Reflecting on 35 Years of Life: Personal Highlights and Achievements from the Past Year

I reflect on what I'm most proud and grateful for over the past 12 months, as well as provide the latest updates on the Power Our Planet campaign

Dear Friends and Supporters,

A shorter update from me this week. I'm eagerly looking forward to celebrating my 35th birthday this weekend, surrounded by loved ones.

Reflecting on the past year, I have much to be grateful for, both personally and professionally. Here are some highlights:

At the top of the list was without a doubt getting married to Xinyi back in August. It was a beautiful ceremony in Malta, shared with friends and family from around the world. We've put together a brief video capturing the special moments. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet Xinyi's family and friends in Shanghai, extending our celebration with those who were unable to join us last year.

With Xinyi on Shanghai’s Huangpu River with the city’s stunning skyline in the background

I'm grateful for the cherished moments I've had with my family over the past year, especially as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic. During my recent travels, I had the opportunity to visit my grandma, who was recovering from a broken hip. It was a brief but heartwarming visit, and I even had the chance to prepare lunch for her. These little gestures of love and care mean the world to me.

Dropping by long enough to make my Gran lunch!

In my pursuit of continued growth and learning, I continued to challenge myself physically (surfing has been a highlight) and intellectually by taking various courses whenever possible. I believe in being a lifelong student, constantly seeking to new expand my knowledge. Amongst the business of the past year, I was able to complete Cambridge University's sustainable finance course which has come in handy given our work in support of a New Global Financing Pact.

I believe in lifelong learning and expanding one’s knowledge. This past year I completed a certificate in Sustainable Finance.

I'm also thrilled to have (in part!) accomplished a lifelong dream of submitting a book proposal and securing a book deal with US publisher Wiley. I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity, although slightly daunted by the task of writing and delivering it over the next few months. Rest assured, I'll be sharing regular updates on my progress here!

Finally, in my rare moments of spare time, I've continued to dedicate myself to further honing my amateur historian skills by delving into my family history. I've been passionately writing and publishing, including an article highlighting my grandfather's experiences in the British Mandate of Palestine during the 1930s. It's been a fulfilling journey, delving into the past and unearthing stories that deserve to be shared. More to come on this front in the coming week!

But of course, the show must go on, and at Global Citizen, it is full on right now less than 2 weeks out from the Power Our Planet: Live in Paris event on June 22, and it is my hope that the Summit for New Global Financing Pact will kick off actionable change, and build momentum ahead of the G20 and COP28 later this year.

With that said, read on for more on how the team has been preparing for Paris!

Power Our Planet Update

Earlier this week, Global Citizen launched the latest press release for the Power Our Planet event later this month, announcing the newest names on the lineup. The campaign is now supported by 70+ NGOs, whose logos will be featured on banners across the Champs de Mars, and on the campaign homepage. This week , it was announced John Boyega, Connie Britton, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Cyril Dion, Danai Gurira, Diane Kruger, Aïssa Maïga, Norman Reedus and Michelle Yeoh will join 'Power Our Planet: Live in Paris' on Thursday, June 22, taking place at the historic Champ de Mars in Paris. You can check out the full press release and latest additions here.

Hope to see some of you in Paris! If you’d still like to sign on in support of the campaign, please feel free to reach out. 

Why Pandemic Clauses Should be Included in Lending Agreements

In the lead up to Macron’s Financing Summit, Global Citizen and 20+ other organizations, including Oxfam, the ONE Campaign, Pandemic Action Network, and E3G, have been calling for ‘Pause Clauses’, or Natural Disaster and Pandemic Debt Clauses. If these terms sound awfully complicated, and you’re left wondering what they meant (we’ve all been there!), then check out this explainer piece Global Citizen put together, breaking down everything you need to know about the ‘Pause Clause’, and how it will help countries tackle the climate crisis.

In addition, I’ve also put together this Twitter thread which provides a helpful explainer, and some suggestions for the best way forward.  

Recapping the Power our Planet Roundtable on June 6th 

On June 6th Global Citizen held a Power our Planet roundtable with Cisco featuring Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen; Bill Nye, Global Citizen Ambassador; Fran Katsoudas, EVP and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco; Alok Sharma, COP26 President and Member of UK Parliament; Sherif Ayoub, Senior Director, SEforALL Lead on African Carbon Market Initiative and moderator Carolyn Hyde, Anchor at Bloomberg Television. Together with Cisco, Global Citizen is calling on the private sector to take bold steps to do its part in addressing the climate crisis. These include setting science-based targets aligned with the UN Race to Zero, publicly demonstrating their work to meet goals, and contributing to the global transition through investing in sustainable projects that address needs in clean renewable energy, climate adaptation and resilience, education, technological innovation, health, and agriculture in low income and climate vulnerable countries. For more information reach out to Annabel Lee Hogg annabel.hogg@globalcitizen.org.   

Global Citizen is Hiring!

Are you or someone you know passionate about our mission, and want to join what will most certainly be another impactful year of action? If so, come work with Global Citizen! The team is currently hiring for a Government Relations and Advocacy Manager (Germany). 

If this sounds like you, please throw your name in the hat! Or if you know someone who might be a good fit, do share across your networks.

My Weekend Reading List 

• Pandemic Action Network Long Read

• How to protect your lungs as NYC’s air quality suffers from wildfires

• Air Slowly Clears in Eastern U.S., but Canada Remains Engulfed in Flames

• The Immigrant Experience in a Danish Butter Cookie Tin

• AI bots chatting up matches on dating apps? This won’t end well

• Israel Is Officially Annexing the West Bank

That’s all for this week! Hope to see some of you in Paris this month, and watch the space for more exciting updates!

As always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists and articles on a regular basis. 

All best,

Mick