Blue lights (Credit: Pexels)

🔬 GESDA’s cross-sectoral summit is taking place from 7 to 9 october. After initial doubts about whether the novel GESDA foundation could make good on its mission to prepare for future scientific developments in concrete ways, the project is getting a groundswell of support, making it likely that its investors will decide to extend its mandate beyond its August 2022 start-up deadline.

🏞️ The ninth session of the Water Convention kicks off on Wednesday. Ministers of the environment, water and energy will gather in Geneva and online to discuss how cooperation around transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers can help prevent conflict.

😷 WTO is holding it’s annual Public Forum from Tuesday through Friday. Heads of state like South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and company leaders like Biontech’s chief of operations Sierk Poetting will be attending to discuss how trade can help build resilience against Covid. The trade organisation has yet to close its debate on wavering patent rights on Covid vaccines, a topic that is likely to come up.

Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele adresses the UN General Assembly on 23 September, 2021. (Credit: Keystone/EPA/Mary Altaffer)

💰 El Salvador’s decision to introduce Bitcoin as a legal tender this month has everyone wondering. Is it a dangerous bet that could tumble the fragile economy or is it a potential game-changer? To President Nayib Bukele, it is definitely the latter. While he did not explicitly mention it in his address to the UN General Assembly, he made it clear that the country is intent on creating its own new path towards development with the help of technological innovations. Beyond the media hype that his decision caused, it could also encourage other developing countries to follow suit.