A Tale of Two Summits + Upcoming Events in Europe!
Some quick reflections from two summits I either organized and/or spoke at in the last week, my encounter with student protestors, and upcoming events.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
This past week has been eventful, with Global Citizen NOW in New York and the inaugural Beyond Bretton Woods Summit at the beautiful Middlebury College in New York, where I had the pleasure of discussing my book. Each event was distinct and enlightening in its own way.
But firstly, for our friends in London, Geneva, and New York, I wanted to highlight some upcoming events — including some book talks:
Geneva:
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 17:30 - 19:00
Venue: SDG Solutions Space, 15 Avenue de Sécheron, Ground Floor
Drinks: Refreshments will be served before and after the session.
Secure Your Spot: Register Here
Featured Speakers:
Melissa Parke, Director General of ICAN
Marie-Ange Saraka-Yao, Chief Resource Mobilization and Growth Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Moderator: Melisande Kingchatchaval Schifter
Opening Remarks by: H.E. Amanda Gorely, Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva
London:
Global Citizen Event on Girls' Education
Event Details:
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 15th, starting at 5 PM
Location: UK House of Commons
Speakers Include:
Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland
Former Prime Minister of Norway and our board member, Erna Solberg
Uniting to Combat NTDs, Thoko Elphick-Pooley
UK Special Envoy and MP, Helen Grant
The evening will be accompanied by drinks and refreshments in a prestigious setting within the House of Commons. Please RSVP to Kellen at kellen.edmondson@globalpovertyproject.com.
Book Events:
May 16th:
Breakfast event at Benjamin Franklin House (36 Craven St, London, England WC2N 5NF) from 8:30 am onwards. Join us for an enlightening breakfast discussion at the sole remaining 18th century house of Benjamin Franklin. Please RSVP to Michael Hall at operations@benjaminfranklinhouse.org.
Evening event at The Lounge by the Coffee Snobs (Great Tower Street, The Minster Building, London EC3R 7AG) starting from 5:30 pm. Our exciting lineup of speakers includes UK Goalkeeper Thoko Elphick-Pooley, cultural and music policy thinker Shain Shapiro, former British diplomat and cybersecurity expert Steve Hill, and SDG entrepreneur and investor Zubair Anwar-Bawany. RSVP here.
May 17th:
Breakfast Event at the Conduit, from 9:15 am to 10:30 am. Join Ruth Davison, Global Director of Impact at The Conduit, Jon Alexander, author of CITIZENS, and myself for a discussion on how we can effect change in a divided world. Non-members of the Conduit can register here.
New York - Heal the Healer Weeken:
The past few years have been extraordinarily challenging for so many of us, especially healers, caregivers, and those blessed with deep empathy. In our passionate service to others, we often neglect our own self-care and can reach burnout.
That’s why I'm excited to announce that 25 free weekend passes for this community to Heal the Healer - a special weekend event in New York City on May 18-19 where I'll be joined by remarkable speakers including Joshua Rosenthal, Andrea Beaman, and Oz Garcia.
At this transformative weekend event, the organizer’s will explore powerful practices to nourish our mind, body, and spirit. You'll gain insights to deepen your journey of personal growth and inner healing.
If you'd like to attend Heal the Healer, please email events@joshuarosenthal.com to request your complimentary pass.
***Grateful if you might forward the above details onto friends in London, Geneva and New York!!***
Global Citizen Now:
At Global Citizen NOW in New York City, now in its third year, dozens of panels brought together some of the world's leading minds in a unified effort to drive transformative change. This year's focus was on identifying immediate actions to benefit our planet, advance equity, and address the root causes of poverty. You can read more about the seven ways it drove impact here.
You can also watch the panel I moderated, featuring former Prime Ministers Erna Solberg of Norway and Stephen Harper of Canada, along with Elizabeth Yee from the Rockefeller Foundation, here:
Or you can read a summary by my friend and panel guest, Jeffrey Crawford, which he posted on his LinkedIn here:
“Michael Sheldrick moderated an engaging discussion with former Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway who highlighted the importance of investing in combating #deforestation in the #Amazon (using satellite technology to track progress) and balancing energy security and #netzero transition planning. Elizabeth Yee noted that “energy poverty is poverty” and discussed collaboration between The Rockefeller Foundation and Bezos Earth Fund to catalyze a #justenergytransition, in part, through the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP).”
There were of course plenty of other insights and learnings, including from several roundtable events we ran that I will include takeaways from in upcoming newsletters.
Beyond Bretton Woods in The Land of Robert Frost
Our journey from New York led us to Vermont for a different kind of event where I delivered a talk about my book. If Global Citizen NOW was where ideas are transformed into action, the Beyond Bretton Woods Summit is where discussions unfold about which ideas about global finance reform should take precedence. It serves a distinct purpose from the former, focusing more on deliberation than implementation. One follows the other.
By the way, 'Beyond Bretton Woods' refers to the Bretton Woods Institutions—the World Bank, the IMF, etc.—established 80 years ago as cornerstones of our global financial system. The summit’s visionary, Frank Van Gansbeke, shares more here on his linkedin. In my book, I also explore how these institutions, while appearing outdated in addressing present-day challenges, are undergoing transformation driven by policy entrepreneurs both within and outside their frameworks.
A personal highlight for me was the opportunity to walk with the family in the footsteps of the American poet Robert Frost while speaking at the Bread Loaf School of English, which Frost helped co-found. Frost is perhaps best known for his poem "The Road Not Taken," immortalized by its memorable final lines. We encountered a plaque bearing these words while exploring the Robert Frost Memorial Trail in Middlebury.
After the summit, I took the opportunity to explore the Middlebury College campus and engage with some of the protestors camped out there expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza. The atmosphere was noticeably more subdued—both literally and metaphorically—compared to my recent experiences on university campuses in New York City. Amidst a drizzling rain, we navigated through the tents, and I had the chance to speak with one of the students.
He explained that their protest differed from others across the country in that their only infraction was occupying the grass lawn; they weren’t occupying buildings or damaging property. He also noted that their interactions with the university administration had been overwhelmingly positive and conducted civilly. Now in their fourth round of negotiations, he shared that the discussions were promising, though details were confidential.
I also inquired about the safety of different communities on campus, particularly concerning antisemitism and Islamophobia. He appreciated the question, revealing that he was Jewish and, despite initial apprehensions, felt completely safe on campus.
This encounter was a potent reminder that despite the narratives often portrayed in the media, diverse and unique stories unfold on campuses nationwide. As exemplified by the student leader I spoke with, sometimes the most valuable insights come from simply engaging in conversation and seeing things firsthand. It seems like, all too often in today’s divided world, that is the road less travelled.
Macron Looks History in the Eye: Insights from My Weekend Listen
Admittedly, I didn’t have much time to read or listen to anything last week, given the two major summits I was either organizing or speaking at. However, on the drive back from Vermont, I had the chance to listen to an Economist podcast discussing a recent speech by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Sorbonne. It’s a somewhat bleak portrayal of the future if humanity fails to combat the rising tide of nationalism, especially in Europe. But Macron is adamant about our capacity to fight back and not yield. Whether you admire him or not, Macron certainly understands the broader context, and I highly recommend checking out this podcast or finding a transcript of his speech.
Another item you can read is this linkedin post - Beyond AI Ethics: The Nonprofit Sector's Imperative for Responsible and Beneficial AI - that I co-wrote with fellow author (Generosity crisis), Nathan Chappell. Please check it out and if you like it please share, like and promote!
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That’s all from me for this past week. One small favor to ask: if you've read or purchased my book, I would be tremendously grateful if you could post a review on Amazon or another book site. It's one of the best ways to support first-time authors like myself.
Warmly
Mick