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CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Hosted by Dan Runde, William A. Schreyer Chair and Director, Project on Prosperity and Development, Building the Future explores topics at the intersection of global development, foreign policy, and national security. In each episode, Dan sits down for a discussion with a leading expert from government, the private sector, and international organizations to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the world today.

Building the Future: Freedom, Prosperity, and Foreign Policy with Dan Runde

This week’s podcast features Lana Abu-Hijleh, who is the Palestine Country Director for Global Communities and a member of the CSIS Forced Migration Task Force. Lana shares the struggles she faced pursuing a career as an engineer growing up in Palestine and her inspiration for returning home. Palestine has made great strides in education, lowering the illiteracy rate to around 2 percent. In addition, 41 percent of college graduates in Palestine are women. Lana was named One of the Top 100 Inspiring Women in the World in 2015 by BBC. Lana also shares her perspective on the global migration crisis. 5.2 million Palestinians are still registered as refugees today, but she remains optimistic. 52 percent of the population in the West Bank and Gaza is under the age of 25 years old. Through programs like the Global Communities Youth Local Council in the West Bank, Palestinian youth begin to understand the crucial role they play in the leading their country forward. Lana explains, “Refugee is just a status that is temporary and should end.” Tune in to hear more from our guest Lana Abu-Hijleh by listening to the full podcast.

Palestine’s Youth: Born into Conflict, Working for a Brighter Future

In this podcast, First Lady of Afghanistan, Rula Ghani, discusses the resiliency of Afghan women and their increasing re-emergence in grade schools, universities, and professions (such as engineering and law) after years of war and oppressive Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Mrs. Ghani has her finger on the pulse of women’s empowerment in Afghanistan and shares a variety of fascinating anecdotes – which center around topics ranging from the shifting cultural attitudes of men to the changing landscape of women’s professions in conservative provinces – that have served to bolster her vision of a positive, gender-inclusive future for Afghanistan.

Resilient Women: A Conversation with the First Lady of Afghanistan on Women’s Empowerment

In this podcast, Ambassador Jim Michel, Senior Adviser at CSIS and former U.S Ambassador to Guatemala, discusses the critical role of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the international dialogue around new approaches toward development.

A Look at OECD’s DAC: The Major League Baseball Commission of Development

Andrew Natsios, former USAID Administrator and a key member of the CSIS Forced Migration Task Force, shares his views on the evolving role of USAID and international organizations and their responses to the forced migration crisis. More people are displaced today than any other point in human history. Mr. Natsios provides powerful insights in the root causes of the global migration crisis and the steps to reduce its impact.

Is Development the Answer to the Forced Migration Crisis?

Antonio Rodiles, a Cuban dissident, opens up to Dan Runde in this podcast about the challenges he has faced opposing as an activist in Cuba and his hopes for political change. In addition, he discusses U.S.-Cuba relations and the ongoing challenges that have hindered the country’s progress. Tune in to hear more from our courageous guest.

Is This the Cuban Glasnost?

Andrew Shearer, Director of the Alliances and American Leadership Project at CSIS, join Dan for this week’s podcast to discusses the importance of international partnerships and the changing landscape of the Asia-Pacific region. How can the United States and Australia strengthen their collaboration in fragile and conflict-affected places?

Partnering with Australia to Tackle Today’s Development Challenges

This podcast features Ambassador Casper Klynge, Denmark’s first Technology Ambassador. In this interview, Ambassador Klynge discusses his new role and the growing importance of technology and Silicon Valley in the development agenda. Ambassadors are typically found in Washington D.C., but Ambassador Klynge has been tasked with strengthening Denmark's relationship with technology giants like Facebook and Google. To hear more from Ambassador Klynge, listen to the entire podcast.

The Future of Technology for Development

This podcast features Shannon Green, who is the Senior Director of Programs at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC). This podcast was recorded at the closing of Ms. Green’s time at CSIS. Her concluding remarks pose an optimistic view of the progress of human rights that reflects her hope for continued efforts. She brings deep experience in international development, human rights, and violence prevention with 15 years in the US government, academia, and the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining CIVIC, Ms. Green served as the Director and Senior Fellow of the Human Rights Initiative at CSIS where she served as Managing Director of the Commission on Countering Violent Extremism. Ms. Green also previously served as Senior Director for Global Engagement on the National Security Council. Before joining the White House, Ms. Green worked for USAID for nearly a decade. In this podcast, she discusses how countries cooperate on counterterrorism issues and the steps that governments and civil society need to take to combat violent extremism and other social instabilities.

The Power of Civil Society in an Evolving Global World

This podcast features His Excellency Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United States. Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been strained in recent months. It is important for the United States and Pakistan to continue their 70-year relationship. Pakistan currently ranks as the sixth largest country in the world, and they will shortly become the fifth. This conversation seeks to move beyond the security concerns and focus on development, economic, and other opportunities for partnership between the United States and Pakistan. To hear more from H.E. Chaudhry, watch our recent public event.

The Next Few Decades of U.S. and Pakistan Relations

This podcast features James A. Harmon, the Chairman of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund (EAEF). Mr. Harmon shares his unique and insightful experiences as Chairman of the EAEF, including the obstacles he had to overcome to make enterprise funds successful in Egypt. In the early 1990s, enterprise funds were innovative because they were given the unique and dual mandate to “do development” and make money. Some enterprise funds were very successful and generated returns for the American taxpayer; however, other enterprise funds were not as successful. The blended results sent mixed signals to Washington, D.C. and ultimately, enterprise funds fell off of the global development agenda. Then, prompted by the Arab Spring—and nearly two decades after the first round of enterprise funds—the Obama Administration initiated two new enterprise funds in Egypt and Tunisia. Tune in to our podcast with Mr. Harmon to learn more about enterprise funds.

A New Wave of Enterprise Funds

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to discuss the ITU’s critical role in increasing access to global digital connectivity. Dan and Doreen first provide an overview of the history of the ITU and outline the specific mandates of the BDT and other bureaus.
 
They go on to discuss the ITU’s targeted work and how the BDT aims to connect the world through six main focus areas: bolstering digital infrastructure, capacity building, digital inclusion, measuring impact, forming key partnerships worldwide, and policy regulation that emboldens an enabling environment. The conversation shifts to a discussion about global modernity as well as the future of digital infrastructure, specifically how both Covid-19 and distance learning have had varying degrees of negative impacts on many schoolchildren, especially those in the developing world.

Bridging the Digital Divide

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