From childhood memories of lost gloves on an icy river to a lifetime of building connections across continents with the United Nations, this talk explores the vital role of bridges—both literal and metaphorical. Drawing on experiences from the Swiss Alps, Sudan, Pakistan, and beyond, Neil Buhne highlights the growing crisis of broken bridges and the urgent need to strengthen, rebuild, and create new ones. With insights from nearly four decades of UN experience in global diplomacy and human development, this talk offers a compelling call to action: how can we become better bridge builders in a world increasingly divided? Neil Buhne served the United Nations for 37 years across nine countries (1984–2021) before joining CCDP as a Research Associate and McGill University’s Institute for Studies in International Development as a Professor of Practice in 2022. In 2025, he joined the Advisory Board of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford.Throughout his UN career, he focused on uniting its efforts for impactful development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and peacebuilding. He most recently served as Regional Director, Asia-Pacific, for the UN Development Coordination Office in Bangkok. Previously, he was the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, and Belarus. He also led UNDP Geneva’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery and UNDP’s Integrated Geneva Liaison Office. He continues to engage as a consultant to help improve the UN’s work at the country level. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx