I began my career with the United Nations 🇺🇳 in 1997, but my commitment to peace was shaped earlier, during a decade of military service 🇮🇳 . That period instilled discipline, duty and loyalty and also exposed me, at close range, to the human cost of violence. Over time, a growing unease took hold: the realisation that force alone cannot address the underlying drivers of conflict. That recognition ultimately led me to seek a different path. un-dco.org/stories/three-dec…

🌍 From Vienna 🇦🇹 to the world 🌎 : Building bridges through dialogue, diplomacy, and shared vision. It was a great honour for Tracks to the Future to receive such a warm welcome in Vienna, with inspiring remarks from the Mayor of Vienna Mr. Michael Ludwig and the former President of Austria Mr. Heinz Fischer. 🏛️🇦🇹 🤝 As a city hosting more than 40 international organisations, Vienna has long stood at the crossroads of international diplomacy, dialogue, and cooperation. The warm reception and thoughtful reflections of our distinguished hosts reaffirmed the importance of bringing people together across borders. 🚆 Describing our journey from Germany to China as “pearls on a string,” the remarks beautifully captured the spirit of Tracks to the Future: connecting cities, countries, and people through meaningful conversations on business, science, culture, and politics. 💡 My sincere gratitude to the Mayor of Vienna and the former President of Austria for their gracious hospitality, encouraging words, and support for our shared mission of building bridges between Europe and Asia. #TracksToTheFuture #GlobalNeighbours #Vienna #Austria #Diplomacy #EuropeAsia #BuildingBridges @Global_Neighbrs @BMeinl

🌍 Uncertainty brings risks. But it also creates opportunities. Dylan D. Jeng, Chief Financial Officer of ECARX, reminds us that in a world increasingly driven by national interests and competition, dialogue and cooperation matter more than ever. The question is not just what’s best for us individually, but what we can achieve together. #TracksToTheFuture #GlobalNeighbours #InternationalCooperation #GlobalEconomy #Dialogue 🌍

Next stop: Belgrade, Serbia! 🇷🇸🚆🌍 At the crossroads of Southeast Europe, Serbia has long been a meeting point of cultures, ideas and trade. Today, with its growing focus on innovation, digital infrastructure and investment, it has an important role to play in strengthening connections between Europe and Asia. As our Tracks to the Future Think Train makes its way to Belgrade, I look forward to exploring Serbia's remarkable potential, exchanging ideas with our Serbian friends and discovering new opportunities for cooperation. Our journey is about more than crossing borders. It is about building bridges of trust, friendship, and shared prosperity, bringing us closer together as global neighbours. 🤝 #TracksToTheFuture #GlobalNeighbours #Serbia #Belgrade #ThinkTrain #InternationalCooperation

🌍 A changing world order demands a new way of thinking. Frank Sieren, a German 🇩🇪 journalist, bestselling author and leading China 🇨🇳 expert, reflects on the shift towards multipolarity, where even the most powerful nations must learn to share influence. The future belongs not to those who dominate, but to those who can cooperate. 🤝 @Global_Neighbrs #TracksToTheFuture #GlobalNeighbours #Dialogue #Connectivity

From Duisburg, Germany 🇩🇪, we set Tracks to the Future in motion. There could be no more fitting place to begin this journey. Duisburg is home to Europe’s largest inland port — and, since 2011, the western terminus of the China 🇨🇳 –Europe Railway Express, where freight trains from across Asia arrive on real tracks, every week, carrying about a third of all rail trade between Europe and China. It is a city where continents genuinely meet. A shared commitment to a better future. As we explore the possibilities of AI and digitalisation, let us keep people at the heart ❤️ of progress — connecting ideas, strengthening cooperation and turning dialogue into meaningful action. Together, let us move forward as global neighbours. #TracksToTheFuture #GlobalNeighbours #Duisburg #SilkRoad #ChinaEuropeRailExpress #InternationalCooperation #SharedFuture

Partnership matters when it turns our shared ambitions into better opportunities for people. 🌍🤝 On 9–10 October, I was pleased to represent Global Neighbours at Temasek Foundation’s Asia Leaders Connect 2026 in Singapore 🇸🇬. The theme, “Scaling Impact Together,” resonated strongly with my own conviction that complex global challenges can only be addressed through trust, dialogue and sustained cooperation. This is the ambition that drives Global Neighbours: bringing Europe and Asia closer together, building relationships across sectors and cultures, and turning mutual understanding into practical cooperation. 🇪🇺🌏 A particularly moving visit to The Purple Symphony and the Connexions Integrated Learning Hub reminded me why this matters. Development is ultimately not about systems or statistics alone. It is about human dignity, inclusion and creating the conditions in which every person can realise their potential. 🎶 My sincere thanks 🙏 to Ms. Jennie Chua and Mr. Boon Heong Ng of Temasek Foundation for convening this valuable gathering. Having known Boon for several years, I particularly appreciate his quiet effective leadership and steadfast commitment to the public good. At Global Neighbours, this is the work I believe in: building bridges that lead somewhere—towards greater understanding, meaningful collaboration and lasting impact for people and our planet. 🌍 #GlobalNeighbours #AsiaLeadersConnect #TemasekFoundation #ScalingImpactTogether #EuropeAsia

🌍 In a divided world, mediation is the bridge we need. Here is a look back at an inspiring dialogue hosted by @Globa_Neighbrs at our Vienna office 🇦🇹. 🤝 A sincere thank you to Prof. Teresa Cheng, Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation, @Amb_LiSong, and our distinguished guests for driving this vital conversation. Special gratitude 🙏 to our Founder, Ms. Jovanka Porsche, for her tireless dedication to advancing collaboration and understanding across borders and continents. We remain committed to turning diverse perspectives into actionable pathways for peace and cooperation. #GlobalNeighbours #IOMed #Mediation #Diplomacy #InternationalCooperation #Dialogue

Mediation shouldn’t just manage crises—it should prevent them. 🕊️ Yesterday at the Vienna International Centre 🇺🇳🇦🇹, I shared lessons from 30 years with the UN, including in Somalia 🇸🇴 and South Sudan 🇸🇸. My core message: we need behavioural scientists and anthropologists at the negotiating table alongside legal experts. Decoding the cultural and domestic pressures behind a state's position is how we uncover real room for agreement. At Global Neighbours, this same conviction drives our work connecting Europe and Asia. Trust only grows through sustained, cross-cultural engagement. 🌍🤝 My sincere thanks 🙏 to Ambassador Li Song 🇨🇳 and Prof. Teresa Cheng (IOMed) for convening, and to my distinguished co-panelists from UNCITRAL 🇺🇳, Ghana 🇬🇭, and Kenya 🇰🇪 for a brilliant exchange. The dialogue continues today at our Global Neighbours office in Vienna, where we are proud to co-host: “From Confrontation to Conversation.”

Thank you 🙏 Ambassador Li Song 🇨🇳 🇺🇳 🇦🇹 for convening such a timely and thoughtful VIC Chat. It was an honour to join Secretary-General Teresa Cheng, Anna Joubin-Bret 🇺🇳 and distinguished Ambassadors from Ghana 🇬🇭 & Kenya 🇰🇪 on the panel yesterday. The UN 🇺🇳 Charter names mediation among the first tools for the peaceful settlement of disputes. In a world 🌍 growing more fragmented, that promise has never mattered more, and IOMed gives it a new institutional home. Carrying that spirit forward, today Global Neighbours is pleased to host a discussion with #IOMed here in Vienna: "From Confrontation to Conversation: Strengthening Global Negotiation and Mediation in a Fragmented World." We look forward to working with you and with more Member States to help IOMed grow steadily and robustly, and to become a trusted bridge for mediation. 🤝 @Amb_LiSong @matildaalomatu @SingoeiAKorir @annajoubinbret @matildaalomatu @GhanaVienna @KenyaEmbVienna

When official diplomacy stalls, dialogue must find another track. 🚆 It was a pleasure to meet H.E. Mr. Zenon Henryk Kosiniak-Kamysz, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Austria, at the Polish Embassy in Vienna. 🇵🇱🇦🇹🇪🇺 Ambassador Zenon Henryk Kosiniak-Kamysz is a seasoned diplomat with an illustrious track record of public service. We explored how Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy can open doors that governments alone cannot. Poland is the rail gateway between China 🇨🇳 and Europe, which makes it a natural partner for Tracks to the Future, our flagship initiative to bridge Europe and Asia. In a multipolar world 🌍 shaped by geopolitical tensions and interlocking crises, we agreed on the need for a dynamic European Union 🇪🇺. The EU should keep championing multilateralism and building partnerships rooted in the UN Charter 🇺🇳. I believe Europe can be a beacon of stability for the world. Grateful for the warm welcome and the Ambassador's keen interest in our work. This is the start of a promising partnership. 🤝 #GlobalNeighbours #TracksToTheFuture #Diplomacy #Multilateralism #Poland #Austria #EU #Vienna

Honored to meet H.E. Andranik Hovhannisyan, Ambassador of Armenia 🇦🇲 to Austria 🇦🇹 and Slovakia 🇸🇰 , for an inspiring conversation on international cooperation and shared global priorities! During the courtesy call, I introduced Global Neighbours' mission of bringing the private sector into the fold of diplomacy. We were thrilled to see such strong alignment on the vital role that businesses can play in fostering dialogue, building trust, and supporting regional peacebuilding efforts. 🤝 We had a fantastic exchange covering a range of forward-looking topics, including: 🌍 Enhancing regional connectivity and economic integration. 💻 Exploring the exciting potential of AI and emerging technologies as drivers for global growth. 📈 Strengthening international trade relations and exploring new pathways for market access. Thank you Ambassador for a warm, constructive, and incredibly positive meeting. We look forward to continuing this dialogue and turning these shared goals into impactful joint initiatives! ✨ #Diplomacy #GlobalNeighbours #Armenia #Austria #InternationalRelations #TechDiplomacy #GlobalTrade #EconomicDevelopment #Peacebuilding #FutureLeaders #Collaboration @Global_Neighbrs @KernChri