Thanks.

That’s good, amazing, for understanding then.

I’m not trying to say anything, I just said great and thank you.

I’ve heard everything. Well, one question.

I am. Have you been?

If any, which international organizations or multilateral organizations you would think to be well positioned to take on those issues and progress them internationally?

Then the question from my end would be, how do you try to codify and solidify the learnings from this extreme context? This is one of the big questions. What stays reverse after this pandemic in terms of new policies?

The point is that only because of the urgency that is caused, for instance by the pandemic, the countries were really able to work together and maybe banned the procurement processes?

I was wondering whether you could expand on some of the current work that you’re undertaking on social innovation, especially engaging business in that work in Taiwan.

Better? OK, so no video helps a lot.

How is it right now?

You could expect that on social days on engaging that…

Yes, it sounds great.

That’s hopefully a high level background of Ditchley when it comes to the history, the mission, the focus on renewing democracies and on the approach to engagement of people, and finally on themes. How about you go on, Maciej. That’s OK.

That has helped to transform the program on that front, but also the operation of the Ditchley House, which now combines the best of the past we think, but also the best of modern times in how we do hybrid engagement.

He finished up in the SEO as the chief information officer, basically as the head of data for the SEO. He brings a lot of that thinking, connecting foreign policy and technology into Ditchley.

His background was 26 years in the foreign office on the UK side, but he was responsible for bringing a lot of technology leaders into the foreign office, bringing Palantir in on the UK side, bringing other technology companies in to help expand UK foreign office leaders thinking in that ...

Then, there’s the technology program. Ditchley, perhaps surprisingly to some, has strong connections in Silicon Valley, which comes out of the Director James Royo’s background.

The aim is to help to bring detail to net zero type policies that connect into how this will impact people on the ground. It’s the political deliverability type discussion domestically, and then the geopolitical elements of energy more globally. That’s on the climate work.

Yeah, more work focusing on climate. Fundamentally, that is on the political deliverability of climate initiatives. We actually had a community briefing for that yesterday. John Kerry kicked off that work for us about a year ago with a climate conference. We have a good relationship with his team, a ...

Climate.

That’s one of our streams of work. We have a growing climate and energy program and a team building around that.

Generally, there is the more geopolitical type work that Ditchley has always focused on. There is work on education and democracies, so looking at given the internal and external threats to democracies and threat of climate change. What do citizens need to learn? How can education both formally and informally ...

…almost every day of the week. It’s a constant engagement of communities around ideas to make sure that there’s talent moving through these different conversations. That is how Ditchley has evolved on people. The themes that we deal with much, we’ll speak in a second on the data and how ...

There’s 30 to 40 person type conferences, but also 8 to 10 person small discussions that take place…

Yes. That’s been the traditional focus. Ditchley has transformed considerably, though, in that regard over past years where there’s much more of a focus on a political campaigning type approach, which means constant small discussions taking place, bringing new people into discussions.

A big focus on frank conversations done in a digitally way to help people, improve their strategic thinking, which they can then take back into their work and use in the way that is best for them. Traditionally and digitally has operated, has been through two to three day conferences, ...

We focus on policy, but we don’t focus too much on writing papers around policy. It’s more at looking at what is happening on the ground in the key themes that we focus on, and then helping to nudge those discussions forward, helping people to increase their capacity for action.

We are not a think tank. We do not really produce reports, digitally has a loosely bounded community of about 10,000 people. Part of it is senior decision makers across a number of countries. Also, there’s a big focus on geographical engagement in rural areas, in the hinterlands, and bringing ...

The mission for Ditchley is to help the world’s people sustain peace, freedom, and the rule of law. That is the guiding mission. Fundamentally, the focus is on renewing democracies. Ditchley’s approach to impact is through people.

The US Europe UK relationship is really at the core of Ditchley’s work. Ditchley has transformed over the past five years to become a much more global institution, engaging, for example, the Indo Pacific and its work.

As you may know, it’s where Churchill spent weekends during World War II, working out Cold War strategy, and then Cold War strategy was worked out after the war, and where Harry Hopkins on the American side came to meet with Churchill to work out the lend lease agreement to ...

Exactly. Perfect. Just take it into it. Ditchley was founded in the late 1950s in order to bring the US and Europe culture together after the war. That was the reason for the founding of Ditchley. It was partly based on the place on the house, which is just outside ...

Great.