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2 May 2023, New York, USA.- The Data Diplomacy Project was featured during the 8th Multistakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI Forum), held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at UN headquarters in New York during the first week of May. Through the support of the UN Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR, NY Office) and of the Permanent Missions of Malta and Brazil to the UN, the project was displayed as an official side-event at the STI Forum on May 2. The event allowed the researchers Henry Iure Paiva, Rafael Mesquita, and Antonio Pires to showcase their respective data solutions in the fields of energy, multilateralism, and security.
The event had among its participants the Permanent Representatives from Brazil Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, Malta Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, and the Head of the UNITAR NY Office Mr. Marco Suazo. The Deputy Permanent Representatives from Brazil and Malta, diplomats from about a dozen UN Member States, as well as officials from various UN agencies were likewise present.
In his opening speech, Mr. Suazo stressed the ubiquity of technology in daily work at the UN and therefore UNITAR’s “responsibility to bring these tools to Member States and Secretariat” to assist their procedures. Ambassador Frazier underscored Malta’s ongoing engagement with digital diplomacy and optimism towards the potential of the Data Diplomacy Project. “This event is only the start of a partnership bringing together the worlds of diplomacy, academia, data and digitalization together for the good of multilateral diplomacy”, she stated. Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho deemed the initiative “revolutionary” while emphasizing its connection to Sustainable Development Goal 17 on strengthening partnerships. “This is an essential goal and I believe the Data Diplomacy Project with helping us better understand the complexities of global diplomacy”, he added.
In addition to the presentation at the STI Forum, between May 1 and 5, the team of researchers had meetings with the Permanent Mission of Brazil and eight other UN agencies: Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD), Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), Office of Legal Affairs-Treaty Section, Department of General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), UN Library, the Secretary General’s Office of the Envoy on Tech, UNDP Latin America, and UN Academic Impact.
The team’s participation in the event was made possible through the support of UNITAR and, for UFPE members, the Graduate Programme in Political Science (PPGCP-UFPE).
This visit is a continuation of a previous event when in July 2022 the team was invited to observe the Brazilian presidency of the UN Security Council.
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