Invitation to the official launch event: Our Common Digital Future

Charter for a Sustainable Digital Age

The recently published report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation recommends to develop goals, principles and priority actions for a Global Commitment for Digital Cooperation. The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) strongly supports this proposal. Considering the great transformative force of digitalization, it is striking that digital technology hardly features in the SDGs. Both digitalization and the 2030 Agenda are key drivers of global change and must be brought into alignment to enable global sustainable development. In its latest report, Towards Our Common Digital Future, WBGU argues that this effort requires a normative reference frame and advocates a Global Charter for a Sustainable Digital Age.

Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance

Dinner and Reception of the Strategy Group

On September 24th, KAS New York hosts a reception and dinner with the Strategy Group of the newly founded ‘Global Investors for Sustainable Development’ (GISD) Alliance. The group consisting of experts appointed by the CEOs of GISD members met in New York to develop a plan of action and to prepare the official launch of the GISD Alliance on October 16th.

Luncheon discussion with Dr. Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development

On September 24th, KAS New York office invites to a luncheon with Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development and German international servants working across different UN agencies. The occasion of Dr. Gerd Müller's stay in New York was the annual visit to the UN General Assembly and his participations in the SDG, Climate and Health Summits.

Data as Political Capital

What kind of Rules & Regulations do we need for a a digitized Democracy?

Digitization has completely altered the way our societies communicate and how political opinion-making is shaped. Foreign interference, online hate-speech, data leaks on social media platforms and fake-news have made it more important than ever to define a global rules-based system and code of conduct that sets a common standard and protects democracy. The discussion with Germany’s leading startup for Digital Political Communications and Teddy Goff, one of America’s key figures from the campaigning landscape, will provide a state of the lay of current debates in Europe and the US, and will draw attention to the action that needs to be taken in order to have resilient democracies in the age of new technologies and artificial intelligence.

Book launch "Evangelicals and Political Power in Latin America"

Evangelical churches have experienced significant growth worldwide in recent decades. Their influence stretches beyond the spiritual sphere into politics, and economies. In recent elections in Latin America they played a decisive role. In a research project and publication coordinated by KAS Peru, sociologists and political scientists from Latin America analysed the political strategies of evangelical churches, evaluated their success and raised questions about the loss of hegemony of the Catholic church on the continent.

Crafting an Alliance for Multilateralism

In April 2019, the foreign ministers of Germany and France announced an initiative to create an alliance for multilateralism to enlist those UN Member States committed to international cooperation. It is clear that the United Nations needs champions in a challenging international context; however, questions arise about this proposal.

Cyber-Security: an issue for national and international security

From May 13 – 17, the KAS New York office hosts a dialogue program with security experts from Brazil on the topic of Cyber-Security. In the discussions, delegates will bring in their broad range of expertise from their diplomatic, academic and private sector background.

How can NGOs lobby the UN (and member states) for more action on combating GBV in conflict zones?

Dr. Denis Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. Sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict constitutes both a war crime and a threat to peace and security. As a surgeon Denis Mukwege has helped thousands of victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape on national and international level, and constantly reminds governments and the international community that more needs to be done to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a strategy and weapon of war. Although Gender Based Violence (GBV) in conflicts has received more attention over the last years, there is a need to ensure that the efforts of state and non-state actors, of the UN and the international community to prevent GBV in conflict zones, to support victims, and to hold perpetrators accountable, are intensified. The momentum should not be lost and the various efforts need to get consolidated. We are pleased to invite you to this roundtable that aims to discuss the need to strengthen efforts and initiatives with a champion of the fight against sexual violence as a weapon of war, Dr. Denis Me Mukwege Mukengere.