Listen to What She Has to Say

The Igarapé Institute is reaching new heights! The Institute’s Executive Director, Ilona Szabó, was featured in Gol Airlines’ July in-flight magazine this month. Gol is, surprisingly, one of the most widely read magazines in Brazil. The airline carries more than 2.5 million passengers a month. And this time, readers were exposed to a range of tough subjects from violence reduction and drug policy to ways to rethink Brazilian politics.

“Being included in Gol magazine gave me a chance to start a conversation with ordinary Brazilians who, like all of us at Igarapé Institute, want to build a better country,” says Ilona. Igarapé’s Executive Director was also given a chance to discuss her 15 year career working on citizen security issues: “change only comes with collective action”, she said. “I try to show people that you can’t just think of yourself. Engaging with your school, your neighborhood, and with each other is not activism. It’s about being a citizen”, she concluded.

The Gol article received a fair bit of visibility around the country. It was picked-up by O Globo’s Gente Boa column and is now available online on the Gol and Igarapé websites.

Igarapé in numbers

• The Igarapé Institute released 4 new publications in June and July. The studies focused on the Haitian recovery from Hurricane Matthew; a public policies guide to reduce 50% of homicide rates in LatAm and Carribean; a tudy on conflict prevention in partnership with ISS; and a study on civilian preparation for working in unstable scenarios.
• The Igarapé Institute’s research was featured 863 times in Brazilian and international media outlets in June and July. Igarapé’s work was cited in major news platforms such as Bloomberg, EFE, Financial Times, The New York Times and TV Globo. What’s more, a major story by USA Today featured Copcast – Igarapé’s open source body camera – and the story was recirculated in over 84 news outlets in the US. Finally, Igarapé Institute’s Instinct for Life campaign was also featured by Folha de S. Paulo, The Conversation, Thomson Reuters and dozens of other outlets.
• Opinion articles were published by Igarapé Institute researchers in June and July in 50 news outlets. These include articles written by Igarapé Institute’s Research Director, Robert Muggah, on homicide reduction in The Conversation; a widely circulated article by researchers Maria Beatriz Nogueira and Maiara Folly for The Guardian; an analysis China’s “one belt one road” policies by Adriana Abdenur and Robert Muggah for Le Monde Diplomatique; a popular article produced by Robert Muggah on the odds of being a victim of terrorism in Europe for Politico; and an article on strategies to reduce homicide in Latin America for Veja.
• Igarapé Institute personnel organized/participated in 36 public events in June and July including the seminar The penitentiary system and the community council: new models and perspectives. What’s more, Robert Muggah and advisory board member Misha Glenny gave a lively talk at the Chicago Forum on Global Cities. Researcher Katherine Aguirre spoke on fragile cities at the Smart City Expo LATAM Congress in Puebla, Mexico; Finally, researchers Michele dos Ramos and Renata Giannini gave talks on violence reduction and prevention during the 11º Encontro do Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública.

Keep an eye out for

• On 8 August, researcher Renata Giannini will be joining the round table “A Resolução 1325: Implementando a Agenda de Mulheres, Paz e Segurança no Brasil”, at the BRICS Policy Center, Rio de Janeiro.
• On 11 August the Igarapé Institute will release a new study on the role of women in the Brazilian armed forces.
• On 16 August, Ilona Szabó and Robert Muggah will speak about safety and technology at Federal University of Rio the Janeiro.
• On 30 August, Ilona Szabó will speak at the University of Sao Paulo on issues such as the decriminalization of the use of drugs.
• In early September, Ilona Szabó will give a presentation to Unibes Cultural, also in Sao Paulo.
• Between 6 and 8 September, researcher Nathan Thompson will take part in an event on cyber security called “Por una mejor regulación de Internet en América Latina – #CELE17” in Buenos Aires.
• On 9 September, Ilona Szabó will present her new book Drogas: as histórias que não te contaram at the XVIII Rio de Janeiro Book Fair.
• On 19 September, Robert Muggah will be releasing a major new report with the Know Violence in Childhood Initiative in New York.
• Robert Muggah is also back to TED Global in New York on 20 September to give a major talk on how to build more resilient cities.
• Also in late September, the Instinct For Life campaign will host a major event with the OAS in Washington, D.C. (USA).
• Researchers Maiara Folly and Maria Beatriz Nogueira will participate in Debating Security Plus on 26 September.
• Between 24-28 September, Robert Muggah will be chairing parts of the second convening of the Global Parliamentof Mayors in Stavanger, Norway.
• The Igarapé Institute is a coalition partner of Debating Security Plus, an online debate that takes place between 26-28 September.