Pardon the Dust...

Re-emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and responding as best I can to the causes most important to me, I’ve neither updated all links in these blog posts nor blogged for awhile. While I’m not happy about that bit of dust, building something new and sustainable is a good thing, yes? Illumi-Nation Global, Inc., is the nonprofit 501c3 charity I and my co-founders are standing up, and I will provide the website link as soon as we’ve launched. For now, if interested, please contact info@illumi-nationglobal.org.

Don't Forget About Lebanon!

The lack of accountability for the deadly ammonium nitrate explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, was cold comfort for attendees at today's Congressional hearing on the multi-crisis disaster that is Lebanon.

 U.S. House Foreign Affairs Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee Chair Ted Deutch and his colleagues sought recommendations from three experts. Mona Yacoubian, Randa Slim, and David Schenker offered several.

 Dr. Slim cited a completely corrupt political economy as the root of Lebanon's downfall. She observed that the political class is “all bad”; some of them more so than others.*

 Ms. Yacoubian warned of the negative impact on U.S. national security should the last vestiges of democratic governance vanish or its civil society sector wither. She pressed for additional immediate humanitarian aid to be sent directly to local Lebanese NGOs, bypassing the government.  

 Mr. Schenker reminded the subcommittee of the financial sanctions that have already been imposed on several sectarian political party leaders, in line with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Dr. Slim recommended sanctioning all the oligarchs.

 The three expert witnesses underscored the need for a unified international alliance of “tough love” toward Lebanon. It must include, in addition to France and the United States, the Gulf nations and as many other Arab countries as possible.

 There was also a unanimous call for the USG to support the Lebanese people and civil society institutions in preparing for and holding general elections on time next year.**

Alas, Mr. Schenker predicted only marginal change in the next parliament.

 Dr. Slim urged Congress and the Administration to keep Lebanon on their list of priorities, as difficult as that is these days.

 The American Task Force on Lebanon and the Middle East Institute are among the organizations advocating tirelessly to support Lebanon in her hour of need. Hopefully, policy and assistance will be strengthened.

 ATFL policy director Jean Abinader has suggested that 40 of Lebanon’s millionaires and billionaires each donate $1 million to fully fund the UNICEF program to meet the basic right of kids and adults in the country to sufficient water (https://www.atfl.org/drowning-in-corruption-lebanons-water-supply-dribbles-to-a-halt/).

 Thank you for reading. Here is the permalink to the video of the hearing: https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/2021/7/lebanon-assessing-political-paralysis-economic-crisis-and-challenges-for-u-s-policy. And if you’d like to make a donation that will go directly toward the supply of medical and PPE supplies to Lebanese hospitals in need, check https://www.lebanonreliefproject.com/.

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*My two cents...

Lebanon is undergoing her very own quadruple pandemic: unprecedented poverty and hunger; governmental failure; surging Covid-19 cases; and unreliable basic infrastructure. Would that the Lebanese who are protesting in the streets and helping to deliver basic public services could become the new political class.

 **Two more pennies...

Wouldn’t it be great if the newly emerging parties could disrupt the status quo and end the sectarian stasis in parliament?

Light in the Darkness of 2020

Many have noted this dumpster-fire-of-a-year around the globe. It's difficult to keep track of how many pandemics we are experiencing, amidst failure of political leadership in the U.S. government. Still, there is cause for celebration: last week's launch in the UK of coronavirus vaccinations and emergency authorization of the same vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Countries including Russia and China are administering covid-19 vaccines produced in numerous laboratories. Officials across the globe are extolling the public-private partnerships with universities and pharmaceutical companies backed by billions of taxpayer revenue responsible for the historic speed of vaccine development.

Why so much success, so quickly? Although in some locales the spread of the virus has been fueled by culture wars, there is far more agreement on eradicating it through safe science. Cultural conflict has succumbed to the common interest of a healthy global public and economy.

Imagine a similarly collaborative effort among the governmental, private and nonprofit sectors to address the other pandemics – institutional racism, climate change and economic recession! True, most public services are delivered in concert with contractors or grantees, but not on the scale of the covid-19 vaccination campaign.

Delivering covid-19 vaccines shines a beacon of hope on 2021. Public-private partnerships and a cascade of other efforts, from the grassroots to the World Health Organization, should make us feel more confident that our communities and institutions can, together, mediate our deadly socioeconomic diseases.

Holding Many in My Heart

The passing of Eileen Patricia McMahon Zogby, a local-to-global social justice and education advocate, has punctured my writing project bubble. Ms. Zogby died too soon, as have more than 19,000 people perished from the novel coronavirus. And just as I am filled with gratitude for her good works, I am thankful to healthcare providers and researchers, many of whom have no choice but to endanger themselves and their loved ones for the greater good.

Blog on a blog

Thanks to the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy for publishing HEALTHY RESPONSES AMID TURMOIL: MEDICAL DIPLOMACY AND CITIZEN PROTEST. As the image below suggests, the blog is indeed about the current civil society protests across Lebanon, but it is also about the unsung heroes and heroines of the Mental Health Services team of the U.S. Department of State. The piece is inspired by my dad and mom, he being a psychiatrist and she being Lebanese. Happy new year, and may it be a peaceful and prosperous one for all of us, as well as the beginning of a new era for the people in the land of the cedars, who are uniting to reject all of the country’s corrupt politicians.

The sign I carried in front of the Lebanese embassy with a heartfelt group of supporters in late November.

Making Change, One Conversation at a Time

Montgomery County, Maryland, bordering Washington, D.C. to the north and west, is where I reside and work. The county is increasingly majority non-white and our racial disparities have been intensifying. The root causes of African American enslavement and centuries of socioeconomic oppression are finally being confronted head-on, with the 2018 Resolution to Develop an Equity Policy Framework in County Government of the County Council. The CC President and County Executive are implementing dramatic steps, requiring training of elected officials and county employees as well as engaging residents in “Community Conversations” to provide “feedback” that will inform upcoming legislation on racial equity and social justice. I attended one of the largest CC forums on June 26th. We formed groups of four to ten and used active listening and participatory communication to discuss why racial equity matters, whether and how we are affected by racial inequity, and what changes we want to see to promote racial equity and social justice. In our frank but civil interactions, noteworthy was that African Americans were present in fewer numbers than Latino and east/southwest Asian residents. An (unrelated) woman and man of African heritage in my group remarked that the forums are not being publicized sufficiently and that a lot of people just don’t trust government, including the police. We agreed that county officials should, as the saying goes, “meet people where they are.” Because the policymaking process is moving so quickly, it is short-shrifting community input. If our diverse communities are given the chance to engage, the eventual racial equity and social justice policy will be best served by a new agency to enforce and assess the new law. Our problems are 400 years old; we shouldn’t make change fast if we want it to last.

L-R: Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro, Middle Eastern American Advisory Group founding member Mumtaz Jahan, Yours truly (advisory group chair)

A Way to Understand Where I'm From

I’m grateful for a new friend’s suggestion to build a "Where I'm From" poem (see https://www.sausd.us/cms/lib/CA01000471/Centricity/Domain/3043/I%20Am%20From%20Poem.pdf) to help me focus my often dreamy ambitions. What emerges in the poem (which only took about a half hour, and I am no student of the genre) are my deepest sources of identity: the diversity of nature and culture; family; peace; and a healthy balance.

I am From

6/6/19

I am from a fruit tree

Of Panamanian bananas.

Then from the suburbs, cross-country,

Living in mostly drab houses, except for my parents’ contemporary, custom-built home.

I am from their well-intentioned teachings of service, book-learning and not giving up.

I am from their privileges and their love.

And Mom’s Lebanese roots.

Boutrous. Nassif. Attiyeh.

I am from that speech therapist and her white psychiatrist mate,

Who both care.

I am from a cautious, kind family,

Maybe to a fault.

I am a spiritual hodgepodge.

I am a salad, whiskey.

From the two tries it took Grandma to immigrate

To the mystery of Dad’s birth parents.

Our diaspora means scattered memorabilia,

So we take photos, preferring to leave no trace.

The (So-far) Merry Month of May

Last week began with a flurry of writing and editing and ended with a birthday surprise. “We need to talk about American whiteness,” an op-ed in The Washington Post, along with the author’s research for a new book, Dying Of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland, were so resonant that I sent off a letter to the editor. Especially after agreeing with my husband that some of my phrasing was academic and unclear, I dismissed the fantasy of a reply. However, a day or so later,  I heard from the Post. You may know the drill. Several emails ensued, requesting and suggesting edits. By week’s end, on my birthday, the letter appeared online. The Post’s unintended gift was all the more meaningful because of the collaborative process with several editors. Could it be that they, too, were inspired by the book’s call for mutually respectful listening and dialogue?

In bold, below, is how the editors conveyed the edit they sought:

Jonathan M. Metzl’s April 30 op-ed, “We need to talk about American whiteness,” used yet another woeful incident of racial discord as an opportunity for healing. This research psychiatrist’s prescription of open, reflective, neighborly dialogue to mediate the “politics of resentment” that white privilege generates is a process for learning and living together in our increasingly crowded, interdependent world.

However, with respect, I challenge Mr. Metzl that organizational efforts “among groups with common socioeconomic interests (rather than identities) are more successful in achieving shared objectives.” In my research and lived experience, there is little daylight between interests and identities. They are constantly interacting, overlapping and shifting. To serve us for the moment or the long haul, we activate single or multiple identities. Our identity-based interests are what constitute our diversity. We fail to (ad) minister[[Could we say “apply” instead of administer here? Several of our editors were tripped up by administer. Thanks]] them without equitable government and civil society institutions — not to mention gatherings at Politics and Prose and other privately operated venues.

 I hadn’t been able to write what I really meant until they pinpointed where I was tripping up. It was easy to reply:

Thank you for the update. As to the edit you request, I welcome a clearer word than "administer." I intended to refer to "interests" in the prior sentence, so if you all find "apply" makes more sense, I defer to your judgment. Perhaps a different wording, e.g., "We fail to recognize these interests without equitable government..."

 And soon they wrote back:

Hi again,

I like your proposed wording and can change it to that.

Thanks so much,

…

I thanked the editor and then Jonathan Metzl:

Dear …:

The letter looks great in print and online and I appreciate the editorial skill you demonstrated in the publication process. It was the most unexpectedly positive birthday gift (May 3d) I've received in years.  

Cheers for all you do,

Debbie Trent

And she responded!

 Dear Dr. Metzl:

I was sufficiently inspired by your research and April 29th op-ed that I replied to the editor. It's here if you are curious. I look forward to reading your book (maybe I will even drive down to Politics and Prose for a copy) and applying it in my own practice.

With appreciation,

Debbie Trent

I hope this month visits you with intentional acts of kindness. You never can tell what your reading and writing will lead to!

Happy Earth Day!

This April 22d, wherever you may be, join me in remembering Wangari Muta Maathai and the Green Belt Movement she started for Kenya and the world.

First Voting, then Working, for the Planet

In the weeks since my prior blog (below), Marc Elrich was elected by a clear majority of voters as Montgomery County (Maryland) Executive. This former teacher and County Councilmember is an environmentalist and fiscal moderate who is positively geeky about good governance, sound science and program evaluation. His other strength is that he is a dedicated listener. And he will have held EIGHT listening sessions around the majority-minority county of over one million residents. That’s a lot of ear-time. I went to the first session and tonight will attend the final one. This is what I’ve prepared to say:

Good evening, CE Elrich and neighbors. I live and work in Kensington, am a member of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, a couple of miles away, and a former civic association president. I voted for the planet on November 6th.* I am here to start keeping a promise to do what I can to help stave off our climate emergency, but it starts with a question. what are your plans to implement Resolution 18-974, Emergency Climate Mobilization, passed on December 5, 2017?

You were the strongest ally of the MoCo chapter of The Climate Mobilization on the resolution, which -- I quote –"accelerates the County’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal to 80 percent by 2027 and 100 percent by 2035 and calls upon the County Executive, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to advise the County Council on “specific methods for accelerating the County’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.” 

As you may recall, The Climate Mobilization sent you a 12-page Transition Memo. We understand that the devil is in the details, whether for action by the County Council or, now, especially, by the County Executive, and TCM looks forward to meeting with you, soon.

How do we mobilize the county for the third priority outcome of your administration, A GREENER COUNTY? The transition memo from TCM provides implementation recommendations, including 18 for public, employee, and intergovernmental awareness and outreach. Wearing my volunteer hat as an OCP ethnic advisory group chair, I recommend using the volunteer groups to facilitate dialogue, education, and information-sharing across our diverse communities. They could also support the work necessary for re-orient organizational culture to a greenhouse gas reduction mindset.

I understand a new climate emergency advisory group or task force has been formed. Why not link it up with the OCP advisory groups to help implement the "Cross-Cutting Environmental Education and Outreach Montgomery County Government recommendations" in the  "Report of the Montgomery County Climate Mobilization Workgroup June 5th, 2018"? 

You get it. If we don't mobilize a county government-wide and all-resident/business-wide campaign, our climate emergency will turn to a climate disaster. Thanks for listening.  

Debbie Trent

20 December 2018

dtrent@civilstrategies.net

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*November 4, 2018 — http://www.civilstrategies.net/blog/

Vote for the Planet!

4 November 2018

As a U.S. citizen, I need to cast my ballot by Tuesday. Since I see most everything through an environmental lens, I will vote only for candidates who have demonstrated their understanding of the climate emergency and commitment to at least slowing it down. No one message reflects my position more than this video, a GOTV message from students at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD. Thanks to my Cedar Lane UU Church friends via 350MoCoMembers for sharing it! Perhaps not coincidentally, at the Swedish embassy’s October 24th panel on digital diplomacy, @SwedeninUSA brilliantly turned the gathering into a salute to the Earth (and beyond) with a group photo of attendees marking #UNDay and the #2030Agenda 17 Goals for Sustainable Development. Yours truly is second row, center, holding a yellow sign with SDG#7: Clean and Affordable Energy. This is personal and there are no degrees of separation among my family on the urgency of saving the planet: the future of my son (who went to Blair!), his generation, and all the rest of us, is at stake. And my husband is standing beside me in the embassy photo.

Guest Post by Caitlyn Gardiner

Caitlyn Gardiner is a homeschooled high school senior who enjoys writing, political science, and studying international relations.. Ze is an intern for the Middle Eastern American Advisory Group for Montgomery County, and runs the group's Instagram account (@mocomeaag). A few weeks ago, ze had the opportunity to attend a conference focusing on a holistic view of the Arab World, and wrote this essay shortly after to capture the highlights of the event.

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When people think of the Middle East, it is easy to immediately picture images of violent conflict and war as frequently portrayed by the mainstream media. While this may capture the surface level issues, these snapshot stories fail to communicate the underlying issues, including a continually growing poverty and economic vulnerability rate of 55%, cultural divides, and an education system over-romanticizing the past rather than empowering the present. The third annual Arab Center Washington DC Conference, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict, was held on September 20th, 2018 and explored these underlying issues through numerous insightful panel discussions and keynote speakers.

            On behalf of the Middle Eastern American Advisory Group, the chair, Debbie Trent, and an intern, Caitlyn Gardiner, attended the conference. They enjoyed listening to the productive discussions of the panelists and networking with others at the conference. The day began with panels to frame the current situation in the Middle East. Much emphasis was placed on the lack of freedom of the press and free speech. In one country, laws even allow for any social media account with over 500,000 followers to be shut down simply for allegations of fake news, without any need for evidence. In another country, citizens in an isolated area saw failure of development policies so severe they were forced to eat leaves or starve. With situations this desperate, people may expect to read about them frequently. Noura Erakat, a panelist and Assistant Professor in the School of Integrative Studies at George Mason University, explained that we do not see all of those stories because mainstream media sees Arabs in the Middle East the same way it saw African Americans in the 1940s: invisible.

            The final panel of the day was my personal favorite: Beyond Sectarianization: Toward Inclusive Citizenship in Arab Societies. Panelists discussed the need for accountability, transparency, and inclusivity in Arab societies, as best captured by one speaker: “Democracy requires the inclusion of all (and) is impossible without the inclusion of all.” As the conversation progressed to speculating about post-conflict Arab societies, several panelists echoed that there may not be such a thing as a post-conflict society; not because of an inevitability of war, but because disagreement and dislike are a part of free will, and therefore play a role even in times of peace. Therefore, the objective for the future of Arab societies, and the rest of the world, is not to eliminate conflict, but to make open and productive discussions the driving force of democracy.

For more information on the Arab Center Washington D.C., please visit http://arabcenterdc.org/

A Great Start to October!

‘Shout out to the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy — such a great partner of the Public Diplomacy Council of the United States — for promoting the council’s latest edited volume of research and advocacy. On the first of the month, USC CPD has given Nontraditional U.S. Public Diplomacy: Past, Present, and Future another plug.

Yours truly blogged earlier to announce the edited volume’s publication. Then, as now, I am indebted to the ten other contributing authors and council board and members for making the book happen.

A Bit of Harmony amid Discord

A recent opinion piece of two accomplished former U.S. officials who have for much of their careers worked for peace in the Middle East is a reminder of the pathetic politics around U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli relations. The Palestinians of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza have been stateless for 70 years. Without a sovereign Palestinian state, just, transparent and inclusive citizen engagement will remain elusive. Collaborative leadership is rarely visible, yet it is central to security for all Palestinians and Israelis. The most patiently suffering and wise among them know this reality all too well. Among them are female civil society leaders – in Palestinian municipalities who have been bravely protesting injustice and establishing social welfare and income-generating cooperatives. One s-hero’s community organizing in Gaza inspires the new documentary film, Naila and the Uprising. Her work strikes a hopeful chord amid the dissonance of Israeli-Palestinian-U.S. relations today. I look forward to seeing the film, to learn how she became an effective leader and peacebuilder.  If you are in DC on April 24th, you might still might be able to score a ticket for the second showing at filmfest DC.

March 12th: Amplifying Women's Leadership across the Middle East

As the coordinator of this event and chair of the Section on Effective and Sound Administration in the Middle East of the American Society for Public Administration, I am posting the publicity flyer here. The section's website is down. 

FREE PUBLIC EVENT with RSVP

Amplifying Women's Leadership across the Middle East

Panel-Dialogue-Reception at the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) annual conference

Monday, March 12, 7-8:30 pm

Denver, CO - Hyatt Regency Denver, 650 15th Street, Centennial B

Panel Description

As communities across the Middle East continue to advocate for their rights, dignity and equality, now is a crucial moment to look at models of visionary grassroots leadership and the success of nonviolent activism. In particular, women on the frontlines of social and political change in the region should be recognized to bring much-needed visibility and attention to their roles.

The panel will explore cases of Middle Eastern women's leadership, amplifying the work of women organizers, activists, academics, and others through nonprofit international and Colorado-based organizations. One panelist will shed light on the struggle and achievements of the women's movement during the first Palestinian uprising, as documented in Just Vision’s newest film, Naila and the Uprising, and its relationship to grassroots organizing in Israel and Palestine today. Another panelist will look at Beirut and Beyond’s humanitarian relief, reconciliation, and relationship-building work in the region, along with U.S.-based educational efforts, to support Palestinian refugee communities. A third panelist will share the experience of Meet the Middle East in conducting cross-cultural exchanges and training among women. A fourth panelist will share perspectives from his work with One Earth Future to promote the impact of women on good governance and peacebuilding.

The panel will consider the diverse experiences of key stakeholders in the region, as well as the teaching and practice of conflict mediation in public administration. Audience participation is encouraged. Reception to follow.

Panelists and Moderator

Emma Alpert is Public Engagement Manager for Just Vision, working to increase the power and reach of Palestinians and Israelis seeking to end the occupation and build a future of freedom, dignity and equality. Emma has been engaged in filmmaking, educational programs, journalism, and conflict mediation in Cairo, the West Bank, Jordan, and East Jerusalem for over 10 years.

Suzann Mollner, Executive Director/Founder of Beirut and Beyond and has served Palestinian refugees in refugee camps across the Middle East for over 13 years. Prior, her cross-cultural work with vulnerable populations spanned communities elsewhere in the Middle East and in Africa, Thailand, and the United States.

Iman Jodeh is Founder and Executive Director of Meet the Middle East, fostering relationships between the people of the United States and the region through consulting, cultural events, training in conflict resolution, and immersion travel. She holds a master’s in public administration and is a leader in interfaith engagement.

Larry Sampler is the president of One Earth Future (OEF), a foundation seeking a more peaceful world through collaborative, data-driven initiatives. Our Secure Future is an OEF program that strengthens the Women, Peace, and Security movement. Sampler’s prior federal government career includes senior positions at USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and the Pentagon, taking him to Afghanistan, Somalia, Gaza, and Pakistan.

Aziza Zemrani (Moderator) is a founding member of SESAME and upcoming chair-elect. She is Associate Chair of the Department of Public Affairs and Security Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, with cultural competency and leadership development among the areas of her expansive teaching and practice.

This event is co-sponsored by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the Section on Effective and Sound Administration in the Middle East (SESAME) and endorsed by the Section on Women in Public Administration (SWPA) and the Section on Emergency Crisis and Management (SECM).

For further information on the ASPA Conference, visit: www.aspanet.org and click on the conference homepage. Please direct all RSVPs and inquiries to: Debbie Trent at dtrent@civilstrategies.net

A great day for cross-cultural, intergenerational engagement!

In the seat of Montgomery County government in Rockville, Maryland, yesterday, the all-volunteer Middle Eastern American Advisory Group of the Office of Community Partnerships celebrated our diverse heritage and bridge-building with over 100 residents of our majority-minority county. A group of high schoolers helped MEAAG adult members realize a goal to include additional countries in our celebration: Israel, Morocco and Tunisia. Nadia Hassan, founder of the Young Leaders Institute, presented an inspiring keynote address, touching on her southern California, Muslim, and Lebanese roots, and how they guide her in her advocacy of inclusiveness, love over hate and civil advocacy instead of violence. Below are County Executive Isiah Leggett with Ms. Hassan after her address (image courtesy of Young Leaders Institute).

MARCH 4th: FOURTH ANNUAL MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD MIDDLE EASTERN AMERICAN HERITAGE CELEBRATION

All are welcome to the public, free, fourth annual Middle Eastern American Heritage Celebration in Montgomery County, Maryland, will be held Sunday, March 4, 2018, 4:00-6:00 p.m. Location is the cafeteria, ground level, Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St., Rockville, MD. This free, public event is Presented by the Montgomery County Middle Eastern American Advisory Group. It celebrates Middle Eastern diversity in the county and the keynoter this year is inspiring youth leader Nadia Hassan. Interactive exhibits, entertainment, light fare, and local officials await. Check out the program below, for more details:

Cultural presentations, live performances, light regional cuisine

Displays: Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey

Refreshments~Displays~Henna Demonstration

Resource Tables: Voter Registration, Yalla Vote, Children of Persia

Welcome & Recognition of Elected Officials & Dignitaries~Mimi Hassanein, Middle Eastern American Advisory Group Liaison & Deborah Trent, MEAAG Chair

Keynote~Ms. Nadia Hassan: Young Leaders Making Change

Proclamation of Middle Eastern American Heritage Month~County Executive Isiah Leggett, County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, Kevin Craft for Governor Larry Hogan

Citations presented by Ken Reichard for U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Eve Shuman for U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Kevin Mack for U.S. Congressman John Delaney (MD-6)

Persian Arts and Cultural Communities Music Group

Closing             

Getting ready for Global Partnerships Week, starting March 6th!

As a public-private partnerships geek, I have been looking forward to Global Partnerships Week. Looking over the agenda and blogging leading up to the conference, I was really struck by the innovative PPP between Drexel University and the People's Emergency Center. As I commented on the GPW blog platform, this partnership encompasses many effective practices in government-citizen relations, diplomacy, development, and peacebuilding. It’s based on mutual interests with wide benefits, grounded in participatory, socioeconomically inclusive design, monitoring and evaluation (“listening” to the beneficiaries and stakeholders; ongoing user feedback process loop). It’s results-oriented, uses locally accessible technology, and supports environmental sustainability goals. I'm looking forward to hearing more about this and other PPPs at GPW 2017.