In this first episode Irena Guidikova from the Council of Europa paints a landscape in which true intercultural encounters become not just possible, but an inspirational perspective in the global village that we live in today.

IRENA GUIDIKOVA
A graduate of Political Science and Political Philosophy from the Universities of Sofia (BG) and York (UK), Irena Guidikova has been working at the Council of Europe since 1994. She founded in 2008 the Intercultural cities programme and was the coordinator of the World Forum for Democracy between 2013 and 2017. She is currently leading the Inclusion and Anti-discrimination programmes of the Council of Europe which support policy development and capacity-building in relation to anti-discrimination, equality, countering hate speech, LGBTI equality, migrant inclusion and minority rights.


Dans ce premier épisode, Irena Guidikova du Conseil d'Europe peint un paysage dans lequel de véritables rencontres interculturelles deviennent non seulement possibles, mais une perspective inspirante dans le village planétaire dans lequel nous vivons aujourd'hui.

IRENA GUIDIKOVA
Diplômée en sciences politiques et en philosophie politique des universités de Sofia (BG) et de York (UK), Irena Guidikova travaille au Conseil de l'Europe depuis 1994. Elle a fondé, en 2008, le programme des cités interculturelles et elle a été la coordinatrice du Forum mondial pour la démocratie de 2013 à 2017. Elle dirige actuellement les programmes d'inclusion et de lutte contre la discrimination du Conseil de l'Europe, qui offrent un soutien en matière de développement législatif et politique et un renforcement des capacités pour un large éventail de parties prenantes dans les États membres en ce qui concerne la lutte contre la discrimination, l'égalité, la lutte contre les discours de haine, l'égalité LGBTI, l'inclusion des migrants et les droits des minorités.

Irena Guidikova – On humility, space and curiosity (43 min)

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Richard Harris (Ph.D.), who, born in London (UK), is a tenured professor in the School of Management at Chukyo University, Japan, where he has lived for 42 years. He speaks of the difference between cultural relativism and relativity, but most of all he shares his passion for the discovery of different cultures and advocates for friendship as the best entry into a new culture. 

Dr. Harris teaches Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Management (in Japanese) at undergraduate and graduate levels and travels extensively out of personal and professional curiosity. Richard’s eclectic research interests range from the influence of physical and psychological space on intercultural encounters to the representation of ourselves and the other in media, museums, tourism and interpersonal interaction. He has presented at dozens of conferences around the world, and written many papers on the cultural impact of space, on the representation of cultures in Southeast Asian museums, and is the author of Paradise: A Cultural Guide, a study of cross-cultural concepts of the ideal.

Richard Harris – Making Friends (26 min)

Marco Blankenburgh is a true international citizen. Originally from the Netherlands, his fascination with global work and culture has led him to work in over 70 countries. As International Director of KnowledgeWorkx, Marco created the Inter-Cultural Intelligence methodology for people development. 

In a world that needs more human connection, he is passionate about equipping people and organizations with the tools they need to enhance relational success with people around them. Marco lives with his family in the UAE. He is interculturally married and has the privilege of raising four 'Third Culture Kids'.

Read more about the topics discussed in the podcast:

• Three Colors of Worldview: https://protect-de.mimecast.com/s/r3BgCw0o4YFK4RncV_dgQ?domain=urldefense.com
• Culture Made Practical - Self-Cultural Analysis: https://protect-de.mimecast.com/s/AaMGCx6p4ZIkgQjIv1fHD?domain=urldefense.com
• The Four Pillars of Successful International Negotiations: Best Practices: https://protect-de.mimecast.com/s/yBQ-Cywqg1TZQy3IQ5rsZ?domain=urldefense.com
• Better Conversations, Smarter Questions, and More Listening: https://protect-de.mimecast.com/s/uVguCz6rj2I6ymzIKRRUz?domain=urldefense.com

Marco Blankenburgh – Intercultural Intelligence (37 min)

Chair of the Department of Psychology & Associate Professor of Psychology at the American University in Dubai, Dr. Lina Almarestani focuses on cross-cultural skills from a psychology point of view. She is a great storyteller of Canadian, Syrian, and Egyptian heritage and in this episode shares her experience, not just as a professional, but as a person who lives interculturality on a daily basis in her personal life as well.

Lina Almarestani – Citizen of the World (28 min)

In this episode, Media4Democracy talks to Maria Ressa about how she set up Rappler - the successful digital news platform in the Philippines - and then became subjected to a coordinated campaign of online abuse on social media, and the target of legal and political intimidation by the government of the Philippines. She talks about her work as an international advocate in the fight for media freedom and the need to reign in the power of digital authoritarians and the tech companies in order to protect freedom of expression and independent journalism, which led to her being awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with her co-laureat, Dmitri Muratov.

Topics

- Independent journanlism
- Rappler.com
- Digital News Platforms
- Newsroom innovation
- Facebook
- Disinformation
- Media freedom
- Lawfare

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://www.rappler.com
https://informationdemocracy.org/working-groups/concrete-solutions-against-the-infodemic/ * https://www.ifpim.org

The Media4Democracy podcast - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Maria Ressa

In this episode, Media4Democracy talks to Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC about the increasingly complex threats journalists face because of their work and the legal tactics governments are using to silence journalists. Drawing on several prominent recent legal cases, she highlights how she and her colleagues are working together to step up legal protections for journalists to hold governments to account for crimes against journalist and fight back against the culture of impunity in many countries.

Topics
• Crimes against journalists
• Legal threats to journalists
• Lawfare
• Defending journalists
• Inter-American Court of Human Rights judgement on Colombia
• Daphne Caruana Galizia
• Maria Ressa
• Judith Bedoyo Lima

Links 
• International Media Defence Panel: https://www.doughtystreet.co.uk/international-media-defence
• Inter-American Court of Human Rights: https://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/articulos/seriec_431_ing.pdf

The Media4Democracy podcast - Season 1 - Episode 2 - Caoilfhionn Gallagher

Media4Democracy talks to Guilherme Canela from his unique global perspective as UNESCO’s chief of section of Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists at their headquarters in Paris. He talks about how the wide range of financial, technological, legal and political threats to independent media combine to create the perfect storm, but he also remains optimistic that stronger multi-stakeholder action and data-driven policy can help media weather the storm and play a vital role in upholding democracy and provide citizens with independent news and information.

Topics
- Journalist safety
- Disinformation
- Regressive legislation
- Freedom of Expression
- Access to Information
- Independent Media Viability
- Impact of COVID on independent media

Links
- UN Action Plan on Safety of Journalists and Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists: https://en.unesco.org/un-plan-action-safety-journalists
- UNESCO’s flagship Judges Initiative: https://en.unesco.org/training-foe

The Media4Democracy podcast - Season 1 - Episode 3 -  Guilherme Canela

In this episode, Media4Democracy talks to David Kaye, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression where he set the agenda in debates about the role that powerful tech companies and social media platforms should play in promoting and protecting freedom of expression, and the need for governments to do more politically and financially to protect media independence in the digital age.

Topics:
- Business and Human Rights
- Internet Governance
- Online content regulation and self-regulation
- Government transparency in online content governance
- Tech platform transparency in online content governance
- Social Media Councils

Links mentioned in this episode:
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf
- Article19 Social Media Council: https://www.article19.org/social-media-councils/
- Oversight Board (Facebook): https://share.zencast.fm/embed/podcast/www.oversightboard.com

The Media4Democracy podcast - Season 1 - Episode 4 - David Kaye

Media4Democracy talks to Marius Dragomir, Director of the Center for Media, Data and Society at the Central European University to understand the growing phenomenon of media capture in the 21st century. He explains why and how governments capture media to gain political power and win elections. Marius highlights the important role the international community – including the EU – can play at this critical moment in addressing media capture to protect media independence, and the role of global tech companies in protecting spaces for independent, public interest journalism.

Topics:
• Media Capture
• Elections
• Regulatory Capture
• Public media capture
• Private media capture
• Control of state advertising budgets
• Oligarchs
• Independent Media

Links mentioned in this episode:
• Centre of Media Data and Society: https://cmds.ceu.edu/

The Media4Democracy podcast - Season 1 - Episode 5 - Marius Dragomir

Media4Democracy talks to Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for Journalism at the University of Oxford, where he leads research into the changing nature of the news industry. Rasmus explains why he thinks the best analogy for the current media crisis is the climate crisis, and discusses the recent global report – A New Deal for Journalism – which calls on governments to implement policies to protect media freedom and to support the financial sustainability of independent media.

Topics
• Sustainable media businesses
• Government policies
• Financing public interest news 
• New Deal for Journalism 
• Public media 
• Private media 
• Not-for-profit media

Links:
• A New Deal for Journalism: https://informationdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ForumID_New-Deal-for-Journalism_16Jun21.pdf
• International Fund for Public Interest Media: https://share.zencast.fm/embed/podcast/www.ifpim.org
• Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/

The Media4Democracy podcast - Season 1 - Episode 6 - Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

In the previous episode Shelley Reinhart introduced us to the notion of the Third cultural space. But why should we bother? Is there anything to be gained from opening ourselves to new cultural dimensions? 

Shelley Reinhart is the Global Network Liaison at KnowledgeWorkx, as well as the Director of Education Services. Shelley is a skilled and experienced educator and facilitator who has successfully incorporated the principles of Intercultural Agility into the classroom of secondary schools as well as commercial leadership teams. Shelley is passionate about helping leaders engage with culture and build successful relationships within intercultural organisations.

Shelley Reinhart– Stay Curious (Part two) (14 min)

Notre invité dans cet épisode est Felipe Bosch, membre clé de l'équipe pour la prospective stratégique de la Direction Générale de Partenariats Internationaux à la Commission européenne. Nous explorons avec lui les implications d’une appartenance culturelle multiple pour son travail de prospection et le défis de réunir les perspectifs différents.

Né et élevé en Argentine, Felipe Bosch a obtenu son passeport italien en 2021. Grace à ses expériences, telles que l'obtention d'un diplôme de Master en gouvernance urbaine comparée franco-mexicaine, la défense d'une thèse sur le rôle des mouvements sociaux dans la formation politiques urbaines, et la co-fondation d'un programme géographique au sein du Groupe d'études géopolitiques, entre autres, il a développé des compétences analytiques et opérationnelles essentiel pour combler le fossé entre les mondes scientifique et politique. 

Son passage à la DG INTPA, d'abord en tant que stagiaire au bureau de la directrice Jolita Butkeviciene (INTPA.B) et maintenant en tant que membre clé de l'équipe de l'économiste en chef et conseiller principal pour la prospective stratégique, a renforcé sa passion pour l'intégration des avis scientifiques dans l'élaboration des politiques de l'UE par méthodologies et outils de prospective. Cette intégration pose des défis et des opportunités importantes pour l'UE dans un monde de concurrence géopolitique, de récits alternatifs émergents et d'incertitude radicale. La passion de Bosch est de participer à un environnement axé sur la collaboration, la multidisciplinarité et les hypothèses difficiles dans le cadre d’une réponse à ces temps de crise dans un interrègne.

Felipe Bosch– Todo cambia (première partie) (15 min)

“I believe that being aware of differences (without falling in the trap of stereotyping and
clichés), and being able to acknowledge them as well as our own biases and assumptions
are key elements when working in an organisation like ours.”

Evangelina Blanco Gonzales is programme manager for the EU Delegation in the Gambia and our guest for this episode. She draws upon a life of cross-cultural experiences having lived and worked in many European and non-European countries, but also being part of the cultural melting pots of Brussels, Bruges, and the European Commission. She explores how her Asturian roots (Northern Spain) have led her to this path.

Evangelina Blanco Gonzales – Acknowledging difference (Part one) (15 min)

In the second part of this episode Evangelina Blanco Gonzales explains how she works with cultural differences and how delicate situations sometimes require creative solutions.

Evangelina Blanco Gonzales is programme manager for the EU Delegation in the Gambia and our guest for this episode. She draws upon a life of cross-cultural experiences having lived and worked in many European and non-European countries, but also being part of the cultural melting pots of Brussels, Bruges, and the European Commission.

Evangelina Blanco Gonzales – Acknowledging difference (Part two) (14 min)

In the second part of this episode Jamila continues to explain how her personal experiences have shaped her work, while changing political circumstances become an acute reality for our conversation with her. 

Jamila El Assaidi is the Head of the Political, Press, and Information Section as well as the Deputy Head of Delegation at the EU Delegation in Niger. She breathes multiculturality both through her personal background and through her work experience in four different EU Delegation in Africa.

Jamila El Assaidi– You can’t force it (Part two) (10 min)

Notre invité dans cet épisode est Aline Brandstatter, Française avec des origines autrichiennes qui a étudié les langues, Sciences Po et le turc. Elle a vécu et travaillé dans plusieurs pays européens, ainsi qu'en Turquie et au Costa Rica, où elle a côtoyé des cultures très différentes. Aline travaille à la Commission européenne depuis six ans, où elle a occupé différents postes liés au voisinage, à l'environnement et à la coopération. Elle est actuellement responsable du programme MKS à la D4.

Parlant couramment le néerlandais, le turc, le flamand, l'anglais, l'espagnol et le russe elle croit fortement à la langue comme porte d’entrée vers la compréhension d’une culture. Elle cite Nelson Mandela, qui aurait dit que si on parle à une personne dans une langue qu’elle comprend, c’est parler à sa tête, mais si on lui parle dans sa langue, on parle à son cœur.

Aline Brandstatter– Parler au cœur (première partie) (15 min)

In the first episode of the new Capacity4dev Podcast Series, the team sat down with Francine Pickup, Deputy Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support at UNDP, who shared insights from her field days and reflections on her work today.

Takeaways from the field: a candid interview with Francine Pickup, UNDP

In episode 2 of the Capacity4dev Podcast Series, we interview Isabella Olsson, Head of Global Advocacy at LM International, and discuss the importance of local and rooted advocacy and the challenges of operating in conflict zones like Sudan. In answering our questions, amongst other things, Isabella calls for the need to foster community ownership if we hope project achievements are sustainable and can be replicated even after the project's implementation has ended.

Rooted advocacy to foster community ownership: challenges and lessons learnt

In episode 3 of the Capacity4dev Podcast Series, we interview Sara Jazaeri, who has been working with different UN agencies in conflict and post-conflict contexts for almost nine years. Sara shares tips on how to implement projects whose impact is sustainable in the long run and really address local needs in a flexible and adaptable way.

Sustainable impact in project implementation: collaboration, adaptability and stakeholder engagement

In episode 4 of the Capacity4dev Podcast Series, we interview Franco Conzato, Senior Expert Sustainable Development Policy and Coordination at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships. Franco gives us insights into the Financing Not Linked to Costs approach (also known as FNLC), according to which cost is not a key determinant of EU funding as, sometimes, it can be challenging to quantify how much money will be needed for a specific project action. The approach strongly incentivises a shift towards thinking about what needs to be achieved rather than how much will be spent.

From cost-based input to result-based output: the Financing Not Linked to Costs approach

In episode 7 of the Capacity4dev Podcast Series, we hear from Lionel Dieu, Fund Manager at EDFI AgriFI. He discusses EU Agriculture Financing Initiatives, which aim to invest in small-scale farming, particularly in fragile contexts, specifically in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Mr Dieu highlights the challenges associated with agri-finance and discusses the effective measures taken to address them.

Impact investment in sustainable agriculture

In episode 8 of the Capacity4dev Podcast Series, we meet João Maldos, Analyst at the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) in Brazil. He shares the work his civil society organisation has been doing since 1994 to support indigenous, quilombola and extractive communities (meaning communities involved in the traditional extraction of fruits, nuts, seeds, oils, flours of the native ecosystems) in the protection of their territories and much more.

Strengthening biodiverse productive systems for the restoration of the Amazon: tips from the field

In episode 9 of the Capacity4dev Podcast Series, we hear from Raquel Lagunas, Global Director of Gender Equality at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Ms Lagunas discusses what UNDP calls “Equanomics,” a flagship initiative with the objective of dismantling economic structures that, unfortunately, still generate and perpetrate gender inequality.

Understanding Equanomics and the importance of gender equality in development

In this podcast episode, we interview Mr Gaetano Vivo, Deputy Head of Unit for Prevention and Preparedness Capacity Building at the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (DG ECHO). Mr Vivo highlights the importance of prevention and preparedness when dealing with emergency situations, regardless of where they occur.

An emergency is an emergency: strengthening Europe’s preparedness

In this podcast episode, we interview Ana Coimbra, former Head of Finance & Contracts at the EU Delegation to Malawi and now Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to El Salvador, and with Michele Crimella, Team Leader for Social Sector and Infrastructure in the Cooperation section, also at the EU Delegation to Malawi. Ms Coimbra and Mr Crimella share some very interesting insights on the FNLC (Financing Not Linked to Costs) pilot project in Malawi which is being implemented with the Ministry of Education. 

Financing Not Linked to Costs: piloting the approach in Malawi

In this podcast episode, Thierry Dudermel, Team Leader for Biodiversity in the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), discusses his career in EU external cooperation, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Global Gateway initiative. He highlights the five "P’s" as a foundation for development, the importance of nature-based solutions, and the role of knowledge sharing through platforms like Capacity4dev.

Reflecting on the evolution of international partnerships: adaptability and knowledge-sharing

In this podcast episode, we interview Michele Bianchi, an international consultant and practitioner in the sport for development field. Michele is also the co-founder of We Football, a non-profit organisation using football as a tool for social change. Michele explains that sport for development is about intentionally using sport to address broader social goals like education, gender equality, and community cohesion, provided it is applied with structure, purpose, and ethical care. He also shares powerful insights from his grassroots work, demonstrating how sport - when paired with mentorship and safe spaces - can transform individual lives and entire communities.

Sport for social change: lessons from the field

In this podcast episode, we interview Thomas Eekhout, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at the Center for Evaluation and Development (C4ED). Thomas explains how rigorous data collection and analysis help improve interventions. He highlights the distinction between standard monitoring evaluations and impact evaluations and outlines the primary challenges evaluators encounter. Thomas concludes by urging international development professionals to embrace digital data and foster early, ongoing collaboration between researchers, evaluators, and implementers.

Beyond result-oriented monitoring evaluations: the case for impact evaluations

This episode explores how the impact of EU external action is assessed and evaluated. Through interviews with Monitoring and Evaluation Focal Points from DG INTPA, DG ENEST, DG MENA and FPI, the Capacity4dev team sheds some light on roles and responsibilities, common challenges, and practical tips for improving results reporting. 

Learn more on Capacity4dev.europa.eu. 

From Logframes to OPSYS: Inside EU Results Reporting

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