Urban Expedition: Australia & New Zealand
2024-02-11 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Landmark Center, 75 5th St. W, St. Paul, MN, 55102
This event is being held in-person and is open to everyone.
This program is presented by the Landmark Center.
Explore the globe with the 2024 season of Landmark Center’s popular Urban Expedition! This year’s series continues in Australia & New Zealand with an event everyone can enjoy while learning more about the world from right here in St. Paul. With a focus on a different destination each month, this series provides cultural experiences that include music, dance, crafts, and traditions.
Join Landmark Center and Global Minnesota, in partnership with Ecolab, the Xcel Energy Foundation, Ramsey County, Travelers, and Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation.
Urban Expeditions are free and open to the public.

LEARN MORE

Global Minnesota is proud to be a sponsor of the Landmark Center’s Urban Expeditions series.

Edina Great Decisions: Climate Technology and Competition
2024-02-12 16:00 - 17:30 | Edina Community Center, 5701 Normandale Rd, Edina, MN, 55424, United States
Will the U.S. and other leading countries approach climate initiatives with an increased commitment to trade protectionism and nationalism? Or could a growing spirit of international accord develop to confront the common concern of climate change?
This program is presented by Edina Community Ed through a partnership with the Edina Senior Center, the Edina Library, and Edina Community Center.
The Great Decisions program addresses some of the most critical foreign policy issues facing the United States each year. Global Minnesota facilitates the statewide Great Decisions program by providing access to a roster of local foreign policy experts and to discussion materials produced by the Foreign Policy Association. Great Decisions books contain a articles and materials authored by experts on each topic to provide a nonpartisan basis for understanding the important global issues of our time. A limited number of discounted books are available for purchase by Global Minnesota members and groups ordering ten or more books. Join Global Minnesota and the Friends of the Edina Library at the Edina Community Center for an in-depth discussion of this important topic.
Rick Olson, presenter
Rick Olson is a retired professional with a variety of educational and life experiences. He has worked as an economist, an attorney, a certified financial planner, an agricultural loan officer, an agricultural cooperative president, a State Representative in Michigan and a public-school business manager. He obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and completed the coursework in two Ph.D. programs (Agricultural Economics and Education Administration).
Special thanks to the Friends of the Edina Library for hosting this program.
If you would like to register, please use the button below.
Register

Rebuilding Ukraine: A Future of Resilience and Renewal
2024-02-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Humphrey Forum, 301 19th Ave. S, Rm 105, Minneapolis, 55454
In-Person registration is now full! Registration is still accepted for virtual participation. This event is being held in-person and virtually and is open to everyone.
As Ukraine approaches the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, increasing attention is turning towards long-term strategies for the country’s security, recovery, and rebuilding. Ukraine has begun accession negotiations with the European Union and a NATO Summit in 2024 will likely discuss Ukraine’s future in this strategic alliance.
While Ukraine’s fight for democracy, sovereignty, and European integration continues, the reality on the ground is complicated. The country faces persistent missile attacks from Russia, has endured significant destruction of its infrastructure, lost thousands of lives, and roughly 15% of Ukraine’s territory remains occupied. How will Ukraine rebuild itself once the fighting concludes? What does the peace building and recovery process look like?
Join Global Minnesota for a timely discussion of Ukraine’s postwar outlook with two distinguished guests joining virtually: Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum and former Prime Minister of Ukraine and Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civic Liberties and 2022 Nobel Prize Laureate. After their keynotes, continue the conversation with a panel of local human rights and Ukrainian experts.
SPECIAL OFFER! We will be giving away a FREE ticket to our upcoming Culture through Cuisine: Ethiopia at Bolé to one lucky in-person attendee to this discussion.
About Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Arseniy Yatsenyuk is Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014- 2016). Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has led the Government of Ukraine in 2014-2016, right after the Revolution of Dignity. In his time in the government, he has taken key strategic decisions that have strengthened democracy and provided the path to the European integration, including strengthening energy security, providing visa free regime with the EU, supporting Ukrainian Armed Forces that have been vital reform that became a part of Ukrainian sustainability in time of large-scaled war that Russia has launched against Ukraine in February 2022. Today, he is leading the national platform Kyiv Security Forum providing the opportunity for politicians, activists and international expert to discuss the current national and global geopolitical and security trends, as well as to develop the solutions for Ukraine’s post-war rebuilding.
About Oleksandra Matviichuk
Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and head of Ukraine’s Nobel Peace Prize winning Center for Civil Liberties, which promotes human rights legislation, exercises public oversight over law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, conducts educational activities for young people, implements international solidarity programs, and works to foster democracy in Ukraine and the OSCE region. She also coordinates the work of Euromaidan SOS, a grassroots legal assistance initiative that was created in response to the violent dispersal of a peaceful student demonstration in Maidan Square, in Kyiv on November 30, 2013. Most recently, after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Oleksandra and several partners created the Tribunal for Putin initiative to document international crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in all regions of Ukraine that have been targeted by Russian attacks. In 2022, she was recognized as one of the 25 most influential women in the world by The Financial Times.
Panelists
Eric Schwartz, Global Policy Chair, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Professor, Robina Chair in Law, Public Policy, and Society, University of Minnesota
Kathleen Collins, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota
Natalia Chermoshentseva, Human Rights Activist, Found of volunteer initiative Dignity
Maria Sheremeta, Board Member, Ukrainian American Community Center
Moderator: Iryna Drobovych, Humphrey International Fellow

If you require an accessibility accommodation, please contact Events Manager Katie Kelley at kkelley@globalminnesota.org two weeks ahead of the event.
Presented in partnership with the Ukrainian-American Community Center and the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Thanks to promotional supporters the Committee on Foreign Relations – Minnesota, East-West Connections, the United Nations Association of Minnesota, and World Without Genocide.
If you are registering for this event from outside the United States, please go here.
Photo credits – Kostyantyn Polishchuk, Ukrainian photographer and soldier.

Great Decisions: High Seas Treaty
2024-02-14 17:30 - 20:00 | The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis, 410 Oak Grove St, Minneapolis, 55403
This free event is being held in-person and is open to everyone. An optional dinner will start at 7:15 following the presentation. The dinner is $25 for Woman’s Club members and $30 for non-members (plus service fee and taxes).
Areas of the seas beyond national jurisdiction comprise the high seas, which are facing a degradation of ecosystems due to climate change and the increase in human activities, such as shipping, overfishing, pollution, and deep-sea mining. The recently negotiated High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty, will attempt to address these issues. How difficult will it be to convince nations to participate?
This program is presented by the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis and is open to ALL.
The Great Decisions program addresses some of the most critical foreign policy issues facing the United States each year. Global Minnesota facilitates the statewide Great Decisions program by providing access to a roster of local foreign policy experts and to discussion materials produced by the Foreign Policy Association. Great Decisions books contain a articles and materials authored by experts on each topic to provide a nonpartisan basis for understanding the important global issues of our time. A limited number of discounted books are available for purchase by Global Minnesota members and groups ordering ten or more books. Join Global Minnesota and the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis for an in-depth discussion of this important topic.
Christi Siver, presenter
Christi is a perennially popular speaker at the Woman’s Club and has spoken on topics from Global Warming to Myanmar. She is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. She did her undergraduate work at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR, her Masters in International Relations and International Economics at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and her Ph.D. in political science at the University of Washington. She teaches courses on international relations and international security. Her current research interests include international humanitarian law, military technology, and comparative law.
If you would like to register, please RSVP to frontdesk@womansclub.org or click the link below.
Register

Podcast Episode: Citizen Diplomacy Day & IVLP with Global Ties U.S.
2024-02-15 - 2024-02-29
Global Minnesota’s Professional Exchanges program brings the world to Minnesota by connecting international visitors from all over the globe with their professional counterparts throughout the state. One of the most important organizations that helps facilitate this process is called Global Ties U.S.
On this episode, hear from Katherine A. Brown, President & CEO of Global Ties U.S. She joins to talk about the national Global Ties Network, their upcoming National Meeting and Advocacy Day in early March, Citizen Diplomacy Day on February 16, and how these professional exchange programs benefit communities throughout the United States and around the world.
Listen below, or subscribe to our podcast on all major podcast apps.

Hear untold stories of international connections with new monthly episodes by subscribing to The Global Minnesota Podcast. Now available on all podcast streaming apps!
Links
Global Minnesota Professional Exchanges
Global Ties U.S.
Global Ties Network
Global Ties Community Impact Study
Podcast Episode with Leorian Ricardo
State Department Alumni Exchange Program
Upcoming Event: Global Social with International Visitors
This interview was recorded on February 14, 2024, and will be available for viewing on our Calendar of Events for several weeks. All interviews are archived on our podcast feed and in our Past Events calendar.

Globally Connected: Stories from Minnesota Business on the World Stage
2024-02-15 19:00 - 20:00
This event is being held virtually and is open to everyone.
This webinar is third in the East-West Connections-hosted series Minnesota’s International Influence which shines a light on the history, breadth, and value of Minnesota’s unique international connections and global impact.
Join Global Minnesota and East-West Connections for an online discussion of the importance and impact of global connections on Minnesota’s economy and people, illustrated by three Minnesota businesses and Global Minnesota Corporate Members that have forged big roles on the world stage.
In this session, hear from a representative group of Minnesota-based businesses that have established robust international connections. Visionary entrepreneurs will share the stories of why and how they have built foreign markets for their products, the impact on their companies and communities here at home, and reflect on the enabling conditions in the state that support the development of their international connections.
REGISTER
PANELISTS
Kent Lee, Co-founder, East View Information Services
Lane Powell, New Business Development Manager, Harmony Enterprises, Inc.
John Schleiter, VP of Legal for Uponor North America, Uponor
Moderator: Bernadine Joselyn, East-West Connections

About East View Information Services
East View is a leading provider of native and translated foreign language information products and services, including databases, periodicals, books, and microforms from Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
About Harmony Enterprises
Harmony Enterprises, one of the largest employers in the area, has become internationally well known as a provider of waste and recycling solutions in the form of recycling balers, trash compactors, and full product destruction equipment.
About Uponor
Uponor is a global pioneer in intelligent plumbing and climate solutions for single-family homes focused on conserving water and energy, supporting the future of skilled labor and creating healthier places to live and work.

Presented in partnership with East-West Connections.

International Business Roundtable: AI in Legal, Accounting, & Health Services
2024-02-22 08:30 - 10:00 | Dorsey & Whitney LLP, 50 South Sixth St., Suite 1500, Minneapolis, 55402
Registration now open! This event is being held virtually and in-person.
Rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are creating opportunities and risks for businesses around the world, including service providers. How can Minnesota businesses position themselves in the global marketplace and prepare for the wave of new possibilities that AI could bring?
Global Minnesota is proud to partner with Corporate Members Dorsey & Whitney and KPMG in offering a panel discussion with leading practitioners in the international use of AI for providing legal, accounting, and health services. The program features representatives of Dorsey & Whitney, KPMG, the Mayo Clinic, and the University of Minnesota.
Topics will include:

The use of generative AI platforms in the practice of law and how Dorsey is using AI to provide legal services to clients.
How KPMG is using AI platforms to provide consulting services to its clients.
Academic research into how AI can assist lawyers around the world in creating work product, such as drafting a memo, a contract, a complaint, or employee policies.
Developments in the use of AI in healthcare services, and how Mayo Clinic is using AI to better service its patients as a global medical destination.

REGISTER
PANELISTS
Dr. Matthew Callstrom,
Radiologist, Mayo Clinic
Jessica Libby,
Principal, KPMG LLP
Daniel Schwarcz,
Professor, University of Minnesota
Caroline Sweeney,
Director, Knowledge Management and Innovation, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Dave Townsend
Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Presented in partnership with Dorsey & Whitney LLP, KPMG LLP, the U.S. Commercial Service, and the Minnesota Trade Office.

Urban Expedition: France
2024-02-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Landmark Center, 75 5th St. W, St. Paul, MN, 55102
This event is being held in-person and is open to everyone.
This program is presented by the Landmark Center.
Explore the globe with the 2024 season of Landmark Center’s popular Urban Expedition! This year’s series continues in France with an event everyone can enjoy while learning more about the world from right here in St. Paul. With a focus on a different destination each month, this series provides cultural experiences that include music, dance, crafts, and traditions.
Join Landmark Center and Global Minnesota, in partnership with Ecolab, the Xcel Energy Foundation, Ramsey County, Travelers, and Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation.
Urban Expeditions are free and open to the public.

LEARN MORE

Global Minnesota is proud to be a sponsor of the Landmark Center’s Urban Expeditions series.

Culture Through Cuisine: Ethiopia at Bolé
2024-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Bolé, 1341 Pascal St, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States
This program is now SOLD OUT. Please contact Katie Kelley (kkelley@globalminnesota.org) to join the waitlist.
Join Global Minnesota and Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine for a night of delicious food and storytelling with owner, Solomon Haile. Solomon will share stories about opening the restaurant and offer insights into the rich cultural traditions associated with Ethiopian food. While you’re there, try your hand at some Ethiopia-themed trivia with your table mates. Registration includes appetizers, a variety of entrée options, desserts, non-alcoholic drinks, tax, and gratuity. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
Learn more about Bolé by visiting their website.
Global Minnesota members receive discounted admission. Members are encouraged to bring a non-member at the member rate.
Not yet a member? Check out the many benefits of membership and join today!
Menu
The menu includes appetizers, multiple meat and vegetable based entrees, desserts, and non-alcoholic drinks. It will be served buffet style with rice and injera (traditional fermented flatbread). All desserts are made fresh in-house.
Please reach out to Katie Kelley at kkelley@globalminnesota.org with any questions, dietary restrictions, or accessibility accommodations.

Insights on Kosovo with Ambassador Dugolli
2024-02-29 16:00 - 17:30 | Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Wilkins Room 2nd Floor, 301 19th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
This event is AT CAPACITY! Please contact our Events Manager Katie Kelley at kkelley@globalminnesota.org with any questions.
The southeast European nation of Kosovo has maintained a close relationship with the United States since its independence in 2008. With rising GDP and tensions in the region, what are the obstacles and opportunities for Kosovo’s international relations?
Join Global Minnesota and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs to hear from the Ambassador of Kosovo to the United States, Ilir Dugolli. Ambassador Dugolli will explore Kosovo’s journey towards independence, its prospects for international engagement, and future opportunities for the U.S.-Kosovo relationship.
About Ambassador Dugolli:
Ilir Dugolli currently serves as Ambassador of Kosovo to the United States. He previously served as Ambassador of Kosovo to Turkey (with concurrent accreditations to Jordan, Pakistan and Afghanistan), Sweden (with concurrent accreditations to Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Iceland), and Belgium (covering also Luxembourg, the European Union, and NATO). Following Kosovo’s independence, he was among the first group of diplomats charged with establishing Kosovo’s diplomatic missions. He was previously affiliated with the Law School of the University of Prishtina as well as a number of civil society initiatives. He has also served as advisor and legal expert to a number of institutions, including the Team of Unity during negotiations for Kosovo’s final status.
Presented in partnership with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
If you require an accessibility accommodation, please contact our Events Manager Katie Kelley at kkelley@globalminnesota.org ahead of the event.
