SSBA

Some weeks leave a mark on your soul. Bellagio 🇮🇹 was one of them. From June 1 to 5, twenty leaders from across the world 🌎 gathered at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center on Lake Como for something I will carry with me for a long time. Under the inspired leadership of Prof. Poman Lo — founder of One Earth Initiative and one of the most quietly tenacious people I know — and co-convened with the remarkable Deepali Khanna, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific at the Rockefeller Foundation, we spent five days asking a question that felt both necessary and daunting: What kind of institution does Asia — and the world — actually need right now? We weren’t there to make speeches. We were there to build something. And that meant sitting with real disagreements, naming tensions rather than smoothing them over, running pre-mortems on how the One Earth Institute might fail before it even begins — so that it doesn’t. That is what serious institution-building looks like. What emerged from those conversations — along the lake, over long dinners, on garden walks and in working sessions — was the architecture of the One Earth Institute, to be anchored at @hkust 🇭🇰 🇨🇳. Not another talking shop. A living centre — built to convene, connect, and catalyse — to advance progress at a moment when our world 🌍 is battered by interlocking crises that no single institution, country, or sector can navigate alone. The three pillars we shaped together — AI for Good, Financing the Transition, and Climate Resilience and Health — are not abstract themes. They are the terrain where leadership grounded in empathy, solidarity, and courage can actually make a difference. What I will remember most is not the frameworks or the flipcharts. It is the people in that room. Their generosity. Their willingness to stay with difficulty rather than skip to answers. The laughter over dinner. The quiet conversations on the terrace as the sun set over Como. This is how institutions worth building begin — not with a press release, but with people who trust each other enough to dream out loud. My deepest gratitude to Poman for the privilege of this partnership. To Deepali for the warmth and wisdom she brought to every moment. And to every member of our Bellagio family — you have given this initiative something no document can capture: belief. Next stop: Hong Kong. October. The journey is just beginning. 🌏 #OneEarth #OneEarthInstitute #Leadership #Asia #Bellagio #HKUST #Multilateralism #ClimateAction #AIforGood

Inspiring to see Yoga serving as a bridge between wellness, community service, and people-to-people connections. The engagement of volunteers, students, blood donors, athletes, and families highlights Yoga’s enduring relevance as a shared global heritage that brings people together across cultures. Congratulations 👍🏽 to Consul General Pratik Mathur and the entire team for this remarkable outreach effort. Wishing all participants a successful and impactful International Day of Yoga 2026. – at Bellagio, Lombardy

As I transition from three decades of service within the United Nations 🇺🇳 today, I find myself reflecting on the thread that connects my journey from the Army to the UN 🇺🇳 in China: 🇨🇳 the urgent need to protect human dignity. It was a privilege to be honored as an "Impact Legend" at the 2025 Asia X Change Summit in Jakarta 🇮🇩 by the Rockefeller Foundation. The Foundation has been a beacon of collaborative progress for over a century, and it has been an honor to partner with them since my time in Kenya 🇰🇪. In these fractured times, the Foundation’s call for "unity of purpose" is more critical than ever. We cannot solve global 🌎 challenges in isolation; we must act as one. My sincere thanks 🙏 to two inspiring, compassionate and brilliant leaders Ms Elizabeth Yee @eyee5 & @deepalikhanna @RockefellerFdn for their friendship and support to me throughout the years from Kenya 🇰🇪 to China 🇨🇳. #AsiaImpactSummit #RockefellerFoundation #ImpactLegend #GlobalGoals #Humanity #Multilateralism #Jakarta youtu.be/cdZJxkt_Rgk?si=Jxql…

Ancient wisdom holds profound solutions for modern health. My recent conversation with CGTN explores how the traditional practices of Yoga 🇮🇳 and Daoism 🇨🇳—through breath regulation, holistic philosophy, meditation, movement, exercise and cross-civilizational insight—offer powerful tools to tackle chronic diseases and enhance public health. Bridging these timeless insights with modern science is key to advancing #HealthyChina2030🇨🇳, supporting the #UNSDGs🇺🇳, and building a healthier, shared future 🌍 for humanity. @China_Amb_India @MEAIndia Watch the interview here ⬇️ news.cgtn.com/news/2026-02-0… #HolisticHealth #SharedFutureForHumanity