Swae CEO Invited to the Council of Europe’s World Forum Talk: Can Democracy Save the Environment?

The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organization.

Soushiant Zanganehpour, Founder & CEO of Swae, has been invited to speak at the Council of Europe’s Forum Talk on Wednesday, 11 August, 4.30 to 6 PM CEST.

This is part of a yearlong campaign to
answer one big question: 

“Can Democracy Save the Environment?”

This is under the High Patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.

This Forum Talk will bring together CEOs, researchers and policy experts, including Swae’s very own Soushiant, to analyze dimensions of the relationship between global environmental challenges, technology and democracy. 

Soushiant will be providing context as to how technology can support and help true democracy in various ways. 

YOU’RE INVITED TO THIS FREE EVENT!

We welcome all to join as it will be streamed online Wednesday, 11 August, 4.30 to 6 PM CEST, please click the link below to watch the discussion:

Theme Description

The unprecedented global ecological challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, among others, raise a range of compelling questions about the intersections between these challenges, the uses and application of current and emerging technology, and the ability of democracies around the world to react effectively to these crises.

On the one hand, current and emerging technology present compelling new solutions to enable better collective responses to the climate and related ecological challenges¾for example, through new systems using the latest technologies to ensure global transparency on GHG emissions and climate action, as well as software and open online viewing platforms to develop and track climate action targets at various levels of governance. More, tailored software, using AI technology, may be used to engage citizens and enhance democratic decision-making around the world in connection with the unprecedented global climate and ecological challenges, as some governments strive to ensure maximal citizen engagement in and commitment to the significant economic and social changes that may be required for required climate/environmental action.

On the other side of the coin, there is currently a transnational problem – threatening, potentially, to undermine the foundations of democracy itself – of technologically-enabled misinformation, disrupting climate action and reducing the capacities of democracies to respond to urgent environmental challenges. How might democracies respond and safeguard vital (global) information ecosystem integrity and ensure citizens around the world get high quality information on ecological challenges?

About Forum Talks

The Forum Talk is part of the yearlong campaign: “12 months, 1 Question – Can Democracy Save the Environment?” August will be dedicated to “Technology, the environment and democracy” and a different theme will be addressed each month until November 2021, when we plan to hold a 3 day World Forum gathering to take place in Strasbourg—the largest democracy-focused gathering of its kind.  

The World Forum for Democracy is a unique platform for political decision-makers and activists to debate solutions to key challenges for democracies worldwide. By identifying and analysing experimental initiatives and practices, the Forum highlights and encourages democracy innovations at the grassroots and their transfer on a systemic level, in order to strengthen the foundations of democratic societies.

The Global Governance Forum seeks to promote more effective global governance to achieve unprecedented measures of shared prosperity, health, education, peace and justice, and to safeguard the planetary systems on which we all rely.

MORE DETAILS

The event is organised by the Council of Europe’s World Forum for Democracy in collaboration with the Global Governance Forum and Leiden University, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, and will consist in presentations from the invited experts followed by interactive discussion and Q&A with participants. 

MODERATOR

Maja GROFF International Lawyer and Convenor of the Climate Governance Commission, Netherlands

SPEAKERS

Amy EAGLESTONE Democracy-Building Expert and Policy Advisor to the Chair of the Dutch Climate Council, Netherlands

Dr. Herb LIN Senior Research Scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and Security, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Gavin Mc CORMICK Executive Director (WattTime) and Electricity Lead (Climate TRACE)

Tomer SHALIT CPO and Founder of ClimateView

Soushiant ZANGANEHPOUR Founder, CEO at Swae.io

Soushiant is a social scientist, entrepreneur and Founder of Swae.io, an AI-powered platform for smarter organizational decisions and 21st century governance. Swae helps companies, cities and organizations of all sizes benefit from the collective intelligence of their employees, stakeholders and citizens helping source innovative ideas, program and product feedback, and policy, budget, and strategy suggestions, at a fraction of the cost.

Soushiant is a recognized global practitioner in the fields of business innovation, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability having spoken at numerous international conferences and published in The Guardian, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Business Week, and Entrepreneur magazines. He is on Harvard Business Review’s Advisory Council, and a board advisor of Biocarbon Engineering, a reforestation start-up using drones to replant a billion trees per year.

Soushiant earned his BA (PoliSci & IR) from the University of British Columbia, a Diplôme in International Affairs from SciencesPo Paris, an MPP (Public Policy & Economics) from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and attended Singularity University’s Global Solutions Program as a Google Scholar. He was awarded a full scholarship by the UK’s Foreign Office as one of four Canadian Chevening Scholars for his Masters

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