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 to 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 on the fields of energy, multilateralism, and security.
The event had among its participants the Permanent Representatives from Brazil, ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, from Malta, ambassador Vanessa Frazier, and the Head of the UNITAR NY Office, ambassador Marco Suazo. The Deputy Permanent Representatives from Brazil and from Malta, diplomats from approximately a dozen UN Member States, as well as officials from various UN agencies were likewise present.
In his opening speech, ambassador 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 help 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 held meetings with the Permanent Mission of Brazil and eight other UN agencies: the Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD), the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Office of Legal Affairs-Treaty Section, the 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 members of the Federal University of Pernambuco, by its Graduate Program 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.