THE BRIEF by Maya Plentz
Maya Plentz is the founder and chief editor of THE BRIEF, a weekly newsletter with exclusive interviews and analysis focusing on tech policy, and the global digital economy. She has over two decades of experience in the news media sector. Her work has aired at UN Radio, BBC World, RFI and Bloomberg TV.
During her tenure as a producer and presenter at Bloomberg TV in New York, she covered Google, Microsoft, and the 2000 dot-com boom. She also produced a daily segment on science, medicine, and technology.
At the UN News and Media Division in New York, she served as a broadcast producer and website news editor, conducting interviews with UN officials, government representatives, and diplomats. Her programs reached millions of viewers weekly across the globe, airing on UN national broadcast partners in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
As a member of the European Commission High-Level Group of Experts, under the leadership of Pascal Lamy, former WTO Director General and Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, she was tasked with reviewing the EU's research and innovation funding framework, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. She provided advisory on communication strategies to promote innovation funding at the EU.
THE BRIEF by Maya Plentz
UN Refugee Agency Fundraising Strategy
Interview with Mark Manly, head of donor relations and resource mobilisation at the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The UNHCR focuses on providing international protection and solutions for refugees, internally displaced people, and preventing statelessness. Their fundraising strategy relies on flexible annual funding from government donors and increasingly from the private sector, including individual donations and corporate contributions.
The organization has a presence in 140 countries and emphasizes integrating refugees into national programs when they cannot return to their homes due to continued conflict.
UNHCR aimed to raise $1 billion from private donors by 2025, surpassing this goal in 2022 due to the Ukraine crisis. They continue to highlight overlooked emergencies like Sudan to secure ongoing support.
We spoke about the demonization of immigrants and refugees by the hard-right pundits and how the news media can be an ally to counter misinformation and fake news.
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