent challenges face us.
By now, it has become abundantly clear there will be no broad-based recovery without an end to the health crisis. Access to vaccination is key to both.
There has been impressive progress on the vaccination front. Scientists have come up with multiple vaccines in record time. Unprecedented public and private financing have supported vaccine research, development, and manufacturing scale-up. But a dangerous gap between richer and poorer nations persists.
Even as some affluent countries are already discussing the rollout of booster shots to their populations, the vast majority of people in developing countries — even front-line health workers — have still not received their first shot. The worst served are low-income nations which have received less than one percent of vaccines administered so far.
Increasingly, a two-track pandemic is developing, with richer countries having access and poorer ones left behind.
Inequitable vaccine distribution is not only leaving untold millions of people vulnerable to the virus. It is also allowing deadly variants to emerge and rebound back across the world. As variants continue to spread, even countries with advanced vaccination programs reimpose stricter public health measures, and some have implemented travel restrictions. In turn, the ongoing pandemic is leading to deepening divergence in economic fortunes, with negative consequences for all.
It need not be this way. That is why we are calling today for a new level of international support for - and implementation of - a stepped-up coordinated strategy, backed by new financing, to vaccinate the world.
A recent proposal from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff put forward a plan with clear targets, practical actions, and a feasible cost. It builds on and supports the ongoing work of WHO, its partners in the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative and its global vaccine access program COVAX and the result of the World Bank Group, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and many others.
At an estimated $50 billion, it will bring the pandemic to an end faster in the developing world, reduce infections and loss of lives, accelerate the economic recovery, and generate some $9 trillion in additional global output by 2025. It is a win for all — while around 60 percent of the gains will go to emerging markets and developing economies, the remaining 40 percent will benefit the developed world. And this is without taking into account the invaluable benefits on people’s health and lives.
• What does it entail?
First. Increasing our ambition and vaccinating more people faster: WHO and its COVAX partners have set a goal of vaccinating approximately 30% of the population in all countries by the end of 2021. But this can reach even 40% through other agreements and surge investment, and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022.
To do so requires additional financing for low- and middle-income countries, with a very significant proportion in the form of grants and concessional funding. To urgently get more shots in arms, we must immediately donate doses to developing countries synchronized with national vaccine deployment plans, including through COVAX. Cooperation on trade is also needed to ensure free cross-border flows and increase raw materials and finished vaccines.
Second. Insurance against downside risks such as new variants that may necessitate booster shots. It means investing in additional vaccine production capacity by at least one billion doses, diversifying production to regions with little current power, sharing technology and know-how, scaling up genomic and supply-chain surveillance, and contingency plans to handle virus mutations or supply shocks.
We must remove all blockages to expanding supply, and we call on WTO members to accelerate negotiations towards a pragmatic solution around intellectual property. Several low- and middle-income countries are also making moves to invest in their local manufacturing capacity, which is crucial to end this pandemic and prepare for the next one.
Third. Immediate boosting of testing and tracing, oxygen supplies, therapeutic and public health measures, ramping up vaccine deployment, and the ACT-Accelerator initiative. WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and Gavi have been conducting vaccine readiness assessments in over 140 developing countries and providing on-the-ground support and financing to prepare for vaccine rollout.
• What about the cost?
Of the US$ 50 billion, there is a strong case for grants of at least US$ 35 billion. G20 governments have sent positive signals, recognizing the importance of providing about US$ 22 billion in additional funding for 2021 to the ACT-Accelerator.
Additional financing of about US$ 13 billion is needed to boost vaccine supply in 2022 and further scale up testing, therapeutics, and surveillance. The remainder of the overall financing plan — around US$15 billion — could come from national governments supported by multilateral development banks, including the World Bank’s US$12 billion financial facilities for vaccination.
For the plan to work, there are two additional requirements: speed and coordination.
It calls for upfront financing, upfront vaccine donations, and upfront precautionary investments and planning - rather than commitments that may be slow to materialize. All of this must be made available as soon as possible.
It also requires coordinated global action, grounded in complete transparency in the procurement and delivery process. The strategy’s success depends on all parties—public, private, international financial institutions, foundations — moving in tandem.
Investing US$ 50 billion to end the pandemic is potentially the best use of public money we will see in our lifetimes. It will pay a colossal development dividend and boost growth and well-being globally. But the window of opportunity is closing fast — the longer we wait, the costlier it becomes, in the human suffering and economic losses.
Today, on behalf of our four organizations, we announce a new commitment to work together to scale up needed financing, boost manufacturing, and ensure the smooth flow of vaccines and raw materials across borders. It would dramatically increase vaccine access to support the health response and economic recovery and bring needed hope.
Our institutions are stepping up to turn this hope into reality:
The IMF is preparing an unprecedented Special Drawing Rights (SDR) allocation to boost the reserves and liquidity of its members. WHO is seeking to identify financing so that the urgent needs of its Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and the ACT-Accelerator partnership can be met, with COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) incentivizing the sharing of know-how and technology. The World Bank will have vaccine projects up and running in at least 50 countries by mid-year—with the International Finance Corporation working to mobilize the private sector to boost vaccine supply for developing countries. And the WTO is working on freeing up supply chains for the plan to succeed.
Ending the pandemic is a solvable problem that requires global action—now.
Let’s all pull together and get the job done.
— Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); David Malpass is the President of the World Bank Group; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:41 AM | View the original post
May 31, 2021
Chandigarh University introduces Industry-driven Futuristic Programs in Emerging Fields of Blockchain Technology, Electric Vehicles, Digital Marketing, and Data Sciences for the Academic Session 2021-22.
• Pandemic has resulted in a paradigm shift in new talent hunt by the multinationals; They are looking for professionals with specialized skill-set in emerging technologies.
Photo: A building at the campus of Chandigarh University at Mohali, Punjab, India.
CHANDIGARH, India, May 28, 2021 — While multinational companies have adopted or shifted to new technologies due to change in the working environment during the pandemic, universities and institutions have started redesigning their academic syllabuses to make their students industry-ready professionals. Chandigarh University has taken the lead in this field by introducing 20 new Industry-driven futuristic educational programs, which it would offer from the academic session 2021-22. The newly introduced programs are in the areas of Engineering, Management, Sciences, Para-Medical, Humanities, and Computer Applications.
While giving details about the newly introduced programs, the Registrar, Chandigarh University, said, “Out of the 20 new programs, 10 are Under-Graduate programs, and 10 are Post-Graduate programs. In the Engineering area, we are introducing the Bachelor of Engineering program in Computer Science Engineering with the specialization in the emerging field of Blockchain Technology and Development & Operations (DevOps). In contrast, we are introducing Master’s Programs in the areas of Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering with the specializations in the emerging fields of Health Safety & Environment Engineering and Electrical Vehicles respectively.” Both Blockchain and DevOps are emerging technologies in the IT sector. They are widely used to develop IT solutions used by Finance & Banking, Healthcare, Energy, Insurance, Supply Chain, Travel, and Real Estate sectors. New technologies are estimated to create more than 97 million jobs by 2025.
“In the field of management, CU has introduced BBA programs in Business Analytics and Digital Marketing. Both are emerging fields and offer lucrative job options in the industry. We have also introduced an MBA program in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, which is a fast-growing industry due to thriving e-commerce,” added the Registrar. Other courses in the field of IT introduced from this year include M.Sc. Data Sciences, BCA with specialization in Augmented Reality & Virtual Release, and MCA programs, specializing in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Cloud Computing & Development Operations.
The Registrar of the University further stated that “Government of India has taken the initiative known as INSPIRE to encourage the students to take up Science & Technology as their career choice. Being a partner of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for INSPIRE program, Chandigarh University has introduced nine programs in the field of Basic and Applied Sciences.” The newly launched programs include B.Sc. Microbiology, B.Sc. (Hons) Maths, B.Sc. Forensic Sciences, M.Sc. Bioinformatics, M.Pharma in Industrial Pharmacy, M.Sc. Industrial Chemistry and M.Sc. Nutrition & Dietetics.
“Chandigarh University has been a pioneer in offering job-oriented programs which meet the industry requirements. The industry dynamics are changing fast, and jobs with new skill-set are replacing the existing job profiles. Both students and academia have to upgrade their knowledge about the changing workforce environment in the industry and plan their future course of action accordingly,” said the Chancellor of Chandigarh University.
Chandigarh University (CU) is a private educational institution in the Punjab State with its campus near Chandigarh, a city in India, about 250 kilometers north of Delhi and 200 kilometers southeast of Amritsar. CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and other disciplines.
Source: Chandigarh University
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:33 AM | View the original post
May 24, 2021
Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2021 to Convene Global Leaders In-Person in Singapore November 16-19.
• Michael R. Bloomberg to host a fourth annual forum focused on advancing the world’s most significant economic opportunities amidst Covid-19 recovery, from East to West and across the developing world.
• The first-ever “Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst” virtual event welcomes a new wave of world-shifting visionaries on June 30.
Photo: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group, and Paul Dickinson, CEO of the Carbon Disclosure Project, announced Climate Week NYC, a series of events throughout New York City to address the urgent need for action on climate change. June 23, 2009. Image Credit: The Climate Group. [File Photo]
NEW YORK, May 2021 — Bloomberg Media has announced that the Bloomberg New Economy Forum will convene on November 16-19, 2021, in Singapore. As the global economy emerges from lockdown, the fourth annual Forum will bring together the world’s most influential business executives, heads of state, innovators, and academics. Leaders from East to West, public and private sectors, developed and developing nations will mobilize behind the effort to build a sustainable global economy that creates jobs, reduces inequality, and improves general health.
“The time since the last New Economy Forum has dramatically underlined why the event, and the themes that drive it, are so important. The pandemic has shown how interconnected we are and why cooperation is critical,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Three-Term Mayor of New York City. “New vaccines show the power of technology and public-private partnerships to address humanity’s challenges. And the disproportionate impacts of the virus, and uneven global access to vaccines, have shown how far we have to go to build an equitable future. The New Economy Forum is a chance for leaders to talk with one another and think big on these and other key issues - including the challenges and opportunities around climate change. We’re looking forward to returning to Singapore, one of the world’s most innovative cities and home of the inaugural Forum.”
The Bloomberg New Economy Forum returns with the resounding support of host country Singapore, at a time when the shifting balance of power between East and West presents challenges as well as a tremendous opportunity. The intimate gathering will be limited to approximately 400 global leaders in a commitment to helping ensure the delegates’ safety by maintaining the protocol outlined in Singapore and innovating new ways of safely convening in person.
“I am pleased that Singapore would host the 2021 Bloomberg New Economy Forum, where business leaders will convene to discuss pertinent global issues. The second time Singapore will be hosting the Forum, following our inaugural Forum’s successful hosting in 2018. Health and safety remain Singapore’s top priority, and we will work closely with the Bloomberg team to create a safe and conducive environment to welcome all delegates here in November,” said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Forum delegates will join the action and participation-oriented programs to develop a global recovery strategy for the worst economic crisis since World War II. As governments worldwide spend aggressively to recover from the impact of Covid-19, the race to net zero and other critical themes will permeate discussions within the Forum’s five editorial pillars — Climate, Cities, Finance, Trade, and Public Health. Face-to-face exchanges in Singapore will help define priorities, workshop ideas and explore scenarios to move the world forward in the year ahead.
For the first time, Bloomberg New Economic will also welcome a new community of visionary leaders for the Bloomberg New Economic Catalyst virtual event on June 30. These entrepreneurs, technologists, and policy innovators — many of them from emerging economies — are already creating a world-shifting change set to transform the future. The event will spotlight their work at the leading edge of areas, including space, climate, finance, and health. This collective will also play a pivotal role in helping shape the dialogue at the annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum in November, applying fresh ideas and big thinking to address humanity’s biggest challenges.
Led by Editorial Director Andrew Browne, Bloomberg New Economy-driven conversations are also being elevated on Bloomberg Media’s global news platforms year-round. The newly launched Bloomberg New Economic Daily newsletter, weekly segments on Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Radio, and the virtual New Economic Conversation event series keep this highly influential community of leaders connected and audiences informed.
With Dr. Henry A. Kissinger as Honorary Chair and Henry M. Paulson, Jr. as Chair, the Bloomberg New Economy Forum Advisory Board provides support across these efforts. It is composed of more than 40 distinguished government and business leaders from around the world.
• Members of the Advisory Board include:
- Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited
- Charlene Barshefsky, former U.S. Trade Representative and Senior International Partner
- WilmerHale; Margaret Chan, former Director-General, World Health Organization
- Bill Gates, Co-Chair, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund
- Yoriko Kawaguchi, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and former Minister of the Environment, Japan, and Visiting Professor and Fellow, Musashino University
- Jorge Paulo Lemann, Founder, 3G Capital
- Jean Liu, President, Didi Chuxing
- Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet Group
- Lubna Olayan, Chair of the Executive Committee, Olayan Financing Company and Chair, SABB
- Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor
- Minouche Shafik, Director, London School of Economics and Politics and former Deputy Governor, Bank of England
- Neil Shen, Steward of Sequoia Capital, Founding and Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital China
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, first female President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate
- Lawrence H. Summers, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University
- Teresita T. Sy-Coson, Vice-Chairperson, S.M. Investments Corporation; and many more.
• Bloomberg would present the 2021 forum in partnership with:
- ADNOC
- Dangote Industries Limited
- ExxonMobil
- HSBC,
- Hyundai Motor Company
- Mastercard
- Tata Sons
- Vanke.
McKinsey and Company is the exclusive knowledge partner, and IDA Ireland joins as a Spotlight Economy Partner.
Bloomberg Media is a leading, global, multi-platform brand that provides decision-makers with timely news, analysis, and intelligence on business, finance, technology, climate change, politics, and more. Powered by a newsroom of over 2,700 journalists and analysts, it reaches influential audiences worldwide across every platform, including digital, social, T.V., radio, print, and live events. Bloomberg Media is a division of Bloomberg L.P.
Source: Bloomberg Media
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 5:48 AM | View the original post
May 23, 2021
IMF (International Monetary Fund) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva addresses the Global Health Forum in Italy, Announces $50 Billion Proposal to End the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Photo: IMF (International Monetary Fund) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Washington, DC, United States. IMF Photo/Cory Hancock. Image provided by & copyright © IMF.
• IMF (International Monetary Fund) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva’s Remarks to the Global Health Summit, organized by the European Commission and Italy, as chair of the G20. May 21, 2021.
Excellencies,
I would like to thank Prime Minister Draghi, President Von de Leyen, and their staff for preparing this vital Summit.
By now, we all know there is no durable end to the economic crisis without an end to the health crisis. That means the pandemic policy is a monetary policy highly relevant to the work of the IMF. The economic recovery depends on how we conduct it.
In particular, the pandemic policy matters for preventing this dangerous divergence of economic fortunes about which we have been warning. It will only worsen as the gap widens between wealthy countries that have access to vaccines and emerging countries that do not, and it will slow down the exit from the crisis for everybody.
IMF staff published today a contribution to the ongoing efforts made by many others to address the gap in vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics many developing countries face—and help bring the Pandemic substantially under control everywhere for everyone’s benefit. It builds on the work of WHO, World Bank, Gavi, African Union and has three broad elements, at the estimated cost of $50 billion.
First. Vaccination of at least 40 percent of the population in all countries by end-2021, and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022. To do so requires additional upfront grants to COVAX, donating surplus doses, and free cross-border flows of raw materials and finished vaccines.
Second. Insurance against downside risks such as new variants that may necessitate booster shots. It means investing in additional vaccine production capacity by 1 billion doses, diversifying production, scaling up genomic surveillance and supply-chain surveillance, and contingency plans to handle virus mutations or supply shocks.
Third. Management of the interim period where vaccine supply is limited with widespread testing and tracing, therapeutic and public health measures, and, at the same time, ramping up preparations for vaccine deployment together with any approved dose-stretching strategies.
Of the $50 billion, we envisage grant financing of at least $35 billion. G20 governments have already identified it as essential to address the $22 billion funding gap noted by the ACT-Accelerator. It would need to be topped up by an additional $13 billion in grant contributions.
The remainder of the overall financing plan - around $15 billion - could come from national governments, supported by COVID-19 concessional financing, primarily from facilities already created by multilateral development banks.
Notably, the proposal requires not just commitments but upfront financing, upfront vaccine donations, and upfront ‘at risk’ precautionary investments. It is essential that all necessary funding is available as soon as possible.
The outsized benefits dwarf the costs of the plan. As we have been stressing, a faster end to the Pandemic saves lives. It could inject the equivalent of $9 trillion into the global economy by 2025 due to a quicker resumption of economic activity. And advanced economies — asked to contribute most to this effort — would likely see the highest return on public investment in modern history, capturing 40 percent of the GDP gains and roughly $1 trillion in additional tax revenues.
Concrete and coordinated action is the way out of this unprecedented health and economic crisis. With the support of our membership, we are working towards making an essential contribution to the exit from this crisis by boosting global reserves with $650 billion Special Drawing Rights — significant for countries faced with the toughest challenges. We are stepping up lending where needed, and we are working on debt sustainability. You can count on us to play our part.
Thank you.
Source: International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. It consists of 190 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty worldwide.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:51 AM | View the original post
