#BlueStarBrief April 2020 – Global Coronavirus Response, Trans atlantic Update, Sally Painter & Women in Diplomacy, and more…

France and European Union

By Diane Thomas and Malgorzata Matowska, Blue Star Strategies SAS

Measures taken by EU member states have been the first line of defense against the coronavirus’ spread.
France’s unprecedented stimulus package shows how committed individual governments are to prevent economic collapse.
European institutions have also reacted strongly to the crisis, including applying key lessons from previous economic and financial crises.

Latin America and the Caribbean

By Daniel P. Erikson, Managing Director

Fourteen nations from Latin America and the Caribbean have reached out to the International Monetary Fund to seek economic support, as the region to faces the economic impact of the growing pandemic.
Latin American countries have followed varying policy responses to the coronavirus epidemic, although most are now following the path of promoting increased "social distancing" that is being advocated in the United States and Europe.
Latin America’s large informal economy lacks the worker protections and unemployment benefits that could prevent the worst economic impacts from affecting ordinary citizens.
An estimated 95% of Latin America’s school children have had their classes cancelled and are now faced with the logistical and technological challenges of distance learning in a region characterized by deep educational and technological disparities.
The nearly 5 million Venezuelan refugees who have fled the country the last several years are especially vulnerable to the economic slowdown affecting many countries in the region.
Small island states in the Caribbean face special challenges from the coronavirus, as their economic and public health capacities are being tested.

Sally Painter Featured in New Book on
Women in Diplomacy

Sally Painter is featured in a new book, A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World, by Susan Sloan.

Sally shares her personal story in a chapter on "Balance: Personal vs. Professional Life—Achieving a Career and Family."

"This is a remarkable book that clearly demonstrates the difference diversity and inclusion make for greater effectiveness in diplomacy and civil society organizations. The experiences related here provide invaluable lessons."
—Melanne Verveer, First U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues

Click here to watch a short video and here for a recent podcast on the book.

A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World is published by New Degree Press and is available for purchase on Amazon in paperback or Kindle.

#DiplomacyTable