News & Highlights
From Davos to New York: The Bridge Tank explores new blue finance initiatives 16 May 2023 The Bridge Tank's presence in Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum 2023 and its participation to the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York set two new milestones in The Bridge Tank’s research on innovative financial tools in support of hydro-diplomacy, in the weeks following the launch of the… Read more
The Bridge Tank partners with the Technology for Change Days 2023 of École Polytechnique 9 May 2023 From April 4 to 6, the Technology for Change Days 2023 were held in Paris, organized by the Chair "Technology for Change" of École Polytechnique. Joël Ruet, President, The Bridge Tank, spoke at the Opening Conference on April 4, in a session on water access and the preservation of water… Read more
“Chronicle of Three Deaths Foretold” – A call to action for the Fouta Djallon 26 April 2023 By Erik Orsenna, Joel Ruet, & Hamed Semega. Published in Diplomatic Courier on March 31, 2023."The forested highlands of Fouta Djallon are in danger, and that means six major African rivers, including the Senegal, Gambia, and Niger rivers could dry up with devastating impacts. There are clear, actionable steps we… Read more
The Fouta Djallon Highlands: A call to action & a roadmap for preservation presented at the United Nations 25 April 2023 The Fouta Djallon Highlands – the water tower of West Africa – are dying. These forested highlands in Guinea are home to the headwaters of some of West Africa's largest rivers, e.g. the Senegal River, the Gambia River, and the Niger River. This jewel of nature provides water to a… Read more
CGTN – Joel Ruet discusses China-EU relations and Chinese growth during Boao Forum 2023 8 April 2023 During this year's Boao Forum for Asia 2023, Joel Ruet, President of The Bridge Tank, spoke with CGTN on three occasions, discussing Chinese PM Li Qiang's speech during the forum and sharing his insights on current dynamics in EU-China relations. In a first interview, Joel Ruet shared his analysis of… Read more
The Bridge Tank at BOAO Forum for Asia 2023: Advancing EU-China cooperation and energy transitions 6 April 2023 From 28 to 31 March 2023, The Bridge Tank, represented by its president Joël Ruet, took part in the BOAO Forum for Asia 2023, in Boao, Hainan, China. The Bridge Tank has taken part in the annual meeting of the "Chinese Davos" as a partner of the event since 2018.… Read more
Hydro-diplomacy: Proceedings of our side event at the UN 2023 Water Conference 5 April 2023 During the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, The Bridge Tank and Initiatives for the Future of Great River coorganized an official side event on hydro-diplomacy “Towards an inclusive, pre-emptive, and positive hydro-diplomacy”, on March 23rd. Here is a deep dive into the discussions and insights shared during the… Read more
Hydro-diplomacy: Minister Kumbaro Furxhi shares Albania’s experience with the Vjosa River National Park 30 March 2023 2 weeks after the historic declaration of Albania’s Vjosa River as a national park by the Albanian government, The Bridge Tank and Initiatives for the Future of Great River had the honour of welcoming Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi, Minister of Tourism and Environment, Republic of Albania, on the panel of our… Read more
UN 2023 Water Conference: The Bridge Tank & IFGR hold a side event on hydro-diplomacy 28 March 2023 On 23 March, Day 2 of the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, The Bridge Tank and Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers (IFGR) coorganised an official side event on hydro-diplomacy "Towards an inclusive, pre-emptive, and positive hydro-diplomacy." The side event's partner organisation included the French Water Partnership,… Read more
UN 2023 Water Conference: The Bridge Tank and Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers organise a side event on the preservation of the Fouta Djallon Highlands 27 March 2023 Preserving the Fouta Djallon Highlands in Guinea, a region commonly referred to as the water tower of West Africa, harbouring the sources of the region’s largest rivers, brought together The Bridge Tank, Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers (Initiatives pour l'Avenir des Grands Fleuves, IAGF), and the Senegal River… Read more
G20/Business 20: Second meeting of the B20 India Task Force on Energy, Climate Change & Resource Efficiency 15 March 2023 The Bridge Tank’s presence in New Delhi, India, for the CII Partnership Summit 2023 from 13-15 March saw Joel Ruet, President, The Bridge Tank, take part in the second meeting of the B20 India Task Force Energy, Climate Change & Resource Efficiency. As a member of the task force, The… Read more
G20-Business20-CII Partnership Summit 2023: The Bridge Tank discusses resilient green supply chains 15 March 2023 On the last day of this year’s CII Partnership Summit 2023 in New Delhi, India, Joel Ruet, President, The Bridge Tank, took part in a session on ‘Building Resource Efficient & Resilient Green Supply Chains.’ The 28th edition of the summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from… Read more
Hydro-diplomacy : Detailed report of The Bridge Tank’s High Level Panel on hydro-diplomacy 22 February 2023 Two months after holding its high-level panel on hydro-diplomacy in Paris, on December 6th, 2022, The Bridge Tank looks back on the discussions and captivating ideas brought to the table by the conference's participants. These are the ideas and contributions that we shall bring to the fore during the UN… Read more
G20/Business 20 : The Bridge Tank takes part in the B20 India Inception Meeting 17 February 2023 After Indonesia’s tenure in 2022, the turn of the year saw India assume the presidency of the G20 for 2023. From 22 to 24 January 2023, the city of Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India, hosted the Inception Meeting of the Business 20 (B20) Engagement Group of the G20 to discuss the… Read more
The Bridge Tank’s Davos Innovation Lunch 2023 : Fostering cooperation on biosecurity during the World Economic Forum 9 February 2023 On the last day of this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos and for the third edition in a row, The Bridge Tank held its now traditional "Innovation Lunch" on Davos' Promenade, partnering with our board member Judit Arenas, APCO Worldwide, and the San Diego-based biotechnology company Illumina to discuss… Read more
Davos 2023: The Bridge Tank’s takeaways from the World Economic Forum 3 February 2023 The third week of 2023 saw the world gather once again for the World Economic Forum in Davos. From January 16th to 20th, political, economic, and civil society leaders from around the globe met in the Swiss Alps to discuss the economic future of our world.This year's focus on “Cooperation… Read more
Issue Brief – Safeguarding West Africa’s Fouta Djallon Highlands 25 January 2023 As a Champion of the Great Green Wall, let me tell you how convinced I am that the Fouta Djallon in Guinea, but also the inland delta of the Niger River in Mali, the Liptako-Gourma in Burkina Faso and in Niger, collectively constitute its roots and “strategic depth”. As Erik… Read more
“The Bridge Tank Breakfast Series” with Bernard Cazeneuve 24 January 2023 On 12 January 2023, The Bridge Tank had the pleasure of hosting a new edition of "The Bridge Tank Breakfast Series" around Mr Bernard Cazeneuve, former French Prime Minister. This closed-door meeting brought together some twenty eminent French and international economic and political decision-makers to discuss subjects relating to the… Read more
Hydro-diplomacy: The Bridge Tank launches the World Water for Peace Conference 19 December 2022 Since the year 2000, the share of conflicts over transboundary freshwater resources has been on the rise. Simultaneously, the rate of institutionalising cooperation, i.e. treaties and river basin organisations, has been declining, which the UN processes exemplify.Fortunately, ideas, tools, and initiatives developed by practitioners and thinkers from the field are… Read more
Rethinking Hydro-Diplomacy: The Bridge Tank holds a high-level panel on the side of the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022 8 December 2022 On December 6th, 2022, The Bridge Tank held a high level panel discussion on hydro-diplomacy in Paris, on the side of the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022, coordinated by UNESCO. This event was placed under the high patronage of: Mrs. Irina Bokova Co-chair of the International Science Council’s Global Commission… Read more