2019 marks the year when Germany is once again occupying a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council and in April takes the presidency. Together with France, they picked “Woman, Peace and Security” as their focus topic. Against this background, Germany and France organized an Open Arria Meeting in New York looking at the inequalities between women and men in political processes, war, and conflict. As a civil society partner to the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations and its ambassador Dr. Christoph Heusgen, Global Perspectives was invited to accompany the conference at the UN.

By hosting the World Health Summit and the Grand Challenges Annual Meetings of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in October 2018, Berlin increasingly assumes leadership in the area of global health. By doing so, the city dedicates efforts to a commitment supported by several international decision makers from politics, economics and civil society. In this context, Global Perspectives Initiative (GPI) met with several international players to discuss Germany’s role in global health.

The Global Perspectives Initiative congratulates Congolese gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2018. The human rights activist is specialized in the treatment of victims of sexual violence and has been advocating for women affected by sexual violence as a practicing physician for years.