FINLAND AI IMAGE AI FOREST AI HUMANRIGHTS ai for all

 EXTRACTS FROM 2020 FINLAND VOLUNTRAY SDG REPORT TO UN SDGS

Finland also promotes the 2030 Agenda Goals as part of its national space strategy. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland develops space technologies and competence, such as image analysis technologies based on artificial intelligence and other analysis methodologies. These enable the use of satellite and drone images for purposes such as performing forest inventories, analyzing plantations and monitoring the environmental status of water bodies. 

The crux of reaching sustainability in the coming decades will be people’s capacity and willingness to develop and combine all kinds of technologies and practices in novel, more sustainable and even surprising ways. This requires seeing everyone – farmer and city-dweller, student and elderly, entrepreneur and worker – from a changed perspective: people are not problems; they are potential problem-solvers. Give them encouragement and possibilities to learn and to try new things, and they can begin making a difference. If we do this, taking a path to sustainability will not only be a hard challenge. It will become a hero’s journey, for us all. 

COURSE.ELEMENTS.AI.COM

Finland aims to promote AI competence widely to ensure that no-one is left behind in its development. A good example is the web-based Elements of AI course open to everyone free of charge. The course, developed as a joint project between the University of Helsinki and technology company Reaktor, offers a low-threshold opportunity to acquire basic AI skills. Over 270 000 students from more than 170 countries have signed up for the course. 

Finland is a leading subject-matter expert on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital public goods in the follow-up process of the report of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation; through this work, Finland supports international digital cooperation by strengthening rules-based governance and sustainable development. Finland contributes to the Unit established at the Executive Office of the SecretaryGeneral, with the task of coordinating the follow-up to the report of the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, by 400 000 euros and one JPO. 

Furthermore, Finland supports the UNICEF’s AI and Child Rights Policy Project, aiming to develop guidance sensitive to children’s rights for companies and governments utilizing AI. The project is funded by 859 000 euros. 159 PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2020:8 VOLUNTARY NATIONAL REVIEW 2020 FINLAND – REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT By means of innovation programs, implemented by Business Finland and VTT, Finland supports the invention of innovations concerning sustainable development, as well as the scaling of innovations internationally. Via the aforementioned programs, sustainable solutions are developed concerning e.g. clean energy (SDG7), circular economy (SDG8, SDG12), smart industry (SDG9), health and well-being (SDG3), clean technologies and lowcarbon solutions (SDG13), urbanization (SDG11), and digital solutions. 

Finland also promotes the 2030 Agenda Goals as part of its national space strategy. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland develops space technologies and competence, such as image analysis technologies based on artificial intelligence and other analysis methodologies. These enable the use of satellite and drone images for purposes such as performing forest inventories, analyzing plantations and monitoring the environmental status of water bodies.

During Finland’s Presidency of the European Union (2019), Finland actively promoted the mainstreaming of human rights defenders, women and girls and LHBTI rights in various sectors of the EU’s foreign and security policy. As President of the Council of Europe (2019) Finland took initiatives to increase the institution’s effectiveness and promotion of the rule of law, and promoted action on human rights -centred artificial intelligence.

Finland seeks new, fast-acting measures and initiatives to combat climate change and implement its ambitious national climate targets. A good example is cooperation between the Government and industrial sectors to draw up roadmaps in identifying development paths for different sectors and businesses to reduce their own climate emissions. In addition to the major GHG-emitting industrial sectors (energy, forestry, technology, and chemistry), the work is also being carried out in ten other sectors.

food ai

 this years nobel peace prize goes to the world food program  wfp-un- covid may yet make its next year the most vital for decades -nobel link

link to wfp ai at un #aiforgood   ----   video sec general roadmap digital coop june 2020 begun in 2018 with melinda gates/jack ma et al

full transcript coming soon  - extract from antionio guterres 

excellencies distinguished participants 

dear friends the world is shifting from04:22

analog to digital technology at a faster 

pace than we could ever have predicted this creates both lpromise and some peril :the covid pandemic has magnified the many benefits and harms the digital world technology is enabling: the life-saving work of health care providers allowing businesses to operate remotely educating our children and connecting us but we also have seen technology gravely misused hate speech discrimination and abuse are on the march in digital spaces;misinformation campaigns put  lives at risk 

05:02

in response United Nations has launched a verified 

initiative to increase the volume and reach of accurate information on the crisis, life-threatening cyberattacks on hospital systems certain to disrupt life-saving care... we are at a critical point for technology governance digital connectivity is indispensable both to overcome the pandemic and for a sustainable and inclusive recovery but we cannot let technology trends get ahead of our ability to steer them and protect the public good .....if we do not come together now around using digital technology for good we will lose a significant opportunity to manage its impact and we could see further fragmentation of the Internet....05:46  dear friends this is the backdrop to the roadmap for digital cooperation that you are launching today; the roadmap is a guide for a multilateral multi-stakeholder way forward in the age of digital  interdependence... building on the report of the hi level panel on digital cooperation it sets out eight areas where we can come together and pursue the imperative for

global action on digital cooperation: the 

over-arching design of the roadmap is to connect respect and protect people in the digital age- the United Nations will be a facilitator in the platform mobilizing partnerships and

coalition's within government ,

civil society academia and Industry-today,  our diverse panel of distinguished speakers is amplifies the inclusive approach we need-  please allow me to suggest what some of the first steps  on universal connectivity we must convene  :leaders in connectivity to establish baselines targets and metrics for connectivity and affordability and then to support the emerging efforts and develop new financing models together we can achieve the target of ensuring that every person has safe and affordable access to the Internet by 2030

 s

07:08 

second regarding digital public goods we need a concerted 

global effort from member states to insist and private sectors and others to promote open source software, open data, open AI ,Mobile's open standards and open content ... privacy applicable laws must do no harm is a vast potential to help us achieve the sustainable development goals 

07:32

third, Digital Inclusion efforts that reach all 

including the most vulnerable; the proposed Digital Inclusion coalition will help develop metrics and scorecards to accelerate an inclusive digital ecosystem to address the growing digital gender gap and to reache the most vulnerable including migrant refugees and others 

f

07:55

fourth , digital capacity buildings through expanded training 

programs and support  systems to

stand ready to work with national eff

orts together with global needs which will require greater coherence and coordination for digital human rights; the roadmap addresses issues including data protection and privacy 

08:30

we need to smartly anticipate that artificial intelligence is an area that poses some of the greatest cha

llenges to ethics policy and governance we need to ensure that all perspectives particularly those of developing countries are part of the conversation

the roadmap offers the United Nations 

a platform to stress and value global cooperation on AI so that is trustworthy, human rights-based, sustainable and safe and promotes peace; digital trust and security through international community must come together at the highest levels to prioritize and safeguard these

technologies that underpin core social 

functions and critical infrastructure such as access to food water housing energy health care and transportation. I urge you to continue exploring the value of a universal statement that technology is the strong linkage between the principles of digital trust and security and our ability to realize the 2030 sustainability development goals

09:46

dear friends today's digital landscape 

offers an opportunity but if we don't take that opportunity it would quickly turn into a threat -- unless we address digital instability and inequality they will continue to exacerbate physical instability and inequality will risk the

I urge you to  serve iyour commitment to connect respect and protect people in the digital way in the digital age and I encourage you to take bold broad innovative and collective action

10:31

the greatest risk we face is not that we 

will go too far is that we will go not far enough -the United Nations cannot solve these problems alone and I thank you for your commitment and your support 

10:49

next we are fortunate to be able to hear a 

statement from her excellency Simonetta Sommaruga 

 the president of the Swiss 

Confederation

======================

click pic to see recent unga75th zoom hosted by wfp

Details

Date & Time:

September 15

9:30 am - 11:00 am EDT

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Issues:

Data & Tech

Organizers

UN World Food Programme

OCHA and the Office of the Special Adviser

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A discussion on the importance of global cooperation to connect, respect and protect all people in the digital age – and the unique challenges and opportunities in using digital technologies in the humanitarian sector.

CONTEXT

The UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, launched in June 2020, presents a set of recommended actions for the international community to help ensure all people are connected, respected, and protected in the digital age. It lays out the tremendous benefits and opportunities which digital technologies have given us, as well as the potential risks and unintended consequences we must be cognizant of.

The Roadmap calls for all stakeholders – from public, private and technical communities – to come together and build upon successful efforts, partnerships and coordination to ensure every person has safe and affordable access to the Internet by 2030, human rights are respected online, and the most vulnerable are protected from the potential perils of digital technologies.

In particular, the Roadmap notes that special attention should be given to ensuring connectivity in times of crisis and in humanitarian operations. This online event will be an opportunity to delve into how humanitarian and development actors can advance digital cooperation in the field.

The event will cover how the humanitarian sector is already improving effectiveness and efficiency in a changing landscape through the use of new technology and innovation, such as drones, data analytics, AI, biometrics, blockchain and mobile money transfers. Then, participants will explore where more could or should be done, taking account of the unique risks and challenges associated with deploying new technologies in humanitarian contexts, such as data privacy and protection, and the spread of misinformation. Finally, there will be time to reflect on ways the community can work together to coordinate and scale up efforts more effectively, keeping a clear focus on the people they serve.

The event is co-hosted by the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor working on Digital Cooperation, the UN World Food Programme, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

PROGRAMME

Opening Remarks:
– Fabrizio Hochschild, UN Under-Secretary General and Special Advisor on Preparations for the 75th UN Anniversary & Digital Cooperation
– Enrica Porcari, CIO & Director of Technology, World Food Programme
– Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, Head of Policy Branch, UN OCHA

Discussion:
– Kimberly Brown, Head of Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation, GSMA • Alexander J. Diaz, Crisis Response & Humanitarian Aid, Google.org
– Andrew Schroeder, VP of Research and Analysis, Direct Relief
– Sarah Telford, Lead, Centre for Humanitarian Data, UN OCHA
– Gabriela Alvarado, Chief of IT Emergency Preparedness & Response, WFP

#digitalcooperation
#UNGA75

 https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2020/10/16/the-covid-19-pandemic-is-revealing-the-regressive-business-model-of-college-sports/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_medium=email&utm_content=97607826&utm_source=hs_email

 

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Thank you for signing up with us! We’re excited to have you on board and can’t wait to bring everyone together to build a community of family, friends and fans of Singapore from all around the world. Going forward, you can expect to receive our monthly e-newsletter that offers: updates on the latest developments happening in Singapore and around the world exclusive invitations to a mix of business and social networking events exciting career-related opportunities that you might be keen to explore in Singapore Bearing in mind the current Covid-19 situation, we had to pause our lineup of global events, but fret not! We will continue to share content and relevant updates digitally. Visit our website, follow us on our social media channels or drop us an email if you would like to get in touch, or if you require any support during this time. We look forward to staying connected with you and getting to know you better!

seoul

 

Seoul to Host the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in 2020

–       Seoul as the capital of the South Korea was selected to be the host of the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates considering its symbolic history and its commitment for working towards world peace

– The Nobel Peace Laureates and other peace architects will come together to South Korea to address global issues, encourage and support peace in Inter-Korean region and the rest of the world

–       The official educational programme of the Summit “Leading by Example” will unite university students and young leaders from all over the world to create their own peace projects, to learn from the Nobel Peace Prize winners and to interact with them

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, December 5, 2019 – The 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (WSNPL) will be held in Seoul in 2020. The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, established in 1999, is one of the most relevant and celebrated events related to the peace dialogue around the world. It was founded by former President and Nobel Peace Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev after he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, to enhance the Peace movements and humanitarian activities of the world. President Gorbachev, who remains chair of the Permanent Secretariat’s of the WSNPL Honorary Board, launched the “World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates” in 1999 in Rome, Italy to convene Nobel Peace Laureates and Organizations to share their unique experiences and expertise as knowledge providers through a common platform with government leaders and all members of civil society, especially youth. The most recent Summits have been held in Barcelona, Spain (15th), in Bogota, Colombia (16th), and in Merida, Mexico (17th). In the 20+ years of its history, this is the second time the WSNPL is coming to Asia, after Hiroshima, Japan hosted the event in 2010.

The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (Permanent Secretariat of the WSNPL) decided to hold the 18th Nobel Peace Summit in Seoul, the capital of South Korea that is known today not only for its economic growth and cultural characteristics, but also for being the last divided country in the word. The Secretariat of the WSNPL praises Inter-Korean efforts to reach sustainable peace in the region and firmly believes that any opportunity of an open and productive dialogue for peace is in need here. The city of Seoul was chosen to be the host of the Summit as the capital of South Korea that has a symbolic meaning for the rest of the world while showing the devastating history of the country. The strong commitment to the values and the main idea of the Summit given the situation that inter-Korean peace issues are attracting the world’s attention was also taken into account. It is also important to mention that being the capital of the country Seoul has excellent international infrastructure that fully meets the requirements of the event.

The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Seoul in 2020 will gather Nobel Peace Laureates and international experts, peace architects and young activists, representatives of the renown organisations and high-profile authorities as well as the civil society willing to contribute to the improvement of inter-Korean relations and to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. The WSNPL is expected to bring a new fresh and inspiring vision of peace for the generation and to share Korea’s experiences in overcoming past conflicts and divisions and in achieving lasting peace and development.

The official organizers of the 2020 Nobel Peace Summit are the Seoul Metropolitan Government as the Official Host, and the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates as the Official Worldwide Organizer of the Summits. Within the days of the Summit various programs, multiple peace events and peace initiatives will be held where citizens can participate, such as photo exhibitions of Nobel Peace Laureates, a peace concert, and cultural events in symbolic places for peace, for instance, the DMZ, to share a message of peace with people around the world as well as the citizens.

The official educational programme of the WSNPL “Leading by Example” launched in 2012 by the Permanent Secretariat of the WSNPL will provide together with the City of Seoul important opportunities in Korea for university students to interact with the Nobel Peace Prize winners and to learn from the peace champions from all over the world. More than 1000 students and academicians are expected to participate in the programme including 800 students and young leaders from Korea and around selected 400 students and supervisors from the world’s recognised educational institutions and youth NGOs.

In recognition of its contribution to peace, Seoul will be declared as a “City of Peace ” by the Permanent Secretariat of the WSNPL during the Summit. The title is usually given by Nobel Peace Laureates and the Permanent Secretariat of the WSNPL to the host city for one year. 

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said, “We hope that the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates will help us to promote Seoul as a symbol of peace beyond war and division in order to attract global attention to peace on the Korean Peninsula.” and added, “Through this opportunity, we will promote the peace process on the Korean Peninsula and further secure international support for the Seoul-Pyongyang co-hosting of the 2032 Summer Olympics as another symbol of sustainable peace in the region.”

“Choosing the destination for the next Summit, we were attracted by the strong commitment that the South Korea have shown for working towards world peace. We all have been watching the great transformation of the Korean peninsula in recent years, from a region of tension and many concerns, to the exchanges and cooperation between the two Koreas to ensure sustainable peace in the region. Today, several decades after the Cold War ended, Korea remains the only divided country in the world and there is work to be done for peace and reconciliation in the region. We firmly believe that the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates and inspiring energy of Nobel Peace Laureates will bring a solid impact for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region and have chosen Seoul as the symbol of the country’s history and challenges”, stated the President of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Ekaterina Zagladina.

# # #

About the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. For 20 years, the Nobel Peace Summit has travelled around the world as the annual platform for Nobel Peace Laureates, world leaders, and peace activists to collaborate and engage in peace dialogues for the benefit of civil society and humanity. The meeting that started as a great idea of President Mikhail Gorbachev, who gathered his Nobel Peace Laureate colleagues and around a 1 000 people during the first Summit in 1999, has grown considerably. Throughout the years, around 75 000 people have attended the summit all over the world. Since the launch of our youth programme, “Leading by Example” in 2012, over 5 000 youth have been encouraged to create and develop their own projects for peace on community levels, which have been supported by numerous partners. These now include 145 universities and international organisations. Among the Programme’s most recent achievements, special mention must go to the creation of the Peace Curriculum at Universities, which is already starting to be implemented in partner universities.

Over the years, the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates have been honoured with the participation of numerous Nobel Peace Laureate and Nobel Peace Organisations, including: President Mikhail Gorbachev, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Shimon Peres, President Lech Walesa, President FW de Klerk, President Jimmy Carter, President José Ramos-Horta, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Lord David Trimble, Professor John Hume, President Kim Dae Yung, President Juan Manuel Santos and other globally-recognised leaders. Previous landmark host cities include: Rome, Paris, Berlin, Hiroshima, Warsaw, Chicago, Bogotá, Barcelona and Mérida.

During the last Summit in Mérida, Yucatan in September 2019, 30 Nobel Peace Laureates and Laureate Organisations were in attendance, gathering 7 800 attendees during four days of the event, more than 25 000 people connected via live streaming; and over 1 000 youth delegates from more than 60 countries participated in the “Leading by Example” programme. The Summit offers free access to the public. Further information on how to participate will be available soon at www.nobelpeacesummit.com.

china

 in my 70th year on t6he planet, i have never understood where the english-speaking world is being led - to be (sustainanble) or not, to value all lives matter

let me describe my muddled state: i was born in london to 2 diaspora scots- they had grown up anywhere but england, they had only just married and settled in london, dad had spent his last days as a teenager navigating airplanes in ww2 over modernda myanmar, bangladesah- mom had grown up in modernday mumbai, her dad had dialogued with gangdhi for 20 years, sir kennet kemp had returned to london during world war 2 to write up the legalese of india's independence

what i get is i would not exist without americans twice ending the old world's -thank you amrerucan peoples; what i didnt get was the 1960s which llooked like america's greatest leap landing on the moon was its greatest failure - not reconciling all lives matter- continuing with racially biassed constitutions which it had inherited from the british empire's processes of slavemaling, genocide, use gunpower to take over other peoples homelands and impose top down law and oder

it would need real american historians to check where post war america first lost the reality of aiming for freedom and happineeess of all; i wonder what would have happened if jfk had lived through the 1960s

footnote- i believe that education is broken when it fails at an appropriate grade probably 3rd to help each child explore knowhow of their family trees; this needs to be done sensitively- those whose knowhow is worth sharing- eg at age 9 i was in the class of david's attenborough son need to be told how lucky you are and how grateful we all are from you sharing your story- those whose families have suffered in places where their lives didnt matter need to be told you've been unlucky but we are even more gratefol to you for sharing your story

if a school and a community of sxchools has banked childrens stories then 3rd grade teachers will be experienced in choosing the order in which their next 3rd grade class stories are told, the aim of 3rd grade ie pre=adolescence is every child to be self-confidence and to love every kind of diversit she or he starets exploring through life- we know by adolescence any lack of self-awarenees of loving others spirals- it may never be possible to get that back of it is : it takes far more time/cost than teachers/communities knowing what they are doing to 3rd graders, and it also fails the child from successful participation when education is designed around one shot to progress through its grades- which incidentally examine what the historically most powerful defined as singular correct answers- not an idea fit for the coing sdg generation

coming soon

dad's story

more on paternal grandad's stor

more on maternal grandad'story

 Tweet from asian entrepreneur

Spokesperson发言人办公室

@MFA_China

China government account

Mr. Nong Rong will be appointed as the new Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan.

11:38 AM · Sep 11, 2020·Twitter Web App