National Council gets new media look

The National Council was clearly busy during lockdown and used the time to update its look and launch new avenues for getting information to the public.

In order to provide the public with as many ways as possible to keep up with what is going on at the National Council – Monaco’s parliamentary arm – they have launched a new magazine, updated their website, redesigned their television broadcast and added LinkedIn to their social media repertoire.

The new magazine, entitled Üntra Nui, or ‘Between Us’, is now available both online and in traditional format and will provide in-depth interviews with council members, current events within the Council, and thought-provoking stories and human interest pieces connected to the Principality and the Council’s participation. The magazine will be distributed to post boxes around the Principality, or downloaded from the National Council website.

The website has been given a whole new look, offering all the latest news, listing all bills voted on or under discussion, providing bios on councillors, explaining the history of the assembly and sharing its philosophy with regard to responsibilities to the electorate.  

A redesigned format for Conseil National TV will have its first broadcast on 15th June at 4pm, devoted to the public legislative session that will take place the following day.

Already active on social media, the council has added LinkedIn to keep in touch with business professionals, giving them a total of four ways to keep up to date.

To get all the latest or download the magazine, visit the website, go to www.conseil-national.mc 

For social media you can find them on:

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConseilnatMC/

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conseilnatmc/

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConseilNatMC

– Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conseil-national-de-monaco

For Conseil National TV, go to:

Conseil-National TV: https://www.conseil-national.mc/index.php/videos/conseil-national-tv 

And to check Üntra Nui, the direct link can be found at:

https://www.conseil-national.mc/3d-flip-book/untra-nui-1/

 
 

MEB continues work through virtual missions

Despite the setbacks caused by the recent pandemic, the Monaco Economic Board is using technology to continue its missions to promote the Principality and its economic activities.  
The Monaco Economic Board (MEB) hasn’t let a little thing like a global health crisis slow them down. The association has been using digital technology to continue working toward the development and economic promotion of the Principality with a series of webinars and videoconference meetings with other Chambers of Commerce.
The first of these webinars was organised on 9th June, discussing the topic of life after Covid-19 in Monaco. Several key players from the financial sector joined in adding gravitas to the talks. Around 150 people attended the webinar, with participants all over the world including from China, the United States, Germany and Russia.
Guillaume Rose, the Executive General Director of MEB, opened the webinar by saying that, “Covid 19 has relatively spared the Principality. The economic crisis it is about to cause around the world will inevitably have a big impact on our future. Monaco has no shortage of assets, thanks to its small size, its flexibility, its strong resilience to crises and to its diversified economy.” 
The webinar was interactive with a series of questions and answers and the guests bringing their expertise allowing for 80 minutes of vibrant discussions. The success of this first webinar has inspired the next, which will be on the topic of international trading and will take place on 24th June.
Virtual meetings are also being planned with members of MEB partners in order to keep lines of communication open and to set up virtual online B2B meetings. A meeting with businesspeople from the Siberian capital city Novosibirsk is scheduled soon and is a follow up on an actual meeting held last February. Both sides are enthusiastic about the possibilities these kinds of meetings can achieve.
The organisation is moving with the times and finding ways to make things happen in these challenging times. They believe that by, “Adapting, moving forward, supporting and promoting the activity of its members, the MEB is doing its best to hold its own in a new situation that forces all of the Principality’s economic players to innovate.”
 
Photo courtesy MEB
 
 

Palace announces passing of Elizabeth-Ann, cousin of Prince Albert

Baroness Elizabeth-Ann de Massy, first cousin of HSH Prince Albert II and godmother of Princess Stephanie, passed away at the Princess Grace Hospital on Wednesday 10th June aged 73.
According to the Palace, Mrs de Massy was very attached to the traditions of the Principality and regularly took part in events that brought together all generations. Among her many positions, she chaired the Monaco Tennis Federation and the Monte-Carlo Country Club and was very involved in the defence of animals in her capacity as President of the Society for the Protection of Animals and Shelters in Monaco as well as the Canine Society of Monaco. In 2009, she was appointed Commander of the Order of Grimaldi.
Elizabeth-Ann de Massy was born in Monaco on 3rd July 1947 and was the first child of Princess Antoinette de Monaco and Alexandre Noghès. She was a first cousin of the reigning Prince Albert II and niece of Rainier III.
She was the eldest of three siblings: Christian Louis and Christine-Alix. She was also the godmother of Princess Stephanie.
In July 1968, she was a nurse at Lourdes Hospitality. In 1974, she married Baron Bernard Taubert in Monaco, whom she divorced in 1980. They had a son, Jean-Léonard, born in Geneva on 3rd June 1974.
In 1984, she married choreographer Nikolai Costello de Lusignan in London, who she divorced nine years later. They have a daughter, Mélanie-Antoinette, who was born in Monaco in 1985.
Mrs de Massy leaves behind two children and a grandson.
Details of her funeral at the Cathedral of Monaco will be communicated next week.
 
Photo courtesy Prince’s Palace
 
 
 
 

And the winners are…

A Sri Lankan company dedicated to water security, a professor in Earth System Science, and a team of women in South India restoring traditional agriculture are all winners of this year’s Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Awards, presented on Thursday by Vice President Olivier Wenden. Here is everything you need to know about the winners.
The annual Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Awards were established in 2008 – two years after His Serene Highness set up his Foundation dedicated to three domains of action: climate change, biodiversity, and water resources. The awards pay tribute to the leading individuals and organisations who are committed to these three areas.
But this, a year of unprecedented crisis, was different. According to the foundation’s Vice President and CEO Olivier Wenden, “never has it seemed so important to honour the prominent scientists, intellectual figures and international organisations for their remarkable commitment to the protection of the environment.”
“His Serene Highness has always placed his trust in science and supported research in order to provide relevant and effective responses to the environmental challenges we face,” Mr Wenden said during the virtual awards ceremony, of which Monaco Life was digitally present. “The Covid crisis convinced us that it was crucial to push ahead with this year’s awards, because it was particularly vital at a time when budgets are likely to be restricted, when science and research are normally among the first budgets to be cut. So, we thought it was our duty to continue to support these great activities on the ground.”
The winners were decided by the Foundation’s Scientific and Technical Committee as well as the board of directors, which includes Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Water Award
The 2020 Water Award went to the International Water Management Institute, a company based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which has been developing science-based solutions for some of the world’s poorest people for over 35 years.
In receiving the award on behalf of the institute, IWMI Director General Dr. Claudia Sadoff said: “Water is central to the climate challenge because water is how most people will experience climate change – through, for example, unpredictable rainfall, floods and drought which can be major disruptors to our food systems and drinking water supplies, threatening human lives and livelihoods.”
Dr. Claudia Sadoff revealed that in the past 60 years, the global demand for water has grown four-fold. Meanwhile, there has been a major spike in water pollution – today 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into our rivers, lakes and oceans without being treated. “Clearly this is unsustainable,” said Dr. Sadoff. “We need to change the way we safeguard and manage water resources to create a more water secure world.”
In accepting the award, Dr. Sadoff said: “We are especially proud to receive this honour from such a visionary patron and distinguished foundation. By conferring this prestigious Water Award, the foundation raises awareness and ensures water is more fully imbedded in global dialogue on climate and conservation. It also inspires us and redoubles our commitment to delivering water solutions for sustainable development.”
The World Economic Forum 2020 Global Risks Report, published in January, ranked risks from water crises higher than either infectious diseases or food crises. In 2020, there will likely be places where we see all three at once. When asked by Monaco Life whether governments are prepared for this, Dr. Sadoff responded:
“This is a very important question because one of the most troubling aspects of large-scale crises like pandemics is co-disasters – just as we are stretched and focused on answering one crisis, another comes in to compound it. What is interesting is that water really runs through these top risks that were identified by the World Economic Forum. In terms of the infectious disease crisis, we know that the first line of defence is hand washing, clean water and sanitation, and we know from the Sustainable Development Goals that we’re not there yet.
When we look at the issue of potential food crises, we know we have a very fragile food system in some places and if we have major floods or droughts disrupting the food cycle, or shifts in timings of rain, then we can end up with food crises.
We are not prepared for these kinds of crises that we have been warned about from the World Economic Forum, and again this comes back to how grateful we are to the foundation for supporting this work, for providing visibility and advocating all the additional research and science we need to prepare ourselves for these eventualities.”
Biodiversity Award
The Biodiversity Award was received by the Deccan Development Society (DDS) – a 35-year-old grassroots organisation working with women’s associations in around 75 villages in the Sangareddy District of Telangana, South India. The 5,000 female members of the society represent the poorest in their village communities. Most of them are dalits, the lowest group in the Indian social hierarchy.
One of the society’s founding members, P.V. Satheesh, accepted the award along with three members of the society. Their story is remarkable and inspiring.
“These women inherited a land which was baron, unattended and which nobody cared for,” Mr Satheesh said. “Over the past 25 years these women, through their hard work, ecological vision, determination, and relationship with nature, have converted those lands to some of the most fascinating food production centres in this part of the world.”
According to the society, these women have proven that, even in the most degraded land areas of the world, people do not have to seek out Genetically Modified crops or multinationals to feed themselves.
Their appreciation in receiving the award from the foundation was evident.
“It is important to them that you, the foundation, have travelled all the way out of your globalised base to find them in the dusty tracks of the South Indian streets and honour them today with your award,” said Mr Satheesh. “This award is truly a pat on the back which will resonate in communities around them and help them seek out the nature-based local solutions to solve their food problems and also the problems of the climate.”
Asked by Monaco Life how these agricultural initiatives have helped to reposition the role of women in their societies, Mr Satheesh responded:
“By moving them into a theoretical and political position, where women are the leaders in agriculture, we have put them back where they were about 50 years ago in India before what we call the ‘Green Revolution’ came into agriculture (Editor’s note: this refers to a period when Indian agriculture was converted to an industrial system due to the adoption of modern methods and technology).
“Before then, women understood which seeds were needed, they decided what could be sowed in their fields, and therefore they were the knowledge leaders of their community. But with the ‘Green Revolution’, women were pushed back and the industry was snatched away from them.
“Today, the communities which these women represent are the ones who have taken back that leadership and are telling their local communities – their men and their societies – that in the hands of women their culture is not only safe, but also flourishing. Unfortunately, our governments don’t look at this that way, so they need to open their eyes and support these women who are leading agriculture.”
Climate Change Award
The recipient of the Foundation’s Climate Change Award was Professor Johan Rockström – a man wearing many hats. He is a Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which generates insights for scenarios analysis, modelling, computer simulation, and data integration.
He is also a consultant for several governments and global institutions including the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.
In 2019, Professor Rockström was appointed as chair of the Earth Commission, an initiative of 20 globally renowned scientists on Earth Systems who aim to identify the concrete risks climate change brings and determine the exact scientific borders that our Planet can bear in terms of human-made climatic changes.
“The ‘Super Year of 2020’ has been shattered by the corona-crisis and as we all know this is the year when we expected new momentum on action – five years into the Paris Agreement and five years into the Sustainable Development Goals. This is also the year when we enter potentially the most decisive decade for humanity on earth. It is the decade when, as shown by climate scientists, global emissions need to be cut by half to stand a chance of holding global warming to the planetary boundary of 1.5°C.”
Covid-19 put a pause button on the ‘super year’, said Professor Rockström, but it did not put a pause on the resolve and momentum towards zero carbon development.
“It is a super compensation, this super year that never saw the light of day, to have the great honour of receiving the prestigious Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award. I personally thank you from everyone at the institute who takes this as fuel – and I mean sustainable fuel of course – to propel further scientific achievements. And they are needed.”
 
Top photo: Dr. Claudia Sadoff, women from the Deccan Development Society (DDS), and Professor Johan Rockström
 
 
 
 

Almost a third of Monaco employees tested for Covid

The latest screening campaign for the coronavirus, this round aimed at those who work in the Principality, has seen roughly 30% of employees taking advantage of the free test.

From 2nd June to 13th June, Monaco’s employees have been invited to go to the Grimaldi Forum to be tested for Covid-19. Ludmilla Raconnat Le Goff, the Secretary General of the Department of Social Affairs and Health, told La Gazette that, as of midday on the 10th, almost a third had been tested.

Ms Le Goff said she is “generally satisfied with this figure given the number of people in telework or in Total Temporary Reinforced Unemployment.” Of the 30%, about 1.8% were positive.

The campaign has been in effect since 19th May and tested residents first. In the case of both employees and residents, the testing has been held according to the first letter of the person’s last name. Testing takes place from 7:30am to 6pm, though those who arrive early or late have not been turned away.

Teams working the site have been extraordinarily flexible, trying to get as many tests as possible taken for the best overall view of the virus in the general population. The fact the test is not mandatory explains the turnout being what it is, though it is still a decent sampling of the public.

One group notably absent from the testing centre have been the staff of Princess Grace Hospital. The roughly 3,000 employees of the hospital benefit from an internal screening system, thus lessening the number who went to the Grimaldi Forum, lowering the numbers overall.  

“Beyond employee participation, we are satisfied with their feedback,” says Ms Le Goff. “They are particularly pleased to have been able to benefit from this government initiative and adhere to the approach.”

 
Photo: Government of Monaco 
 
 

First Monegasque satellite launch back on!

After months of delays due to the health crisis, the OSM1 CICERO nanosatellite, built by Monaco-based start-up Orbital Solutions Monaco, is now set to blast off later this month in French Guiana.
Originally scheduled to be launched on 24th March, the nanosatellite OSM1 CICERO, which stands forCommunity Initiative for Cellular Earth Remote Observation, has a new take off date. The Monegasque-built satellite will head for the heavens on the back of the Vega Rocket from Arianespace on 19th June at 1:51am GMT from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana, marking the Principality’s first foray into building space craft of the future.
This new high-tech sector, called ‘New Space’, promises to be exciting for the country, and if the mission is a success, it will pave the way to more movement in this field.
This satellite will be the first Monaco registered space object in the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space and will carry out several tasks, including terrestrial observation and collecting meteorological data by a technique called radio occultation.
According to Francesco Bongiovanni, CEO of Orbital Solutions, radio occultation is an exact measurement at a distance of the planet’s atmospheric characteristics using waves emitted by GPS satellites, making it possible to collect important weather data useful in forecasting.
The nanosatellite weighs a mere 10 kilogrammes and is 20x10x30cm in size. It will orbit the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 540 kilometres above the surface.
 
Top photo: Prince Albert inspecting the nanosatellite at the Orbital Solutions headquarters in Monaco in October 2019, courtesy Prince’s Palace