Announcing ICP 2022 selected projects

The GSPI is pleased to announce the selection of the three Impact Collaboration Programme 2022 recipients!The choice was difficult to make among many quality proposals from a wide range of academic and policy actors. We were fortunate to be supported in our evaluation by a set of highly qualified experts that carefully rated each project:

• Corinne Momal-Vanian, Executive director, The Kofi Annan Foundation
• Tatjana von Steiger, Head of Global Policy Outreach, The Wyss Academy
• Paul Ladd, Director, UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
• Dr. Kathryn Oliver, Associate Professor, The London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

As a result of this process, we are excited to announce the following projects, which will receive a grant of max. CHF 40,000 each along with customised advice and support by the GSPI Executive Team. The three projects will strive to reach their goals and produce actionable outputs to strengthen their science-policy ecosystems over the next 12 months.If you have any questions on the process or the selected projects, don’t hesitate to contact us at contact@gspi.ch.

A Global Diabetes Research Agenda

Project partners:

• The University of Geneva
• The University of Sydney
• The World Health Organization
• The International Diabetes Federation

Diabetes is one of the five Noncommunicable diseases (NCD), that are prioritised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for being the leading cause of disease and death globally. Much research on diabetes prevention and care exists globally but is not, however, used in policy or practice. In addition, the research generated is more focused on high-income countries (HIC) versus low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This results in gaps in knowledge as well as policy decisions being made based on experiences not adapted to LMIC context.This project aims to involve WHO, researchers, policy-makers, and relevant stakeholders through an extensive consultation process in the definition of a policy-relevant, scientifically rigorous research agenda in support of the implementation of the Global Diabetes Compact.

A Toolbox for Measuring Immigrant Integration and Inform Programming

Project partners:

• ETH Zurich, Immigration Policy Lab (IPL)
• International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Geneva
• IOM Peru, Brazil and the Dominican Republic

In recent years, the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region has witnessed an unprecedented increase of people on the move. This situation has adversely affected host governments’ capacities, resources, and perceptions, as well as migrants’ broader integration experience. Many organizations based in the International Geneva ecosystem, such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), try to address this challenging situation. Yet, there is limited empirical evidence to inform the understanding of the integration challenges that migrants face and the design of policies and interventions to support their successful integration. Without the appropriate measurement instruments, it remains difficult to generate evidence-based policies that effectively respond to the migration crisis in the LAC region.‍

This project seeks to develop and deploy a tailored 'Immigrant Integration Index' to support key stakeholders in the LAC region (IOM, NGOs, IOs, and governments) to better understand migrant populations' needs and develop more effective programmes and policies.

Satellite Imagery as Evidence in International Justice Proceedings

Project partners:

• Asser Institute, University of Amsterdam
• United Nations Institute for Training and Research - Satellite Centre (UNITAR-UNOSAT)

As is already being investigated in the case of the current war in Ukraine, images acquired by satellites are oftentimes the only externally-collected data verifying that human rights violations and atrocities have taken place, especially in remote and inaccessible parts of the world. Such images are valuable to the international criminal justice system in that they can assist investigations and serve as evidence during courtroom proceedings. Potential benefits of satellite imagery are real but risks include misinformation and human rights concerns. Satellite imagery, like other modern digital information sources, is still relatively new as a source of information and evidence within the legal field. Many legal professionals involved in the international criminal justice system (the Judges, trial attorneys, defense and victims’ counsel) have no experience with satellite imagery, while many analysts of satellite imagery have no experience with the criminal justice system.‍

This project aims to develop a focused training program to close the knowledge gap between the legal professionals and the satellite imagery experts so as to maximise the positive impact of using such testimony in court in the pursuit of justice.