Activities of our Network

The Global Solutions Initiative is made possible through its distinguished and highly committed partner organizations. The following overview shows conferences, webinars and other events aimed at providing policy recommendations to the G20 and T20, which are hosted by members of the Global Solutions Initiative’s network.

Past Activities

July 12, 2022
Insights From the First Global Survey of Balance and Harmony
SDSN and Happier Way Foundation

Balance & harmony have been particularly associated with Eastern cultures, historically and currently. But does that mean they are overlooked or undervalued in the rest of the world?

Tim Lomas, Psychology Research Scientist, from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health & Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University will join us in discussion of insights from the first global survey of balance and harmony. Several new questions were added to the Gallup World Poll in 2020 to measure balance and harmony. We will discuss concepts of balance and harmony typically associated with Eastern culture.

June 23, 2022
T20 Side Event: Educational Perspectives for a Common Future
CIPPEC, Western University and 2022 Indonesia T20 Task Force 5 on Inequality, Human Capital, and Well-being

To meet the growing challenges of societies undergoing wide-sweeping transformations, education must be seen not merely as the sum of skills acquired, but as a broader societal endeavour towards human well-being that enables people to live meaningful and dignified lives.

The event builds on CIPPEC’s ongoing work on education recovery and rebuilding in G20 country contexts. It is relevant to G20 countries in addressing local needs, and to G20 OECD Development Assistance Committee donors and G20 members in their inter- and intra-regional cooperation and support for Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education. The event contributes to T20 Indonesia engagement in view of the 2022 T20 and G20 Summits later this year, and is at an opportune time ahead of the global Transforming Education Pre-Summit.

June 20-21, 2022
Global Policy Forum 2022
ISPI

The war in Ukraine is causing a humanitarian crisis and has profound consequences for global governance, not least for the ability of the international community to address global challenges, from the post-Covid recovery to healthcare, from climate change to the SDGs and digital transformation.

Against this background, ISPI, Bocconi University, OECD and T20 Indonesia are co-hosting the II edition of the Global Policy Forum (GPF) on 20-21 June. This hybrid international event on the prospects for peace and cooperation will bring together at Bocconi University (in Milan) thought global leaders and senior experts. As a milestone event of Think20 (T20) Indonesia, this event also aims to provide actionable policy recommendations to the G20 countries.

June 20, 2022 14:00-15:30 CET / digital
Climate clubs: alternative approaches in theory and practice
Think7 and the Future of Climate Cooperation project

The objective of the webinar is to discuss the climate club idea proposed by the German government in the G7 context while also harvesting lessons learnt and collecting ideas on different possible club designs from complementary angles. What different kinds of clubs possible, and what options or combinations are desirable or feasible?

This Think7 event is organized by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI), as think tanks mandated for the Think7 process during the German G7 presidency in 2022. It is organized in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University, and Laval University as part of the Aligning Climate and Economic Governance (ACEGOV) network.

June 13, 2022 8:00 am – 9:30 am EDT / digital
Moving beyond GDP: The Case for Wealth as a Core Measure of National Progress
International Institute for Sustainable Development

If GDP growth is weak or, worse, negative, things are said to be going poorly and intervention to change course will be called for. GDP was not designed for this purpose, though, and there are many reasons why increasing GDP is not correlated with increased well-being. GDP fixation leads decision-makers to favor policies with narrow economic benefits for those alive today, even if those policies undermine well-being in the long run.

While agreement is growing that countries must move beyond GDP and adopt new measures of progress, just what those measures should be remains a matter of debate. Among the handful of credible alternatives to GDP is inclusive wealth – a powerful measure of sustainability. Inclusive wealth comprises the assets that underlie human well-being: natural, human, social, produced and financial capital. Despite this, no government today measures inclusive wealth.

This seminar will explore adoption of inclusive wealth as a means of moving beyond GDP. Eminent speakers will explain what inclusive wealth is, how it relates to the sustainability of well-being and how government policies would differ if inclusive wealth, rather than GDP, occupied the center of decision-makers dashboards.

June 9, 2022 10:00 – 11:30 CEST / digital
Digitalization in Agriculture: A G20 Policy Framework for an Equitable and Environmentally Sustainable Transition
T20 Indonesia Side Event – Task Force 4 ‘Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture’

To enhance the environmental and social wellbeing of the agricultural sector, digitalization can function as a catalyst. That is, a just transition aspires for efficiency, global economic inclusiveness, reduction of the environmental footprint and greater resilience against global shocks (whether due to climate change or geopolitical conflicts) among others. How can the G20 facilitate a just transition that speeds up innovation, addresses all G20 countries equally, involves vulnerable groups and takes data governance issues into account?The Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences (IPB University), as the host of T20 Task Force 4, together with the Smart City & Community Innovation Center (Institut Teknologi Bandung), as the host of T20 Task Force 2, with the support of the Global Solutions Initiative Foundation, invites you to discuss policy solutions in this multistakeholder forum. We call on you to address the just digital transformation of the agriculture sector.

June 8, 2022
CESD #3: Localizing the circular economy imperative – What is at stake for cities?
Session 4 of the Circular Economy Solutions Dialogues

Policy directions
The group translates its collective experience into policy proposals and technical recommendations. The final session connects different sets of issues across sectors, governance requirements and business priorities in order to identify levers to promote circularity. The guiding question is: What are the patterns and demands for future development on the ground in cities and through multilateral cooperation?

Please note that this session is by invitation only.

June 7, 2022
Trends in Conceptions of Progress and Well-Being
SDSN and Happier Way Foundation

A discussion with the author, Dr. Chris Barrington-Leigh.

After a decade of the World Happiness Report, this chapter surveys the growing interest in the measurement and understanding of happiness and what makes for happy societies. Interest in happiness and subjective well-being is rising, while interest in income and consumption is falling.

June 2, 2022
Workshop Series Digital Empowerment

THE NEW INSTITUTE and the Global Solutions Initiative are collaboratively hosting a workshop series on “Digital Empowerment”.

The workshop series will attract major contributors to the aim of improving the rules of digital governance to better empower and protect individuals and democracy in an environment distorted by the power of obscure, mass data aggregation and influencer-paid surveillance capitalism.

The workshop series focuses on righting a misalignment of interests between digital consumers and digital third-party funders, which is responsible for a wide variety of problems. These problems ultimately threaten the continued functioning of our economic market systems; weaken mental health; expose users to far-ranging manipulation of attention, thought, feeling and behavior; erode appreciation for objective notions of truth; undermine our democratic processes; and degrade the cohesion of our societies. The benefits from the digital revolution are not immutably tied to the current digital governance regimes. The central challenge of digital governance regimes lies in finding ways of making these regimes humanistic without sacrificing the technological benefits. 

The workshop series is part of the Socio-Economic Transformation programme at THE NEW INSTITUTE and draws on the Global Initiative on Digital Empowerment (GIDE) as well as contributors from THE NEW INSTITUTE and the Global Solutions Initiative, along with their associated networks.

This bi-monthly workshop series is envisaged to take place on the third Tuesday every second month, from 11:00 to 12:00 CET. This one event (June 2) will exceptionally take place outside the usual rotation.

June 1-2, 2022
118th Annual Membership Meeting 2022
AmCham Germany

With a new German administration under Chancellor Olaf Scholz in office, as well as Germany’s G7 presidency in 2022, opportunities to strengthen transatlantic cooperation on a multitude of topics are vast: overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and discussing future pandemic preparedness, deepening transatlantic cooperation in the healthcare sector and jointly working on sustainability and the global challenge of climate change, as well as reforming the framework of the global trading system and advocating for a joint digital transatlantic economic zone.

Agnes Michalik, Managing Director of the Global Solutions Initiative Foundation, will speak in the panel discussion “Germany’s G7 Presidency: Evaluating Priorities for Transatlantic Cooperation” on June 2, 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM.

May 30, 2022
Well-being Analytics for Policy Use in Italy – Incorporating Equitable and Sustainable Well-being Indicators in Policy and Budget Decision-making
OECD

As governments grow increasingly interested in using well-being measures to evaluate policies and steer budget decisions, it is necessary to develop suitable modelling tools that can support detailed impact analyses. Among OECD countries, Italy has been the first to link a set of well-being indicators to its economic policy programming.

May 19, 2022
Pandemic Best Policy Strategies: Balancing Health and Economy
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

The COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years has transformed health systems and battled economies across the globe. Much COVID-19-focused research and development innovation, alongside the persevering efforts of political leaders to safeguard and sustain economic progress, has been undertaken. Within the diverse community of ERIA Member States alone, a variety of measures have been tackled to survive through attempts to balance each nation’s health and economy. A first of its kind, this regional conference answers requests heard through regional meetings for such a gathering, and offers EMSs the opportunity to share with neighbors what they have learned to be most effective for them, in order to more smoothly exit this pandemic as well as better prepare for upcoming ones.

Experts have thus been invited to present their government’s best policy strategy/ies that have had the greatest impact on balancing economy and health under the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s ASEAN chair, Cambodia, will open, introducing the hard-hit populous and developing archipelagos of Indonesia and the Philippines, the peninsular Thailand and ASEAN neighbors India and Australia, and the technologically advanced Japan. Articles, Op-Eds, policy papers, and academic publications (commentaries) are expected to arise from the presentations.

May 19, 2022
Impending collapse or sustainable transformation? The role of the G7 in solving global debt crises

The multiple crises of climate change, pandemic and global recession have led to the debt situation of many countries in the Global South assuming critical dimensions today. The situation will be further exacerbated by the global economic impact of the Russian-Ukraine war. The debt situation threatens not only the immediate recovery from the pandemic, but also the socially just ecological transformation. But measures taken by the G20 so far have failed to bring about any substantial debt restructuring.

The G7 finance ministers will meet from May 18 to 20. During the German G7 presidency, “the major economic and financial policy issues of the coming years” are to be advanced. This also includes achieving sustainable solutions for critically indebted countries. What should the “strengthened implementation of the international debt strategy” envisaged by the G7 look like in concrete terms in order to facilitate sustainable solutions? What short- and long-term adjustment to the international debt architecture are needed?

An expert discussion in the context of the G7 finance ministers’ meeting in Bonn/Königswinter, with speakers from the World Bank, AOSIS, the German finance ministry, civil society and the private sector.

May 18, 2022
CESD #3: Localizing the circular economy imperative – What is at stake for cities?
Deep Dive Webinar of the Circular Economy Solutions Dialogues

Shifting the paradigm of urban governance and business models towards circularity in urban spheres

Following the lead of session 3, the Deep Dive webinar will more deeply discuss urban governance and business models necessary for a paradigm shift. Relevant stakeholders will take the stage to highlight urban planning issues and offer integrated circular economy solutions for urban spheres. The webinar will be hosted by a partner institution and will be open to the public. The Deep Dive webinar will be open to the public. Participation is not mandatory but encouraged.

Please note that the registration for this webinar will open soon.

May 17, 2022
Workshop Series Economic Paradigm Change

THE NEW INSTITUTE and the Global Solutions Initiative are collaboratively hosting a workshop series on “Economic Paradigm Change”.

The workshop series will attract major contributors in the development of new paradigms for economics. The new paradigms contain a new understanding of the purpose of economics, focused on the mobilization of resources in the pursuit of wellbeing in thriving societies, now and in the future. Furthermore, the new paradigms involve a new approach to the collection of economic data, new methods of analysis, new questions concerning the nature of economic activity, and a new assessment of economic success. The contributions to the workshop series will be based on an underlying critique of orthodox economics, in terms of its central characteristics: individualism, socially disengaged behavior, ignorance as risk, utility-based wellbeing, and progress as economic growth. The new paradigms call each of these characteristics into question and suggest new approaches to economic policy and business practice. The workshop series is part of the Socio-Economic Transformation programme at THE NEW INSTITUTE and draws on the “Recoupling Initiative” of the Global Solutions Initiative.

This bi-monthly workshop series is envisaged to take place on the third Tuesday every second month, from 13:00 to 14:30 PM CET.

May 16, 2022
Forum on Digital Transformation
ISPI

Digital transformation has been put at the core of recovery plans across the globe. Next years will be crucial to implement a series of policy changes and investments which make digitalization an opportunity for all. Technology needs to become a pillar of our cities, a tool for our governments, an asset for our businesses in a context of well-functioning and fair digital markets. However, capturing the full potential of digital technologies also requires strong multilateral efforts. As the war in Ukraine has highlighted, much remains to be done to find a global common ground for cybersecurity. At the same time, Russia’s attempts to protect its propaganda have exposed the risks related to the fragmentation of the Internet.

How can digital technologies boost the global economic rebound? Which policies and actions are required to support a fairer access to the Internet? What are the risks arising from the regionalization of the digital governance architecture? Which rules for the digital markets? What is the possible impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict?

May 16, 2022
Workshop Series Measuring Prosperity – Session 1

Katharina Lima de Miranda and Dennis J. Snower will present their paper on “Societal Responses to Covid-19: Evidence from the G7 Countries”.

THE NEW INSTITUTE and the Global Solutions Initiative are collaboratively hosting a workshop series on “Measuring Prosperity”.

The workshop series will attract major contributors to the measurement of economic performance beyond GDP and the measurement of business performance beyond shareholder value. In both these domains, the environmental and social effects of economic activity will be taken into consistent account. The aim of the workshop series is to bring the measurement of prosperity in these two domains into consonance, as a prelude to the consistent assessment of government policy and business reporting. This assessment is meant to be a foundation for exploring new approaches to the formulation of government policies and business strategies in the service of human wellbeing.

The workshop series is part of the Socio-Economic Transformation programme at THE NEW INSTITUTE and draws on the networks of the Global Solutions Initiative, including the Council for Global Problem-Solving and the Young Global Changers.

This bi-monthly workshop series is envisaged to take place on the third Monday of every second month, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET.

May 5, 2022
What is in store for Euro area economies?
Bruegel

With the war in Ukraine following fast on the heels of the pandemic crisis, the economic outlook for the Euro area remains uncertain. At this event Philip Lane, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, will discuss how the economic situation is likely to evolve.

May 4, 2022
CESD #3: Localizing the circular economy imperative – What is at stake for cities?
Session 3 of the Circular Economy Solutions Dialogues

Models for the future?

Participants share promising approaches on how to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Solutions and critical success factors are investigated. In this session, governance and business models involving public and private stakeholders are presented and discussed. The issues of public goods and the scope of the informal economy, the attempts to foster a well-being economy, the role of multilateral financial institutions, in particular public development banks, are investigated. Participants are asked to provide elements of visualisation of future models.

Please note that this session is by invitation only.

April 29, 2022
High Level Forum on Climate Change – Rescuing the green transition
ISPI

2021 was a milestone in the global fight against climate change and, ahead of COP27, some important commitments and steps forward have been made on the path to decarbonization. But the war in Ukraine may result in a “game-changer”.

What to expect from international cooperation after COP26, also in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict? How to keep the green transition on track while escaping the fate of a new economic crisis? Which further steps should be taken by public and private actors to channel financial resources to “green” projects?

April 27-29, 2022
CSIS Global Dialogue 2022 – Windows for Recovering Together and Stronger
Centre for Strategic and International Studies

The overall objective of this conference is to provide a platform to discuss the key challenges confronting the thinkers and leaders in managing the global economy recovery and mitigating future risks. The 2022 Global Dialogue will focus on how COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of our lives but at the same time offered us a unique opportunity to reset as well as to reconnect. It will allow thought-leaders and stakeholders to exchange views on the adversities of COVID-19 and how to harness the opportunities to recover stronger. The Dialogue will in turn contribute to Indonesia’s G20 2022 presidency agendas with the spirit of recovering together and stronger. Thus, the overarching theme of the 2022 Global Dialogue is G20 Indonesia: Windows for Recovering Together and Stronger.

April 27, 2022
From viruses to wars: recent disruptions to global trade and value chains
Bruegel

Global value chains have been severely disrupted in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical friction and most recently the conflict in Ukraine. While trade in goods bounced back more rapidly than expected from the pandemic crisis, not all sectors are faring as well.

This event will discuss how trade developed during the pandemic but also what governments can do to help strengthen global value chains against future disruptions, which may arise not just from future health crises, but also from conflict, cyberattacks, or from climate-related weather events. The event will feature the presentation of a forthcoming chapter, titled “Global Trade and Value Chains in the Pandemic”, from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook.

April 26, 2022
Moving Beyond GDP: The Case for Wealth as a Core Measure of National Progress
International Institute for Sustainable Development

This regional seminar, with a focus on Africa, will explore the case for wealth as a core measure of national progress with discussions on the shortcomings of GDP, the benefits of using expanded wealth measures to guide decision-making, and the steps necessary for countries to embrace this new approach to ensure the sustainability of development.

April 26, 2022
A Seat at the Table: World Happiness Report 2022
SDSN and Happier Way Foundation

Join WHR editors, Professor John Helliwell and Associate Professor Lara B. Aknin as they discuss and answer your questions regarding Happiness Science.

General topics for discussion:

· What is subjective well-being?
· What is happiness science?
· Why should we measure life satisfaction or life evaluation?
· Discussing Chapter 2 of WHR: Happiness, benevolence, and trust during COVID-19 and beyond

April 25, 2022
CGP Workshop “The implications of the war in Ukraine for global problem-solving”

The Council for Global Problem Solving will be holding its next Workshop on April 25th, 2022, from 13:00 to 14:00 CEST on “the implications of the war in Ukraine for global problem-solving“.

Please contact us if you wish to attend this event.

April 20, 2022
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Ukraine and India’s great power relations
European Council on Foreign Relations

The webinar series features one prominent Indian speaker a month who will shed light on the various aspects of the Sino-Indian relationship and help to understand what the possible implications are for Europe’s growing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. In this session, Prof. C. Raja Mohan (Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore) will discuss India’s Russia policy in light of its China policy and what this means for Europe’s relations with India.

April 19, 2022
Innovative financing for future pandemic preparedness
Blavatnik School of Government

It has been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and more than six million people have died from the disease. While more than 60% of those in rich countries can now access a vaccine, poor countries have received only 1% of the doses distributed. Moreover, with climate change and unaddressed global health problems humanity faces the threat of even more devastating pandemics in the future. How can the international community support the development, procurement and supply of medical countermeasures and tools to shorten the response time to a pandemic and deliver equitable global access?

More effective pandemic preparation and response will require new financing for counter-measure innovation and ensuring equitable access to the fruits of scientific progress. Recent discussions of innovative financing have often focused narrowly on funding counter-measures with some attention given to disease surveillance and country preparedness plans to promote health security. But should adequate funding for pandemic preparation and response focus only on the development and supply of counter-measures, including those better adapted for use in resource-poor settings? Or should it also include financing to build good health systems that can deliver counter-measures? Financing health security in this broader sense might require ensuring sufficient resources for adequate pandemic preparation, early detection, and a robust, equitable response that guarantees priority health technologies and quality health services for all.

April 14, 2022
The state of international cooperation and multilateralism
Brookings

Faced with major challenges from the lingering pandemic to climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world needs the United Nations to play a greater leadership role in ensuring effective global coordination and cooperation.

On April 14, Global Economy and Development at Brookings will host a conversation between Brookings Vice President Brahima S. Coulibaly and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on prospects for international cooperation, the crisis in Ukraine’s implications for the new world order, U.S.-China relations, and the U.N. reform agenda.

April 7-8, 2022
Workshop on Rethinking prosperity for governments and business
THE NEW INSTITUTE

The workshop on “How to bring our moral values into what we value? Rethinking prosperity for governments and business” is organized by THE NEW INSTITUTE, Oxford University programme in partnership with the Global Solutions Initiative and will bring together important researchers to discuss and explore (i) the norms and values underlying prosperity, (ii) applications of holistic measurement of prosperity at the micro-level (business) and macro-level (countries), (iii) the possibilities of aligning the measurement of economic performance beyond GDP and the measurement of business performance beyond shareholder value and putting them on a comparable basis. In both domains (economy and business) we seek to take account of social and environmental effects of economic and business activity, promoting coherence across prosperity and measurement perspectives.

(This workshop is by invitation only)

March 30 – April 1, 2022
Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum
OECD

The health, economic and social crisis triggered by the pandemic created new opportunities for integrity violations and corruption to thrive, prioritising integrity in governance like never before. How can we renew governance, business, development aid, anti-corruption efforts and taxation with integrity, and establish a renewed sense of social purpose?

March 22, 2022
#DBUdigital Online-Salon “Working together for a Just Energy Transition in the Global South: Inspiration for legislators, implementers and civil society“
German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU) and the Global Renewables Congress (GRC)

Renewable Energy has the potential to enable a just societal and energy transition and can foster sustainable development in the Global South. Upscaling Renewable Energy solutions on all levels and in all sectors is necessary to improve energy access and eradicate energy poverty, strengthen local economies and resilient societies.
This #DBUdigital Online Salon “Working together for a Just Energy Transition in the Global South: Inspiration for legislators, implementers and civil society“, aims at providing an overview of conditions necessary for energy policymaking to realise a successful and effective transformation of the energy system.
Representatives of civil society, climate-vulnerable countries, business as well as parliament involved in climate action and upscaling renewable energy will share their insights and discuss trends, challenges, and opportunities of a just energy transition in the Global South.

February 21, 2022
CGP Workshop “Digital Transformation: Governance reforms and development opportunities”

The CGP will be holding its next Workshop on February 21^st, 2022, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET on “Digital Transformation: Governance reforms and development opportunities“.

Dr. Paul Twomey, Global Solutions Fellow, will present the recent work of the CGP’s Digital Governance working group, which he leads together with GSI President Prof. Dennis Snower.

Prof. Syed Munir Khasru, Chairman of the Institute for Policy, Advocacy and Governance (IPAG) and Co-Chair of the T20 Task Forces on Digital Transformation and on SDGs Financing, will speak on how digital transformation will shape the global development agenda in the post pandemic period.

Please contact us if you wish to attend this event.

February 21, 2022
Can Europe stand up to Chinese and Russian economic coercion?

The European Council on Foreign Relations, in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, is delighted to invite you to a debate on the principles that should guide Europe’s quest for economic sovereignty.

Join the panel with views from across Europe to hear how the EU can thrive in a world of geo-economic competition, featuring:

– Arancha González Laya, Chair, Wise Persons Group on Challenges Facing the European Union; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain
– Krister Nilsson, State Secretary to Anna Hallberg, Minister for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs, Sweden
– Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, France
– Martina Tauberová, Deputy Minister for EU Affairs and Foreign Trade, Czech Republic

February 17, 2022
A debate on fiscal rules and the new monetary strategy
Bruegel

This event will focus on two topics crucial to the Euro area; fiscal governance in the EMU and the ECB’s new monetary strategy.

The event features the presentation of the Euro Yearbook 2022, produced by Fundación de Estudios Financieros (FEF) and Fundación ICO.

January 18, 2022
Productivity and the Role of Global Value Chains
Bruegel

The panel will discuss the influence productivity and global value chains have on digitalisation and industralisation.

December 22, 2021
Challenges of the energy transition from a European perspective
Elcano Royal Institute

The sharp rise in energy prices is having severe economic, social and political impacts on a European Union that is fully committed to decarbonisation. Is this a temporary or a structural price spike? Can national and EU public policies turn this energy price crisis into an opportunity? Can the energy transition increase Europe’s strategic autonomy and reduce geopolitical risks? What are the prospects for green hydrogen in the European transition? What role should citizens play in reaching Net Zero? What are the implications of the energy price spike for European climate policy? Are there any broader implications for international climate governance? These and other issues related to the challenges of the European energy transition will be dealt with by a panel of four experts from leading European think tanks.

December 16, 2021
Expert Group Meeting on Understanding Solidarity, Trust and Social Contract in the context of Social Development in Asia and the Pacific
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the Asia-Pacific region’s challenges in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly in areas related to social development. Major reasons for these challenges are the predominance of informal jobs, the limited access to affordable healthcare and the low coverage of social protection. While everyone is affected by the pandemic, the impact has been disproportionally felt by people in vulnerable situations. The pandemic also emerged in the context of ongoing global megatrends, including climate change, rising inequalities, population ageing and digitalization, among others. While most megatrends offer opportunities for socioeconomic advancement, the absence of requisite policies may instead challenge development gains and leave many behind during transition.

December 13-14, 2021
OECD High Level Policy Forum on Employment – Moving beyond the COVID-19 crisis to a better labour market that works for all
OECD

Ahead of the Ministerial Meeting, the OECD will host a virtual High Level Policy Forum on 13-14 December 2021.

The Forum will inform the discussion on how to move beyond the COVID-19 crisis and build back an inclusive labour market by focusing on questions related to changes in the workplace in a post-pandemic world, as well as the opportunities and challenges posed by progress in the field of artificial intelligence and their interaction with the labour market.

The Forum will facilitate a lively and free-flowing debate between participants, through interactive interfaces and innovative discussion formats. The discussions from the Forum will inform the Ministerial discussion, as well as national public debates, and feed into the OECD’s work programme.

December 9, 2021 | 12:30 – 14:30 (CET) via Webex
Circular Economy Solutions Dialogues (CESD) Deep Dive Webinar: Due Diligence and Circularity Solutions for Battery Value Chains
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH together with the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI) and adelphi

Battery technology is becoming an essential component of sustainable mobility. Thus, battery demand and production volumes will significantly increase over the next decades. Most studies expect a growth of between 15 and 20 per cent until 2030. In order to achieve a sustainability transformation of the automotive sector, a broad set of sustainability actions must be taken along the battery value chain.

The CESD Deep Dive Webinar seeks to explore the current state of environmental and human rights due diligence in the battery value chain and the potential of sustainable supply chains and circular solutions.

The CESD Deep Dive Webinar is part of the Circular Economy Solutions Dialogues (CESD) series, an initiative launched by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI). The webinar will be hosted by GIZ and GSI and moderated by Daniel Weiss, Head of Green Economy Programme at adelphi.

Registration and participation are open for everyone and encouraged for practitioners within the industry or related industries.

December 9, 2021
Third CGP Workshop

Guntram Wolff (Bruegel) and Helmut Anhaier (Hertie) will present their work on “Can climate change be tackled without ditching economic growth?” and on “Responsible Leadership in Democracy” respectively in a third Workshop from the CGP Workshop Series.

Guntram Wolff will explore whether decarbonisation and economic growth are compatible or whether the world economy needs to grow less to be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to reach net zero in 2050, building on recent work at Bruegel. He is the Director of Bruegel since 2013. Over his career, he has contributed to research on European political economy and governance, fiscal, monetary and financial policy, climate change and geoeconomics. For more information, see: https://www.bruegel.org/author/guntram-b-wolff

Helmut Anhaier will talk about “Responsible Leadership in Democracy”, looking in particular at values and accountability and building on recent work for the Club de Madrid. He is Professor of Sociology at the Hertie School in Berlin. He served as President of the Hertie School from 2009 to 2018 and is also a member of the faculty at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and visiting professor at LSE Ideas. His research centers on indicator systems, governance, culture, non-profits and philanthropy and organisational studies. For more information, see: https://www.hertie-school.org/en/research/faculty-and-researchers/profile/person/anheier.

The CGP workshop series is meant to be a seminar series where CGP members present their G20 relevant activities to inform other members and discuss about current research initiatives.

In case you wish to join the workshop, please contact us at contact@global-solutions-initiative.org.

December 7, 2021
Future of work and inclusive growth: Annual Conference
Bruegel

On 7 December Bruegel is hosting the public sessions of the inaugural Annual Conference of the Future of Work and Inclusive Growth project.

The project Future of Work and Inclusive Growth in Europe is a 3-year project supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. Within the framework of the project, our researchers closely analyse the impact of technology on the nature, quantity and quality of work, welfare systems and inclusive growth at large. That includes exploring the role of technology and AI in reshaping society, particularly when subject to extreme stress (e.g. during a pandemic).

At this conference, it will be discussed how the post pandemic future of work as well as how AI will effect jobs in the future.

December 6-7, 2021
Forum on Globalization and Industrialization 2021: Rewiring Global Production Networks for Sustainability
Kiel Institute for the World Economy and Kiel Centre for Globalization

The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted global production networks. It has brought to the forefront a sense of urgency for governments and internationally operating enterprises to re-evaluate their approaches towards ensuring resilience and sustainability in their supply chains. This seismic event offers the opportunity to re-think established approaches, and embrace sustainability as a core value creator, but also link long-term recovery strategies to the guiding principles and objectives of the UN Agenda 2030.

In view of the above, the 2021 Forum on Globalization and Industrialization (FGI) seeks to convene stakeholders from government, academia, private sector, and civil society to discuss paths towards advancing sustainability practices in global supply chains. The event aims to discuss the challenges and opportunities of sustainable production in global supply chains. Particularly, the forum will explore policies, governance modes as well as novel business models that can foster inclusiveness and sustainability in global production networks, thus, supporting the joint global efforts to build back better.

December 3, 2021
Capitalism: what has gone wrong, what needs to change and how can it be fixed?
Oxford Martin School

Rising levels of inequality, social exclusion, environmental degradation and political divisiveness are a source growing disillusionment with our capitalist system.

This discussion brings together the editors of a special issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy on Capitalism. It includes articles by leading economists from around the world on the problems with the existing system and the changes that need to be made to address them.

At the heart of the arguments presented is the notion of cohesive communities and societies, and their role alongside globalisation, privatisation and financialisation in restoring trust in capitalism.

Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Oxford University
Diane Coyle, Professor of Public Policy, Cambridge University
Colin Mayer, Professor of Management Studies, Oxford University
Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
Charles Godfrey, Director, Oxford Martin School

December 2-4, 2021
Rome Med 2021 – Mediterranean Dialogues
Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

MED – MEDITERRANEAN DIALOGUES is the annual high-level initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies) in Rome with the aim to rethink traditional approaches to the area complementing analyses of current challenges with new ideas and suggestions and to draft a new “positive agenda”, addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the international level.

December 1-3, 2021
2021 ADBI Annual Conference: Climate Change Mitigation and Green Finance
Asian Development Bank Institute

Paris Agreement signatories are expected to update their nationally determined contributions every five years. In Asia and the Pacific, countries are increasingly committing to the goal of carbon neutrality. The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) on 31 October-12 November 2021 in Glasgow seeks to build on these targets under the theme “Uniting the World to Tackle Climate Change.”

On the heels of COP26, the 2021 ADBI Annual Conference will explore the next steps for climate change mitigation and green finance policy in Asia and the Pacific. The conference will feature new research on climate imperatives across key sectors, including energy, transport, buildings, and agriculture, forestry, and land use. It will also discuss the outlook for carbon pricing and regional cooperation.

December 2, 2021
European Green Deal beyond the Brussels climate bubble
Bruegel

Achieving the ambitious European climate targets will require substantially broadening the agenda and the circle of involved actors. The European Green Deal can only be successful when non-EU countries, industry, social partners, central banks, national policymakers, and many other actors support, or at least not obstruct, the transformation.

December 2, 2021
Co-Creating Impact Summit 2021
Novartis

The current pandemic has exposed many fundamental aspects of our society and the world needs to transcend the challenges laid bare by the crisis. One aspect is already clear- the impact agenda will be at the very heart of thinking about the world’s growing number of recovery plans.

Will we look back on 2021 as a turning point that spurred collaboration and cohesion in unprecedented ways? Whatever the answer proves to be, businesses will continue trying to understand stakeholder expectations and working to adapt their business models to stay relevant. Understanding the full spectrum of impacts of their business activities on society and the environment will be a necessity, but not sufficient. A new understanding of the links between performance, value and progress is needed. In addition, there is no single entity that can resolve either existing or emerging global challenges alone. We must co-create next generation solutions together.

In that spirit, the Co-Creating Impact Summit 2021 will bring together thought-leaders and experts from academia, institutions, business, and the financial markets to discuss the expanding spectrum of impact challenges and opportunities. The all-day virtual event will explore ways of reimagining and resetting capitalism, including impact-based decision-making, impact investing, social impact of access to health care, the integration of financial and sustainability reporting, and the crucial role of leadership.

November 29, 2021
Moral Motives in Economic and Social Decisions – INET Research Seminar with Prof. Dennis J. Snower
INET Oxford

We present an analysis of moral motives underlying economic and social decision making. The underlying idea is that moral motives are psychological instruments that induce people to cooperate in pursuit of collective goals and to suppress destructive competition. Different social contexts are associated with different collective action problems, which call for different cooperative relationships. These different cooperative relationships are associated with different moral motives. Cooperative contexts, associated with positive externalities, call for moral motives that reward people for promoting the common good, thereby enabling them to internalize the positive externalities. Competitive contexts, associated with negative externalities, call for moral motives that discourage people from harming one another, thereby promoting the internalization of the negative externalities. In this framework of analysis, people are subject to multiple, context-dependent moral motives. The diverse moral principles underlying the diverse moral motives are to be understood not as mutually exclusive alternatives, but as components to be applied in combination with one another.

November 19, 2021
Indonesia Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on G20 2022 Host Vision and Priorities
Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI)

Registration is open for an Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) Featured Speaker Webinar presenting Indonesia Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who will discuss Indonesia’s vision and priorities for its 2022 Group of 20 (G20) presidency with ADBI Dean Tetsushi Sonobe and a panel of experts.

Minister Sri Mulyani will explain Indonesia’s G20 host strategy to bolster inclusive and resilient post-COVID-19 recovery and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific and globally.

The discussion will be followed by an audience question and answer session.

November 19, 2021
European Relations with China, and the U.S.
China-West Dialogue

European relations with China are in flux with changes in European politics: a new coalition government forming in Germany with the Social Democratic Party in the lead; a shift in Italian relations with China from Emmanuel Conte to Mario Draghi; and a presidential election in France in the spring.

Europe’s desire for, and debate about, “strategic autonomy” opens a discussion about whether Europe is able to set a singular course. Is diversity an asset or a problem? Does convergence with the US represent an advantage for Europe or not?

This online discussion is by invitation only.

November 15-19, 2021
Digitaler Kapitalismus – #DigiCap
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Europa stellt heute die Weichen für die Wirtschaft von morgen. Die digitale Agenda der EU spielt hierbei eine zentrale Rolle. Um im Wettbewerb der Systeme zu bestehen, vor allem aber um seinen Werten und Zielen gerecht zu werden, muss Europa ein eigenes, innovatives Wirtschaftsmodell für das digitale Zeitalter etablieren.

Wie sieht ein Wirtschaftsmodell aus, in dem der Einsatz von Big Data oder Künstlicher Intelligenz im Einklang mit Demokratie und sozialer Gerechtigkeit steht? Wie trägt die digitale Ökonomie zum Erreichen der europäischen Klimaziele bei? Und wie souverän ist Europa auf seinem Weg in die digitale Zukunft?

November 18, 2021
COP26 and Beyond
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

CSIS is pleased to host Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate at the U.S. Department of State, alongside CSIS experts for a post-analysis conversation about the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Should the Glasgow Climate Pact be considered a success? What were the major takeaways from the conference? How will issues at the intersection of trade and climate policy, including a global carbon tax, play out? And, what role does China play in the negotiations of international climate commitments?

November 16-18, 2021
2021 OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum – A Green Recovery: Rethinking the built environment and transport
OECD

Cities are engines of growth and home to more than half of OECD citizens, but are often characterised by unhealthy levels of pollution. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to rethinking of urban design, mobility options and working modes, and has changed citizens’ preferences and behaviour. At the global level, connecting people and markets has contributed to prosperity and poverty reduction in many countries, but transport accounts for a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Tourism and transport sectors are also undergoing a re-think as part of recovery efforts.

The 2021 Green Growth and Sustainable (GGSD) Forum will focus on COVID-19 recovery measures and their role in greening the built environment and the transport sector. It will discuss how different countries are making use of recovery measures to also address the global goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century and other environmental objectives. The Forum will also address how to better design cities as well as mobility of people and goods for a greener and more resilient future.

November 17, 2021
Der Digital Services Act (DSA) – Europas neues Grundgesetz fürs Internet?
Stiftung Mercator

Mit dem Digital Services Act (und dem daran gekoppelten Digital Market Act, DMA) steht die Europäische Union kurz davor, eine umfassende Reform der Plattformregulierung und des digitalen Binnenmarkts zu beschließen. Hat dieses neue „Grundgesetz“ des europäischen Internets eine Chance, Sicherheit und Rechte von Nutzer*innen im Netz zu garantieren? Wo gibt es besondere Herausforderungen und wo muss nachgebessert werden? Wie sollte der DSA angepasst werden, um einen pluralen Diskurs und freie Meinungsäußerung zu fördern? Und was sollte die deutsche Politik tun, um globalen und demokratiegefährdenden Problemen wie Hassrede, Desinformation und Overblocking entgegenzuwirken?

November 16, 2021
Building Blocks for a Hydrogen Economy
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

An emerging solution to the global climate crisis, hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used in various sectors, including passenger vehicles and electricity generation. Meanwhile, a hydrogen economy requires coordination among many actors to set up the process for producing the hydrogen, transporting it, and having the equipment to use it.

This event will illuminate efforts and experiences in advancing hydrogen use in the transportation, power generation, and industrial sectors.

November 11-13, 2021
Paris Peace Forum

In a world requiring more collective action, the Paris Peace Forum is a platform open to all seeking to develop coordination, rules, and capacities that answer global problems.

Year-round support activities and an annual event in November help better organize our planet by convening the world, boosting projects, and incubating initiatives.

November 10, 2021
How can we create more sustainable value chains?
Bruegel

As the world grapples with supply chain disruptions brought about by the pandemic, the Asian Infrastructure Finance 2021 report, Sustaining Global Value Chains, examines how Asian economies, to different extents and in different ways, have integrated global value chains (GVCs) into their growth models. The report highlights how green infrastructure, consistent with net zero transition, will become a source of competitive advantage and the key to sustaining future GVCs.

At this event, Alicia Garcia-Herrero engages with Erik Berglöf, the Chief Economist of AIIB to talk about the conclusions of the report.

November 9-11, 2021
3rd Southern Voice Research Conference: Shaping an equitable post-COVID world: the role of Global South think tanks
Southern Voice

The 3rd Southern Voice Research Conference will bring together think tank experts from around the globe to discuss current and future policy issues related to sustainable development, the UN 2030 Agenda and post-pandemic challenges.

Recovery will not be an easy task. That is why the conference’s policy debates will focus on current issues of interest, such as the uneven rollout of vaccines, the dilemmas in dealing with the persistent virus, lessons from the crisis and building back better for a more equitable future.

The aim of this conference is to find joint solutions for an equitable recovery from the pandemic. Interactive discussions, led by our member think tanks, will pay particular attention to the role of think tanks from the Global South to foster transformative policies and rebalance power at multiple levels.

November 8-10, 2021
Conference on Creative Economy 2030: Imagining and Delivering a Robust, Inclusive, and Sustainable Recovery
Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI)

Cohosted by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), ASEAN Secretariat, University of Indonesia’s Institute for Economic and Social Research, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, and British Council, this conference features new policy papers on creative economy development and its role in delivering a robust and inclusive post-pandemic recovery in developing Asia and the Pacific. It also explores how the post-COVID-19 revival of the creative economy could advance the realization of the SDGs, setting the stage for possible action during Indonesia’s G20 presidency in 2022.

November 4, 2021
European monetary policy: lessons from the past two decades
Bruegel

Since its foundation in 1998 the European Central Bank has maneuvered through a complex international and domestic economic maze, punctuated by unpredictable structural change and crisis. How has European monetary policy developed in those years and what lessons does it’s history hold for the future?

This event will feature the presentation of “Monetary Policy in Times of Crisis – A Tale of Two Decades of the European Central Bank.” The book is both a chronicle of the evolution of the ECB’s thinking and internal practices over the years and an econometric study of its struggle to anchor inflation in a two-regime world, where inflation tends to be either too high or too low.

November 4, 2021
OECD Forum Series 2021 – Working It Out: Mental Health & Employment
OECD

Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the prevalence of both depression and anxiety has increased worldwide – even doubling in some countries – with young people and those facing financial difficulties reporting higher rates than the general population.

Mental ill-health – and its rise in occurrence amongst vulnerable people – is nothing new. Since 2012, the OECD has highlighted the high economic costs of mental ill-health, and how living with a mental health condition makes it harder to stay or do well in school, to transition from school to higher education or work, to work effectively and productively, and to stay employed.

Join this OECD Forum virtual event to reflect on progress accomplished so far, the gaps that still need to be closed, and to discuss what can be done to deliver even greater, faster change in the years to come.

October 27-29, 2021
Policy Dialogue 2021 ‘Rethinking Democracy’ – Plenary Sessions
Club de Madrid

Democracy has served humankind and its necessities well: it has improved the quality of decision-making, raised citizens’ living standards and brought a more peaceful world. The system continues to thrive in many countries, but there is growing evidence that it is wilting away in others. Places where democracy never fully took root are now facing a dragged-out democratic backsliding with no clear end in sight. And with each passing year, it is a far more uncommon occurrence that authoritarian states engage in democratic transitions and join the ranks of the free.

Established democracies are also facing numerous challenges. Divisive populist discourses, technologies disrupting the public debate, polarized political landscapes and rising authoritarian governance styles, to name a few, are testing the limits of our systems. As a result, citizens are feeling disconnected, unheard, and their needs forgotten. All of it is leaving fertile ground for democratic opponents to present their autocratic, populist alternatives. With such a state of affairs, a question hangs in the air: ‘Has democracy run its course?’

Club de Madrid and its partners are set on changing the notion that democratic systems cannot deliver anymore. To thrive, democracy needs innovation. Club de Madrid’s Annual Policy Dialogue will present far-reaching proposals to adapt our leadership styles, information ecosystems and institutional settings to the realities of the 21^st Century. We need to rethink democracy and breathe new life into the system.

October 24-26, 2021
World Health Summit

The World Health Summit is one of the world’s leading strategic forums for global health. Every October, the World Health Summit draws international experts from academia, politics, the private sector, and civil society to Berlin. During the three-day summit, stakeholders and decision-makers from 100 countries and every field in healthcare work together to find solutions to global health challenges and set the agenda for a healthier future.

Please join the panel discussion “The socio-economics of pandemics policy” (October 26, 11:00 – 12:30, organized by the GSI)

The immediate policy responses to the outbreak of a pandemic are non-pharmaceutical interventions: social distancing and the lock-down of many economic and social activities. In rich economies, the interventions were flanked with large fiscal support programmes for businesses affected. While these programmes are important to buffer a short-term economic shock, they are inefficient and may even be harmful in the medium- and longer-term. A pandemic is not just a brief shock but it will affect the society and economy for an extended period of time. Therefore, this session will discuss how economic and social policies must be adapted in order to ensure a functioning economy that serves human purposes first and foremost; and in which social prosperity and health are not just derivatives of economic growth. It will show what is required to recover well from the pandemic and how economic policy can help to be better prepared for future pandemics. It will also discuss implications for emerging and less-developed countries.

The session will be chaired by Dennis J. Snower, President of the Global Solutions Initiative.

October 27, 2021
What does the future hold for cities, climate change and migration?
Oxford Martin School

55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will rise to 70% – almost 2.5 billion people. Nearly one billion of these people live in informal settlements.

Cities will also be key in responding to climate change and transformation to sustainable consumption and production. Cities consume close to 2/3 of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Almost half a billion urban residents live in coastal areas, increasing their vulnerability even more.

So, how can we design and develop cities to be resilient to the effects of climate change? How can we provide for affordable housing and infrastructure, promote sustainable economic development and work towards a zero carbon future? And to add to all this, how can we factor migration into this urban management in the era of climate change?

Climate change has rarely, until now, been the sole factor prompting migration, but it most certainly exacerbates it. Yet, there remain gaps in our knowledge and evidence of this.

October 25, 2021
Africa-Europe Dialogue on African Climate Finance Priorities for COP26
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)

Climate change represents one of the most urgent and encompassing challenges facing humanity. Transitioning to a climate-resilient world will require investments in mitigation and adaptation at significant scale. The challenge of climate change is particularly acute in Africa, where intersecting social and economic challenges contribute to heightened climate vulnerability.

October 21, 2021
The contribution of hydrogen to European decarbonisation
Bruegel

Europe will consume a volume of hydrogen until 2050 and beyond. In some scenarios, hydrogen will develop into a major energy carrier that is produced and imported in large quantities and used across different sectors. In any scenario, strict climate targets require that the production of hydrogen is not linked to the emission of greenhouse gases. In practice, this is challenging to formulate because hydrogen can be produced in very different ways, with different fuels, and in different places.

October 18-20, 2021
Policy Dialogue 2021 ‘Rethinking Democracy’ – Action Labs
Club de Madrid

Action Labs are an integral path to the process leading to actionable policy recommendations that set a course of democratic renewal worldwide. They provide a chance to contribute further input to the policy recommendations that Club de Madrid and partners will push forward after the Policy Dialogue.

The New Information Ecosystem: A question of Trust, Truth and Freedom of Speech (18 October – 16:00h)
Responsible Leadership in Democracy: Values and Accountability (19 October – 16:30h)
Resilient Democracies, Resilient Institutions (20 October – 16:00h)

October 13, 2021
„Europe vs. Big Tech“ – Wege zu Europas Souveränität im digitalen Zeitalter
Mercator Salon mit Dr. Francesca Bria

Facebook, Alibaba, Google, Tencent. Die USA und China scheinen die digitale Welt unter sich aufzuteilen. Der digitale Wettbewerb ist nicht nur ein Kampf um wirtschaftlichen Profit, sondern auch um politische Macht, gesellschaftlichen Einfluss und ethische Normen. Zwischen Big Tech aus Silicon Valley und dem Aufstieg Chinas als Digitalmacht sucht Europa nach seinem Weg hin zu mehr europäischer Souveränität. Dies ist zwingend notwendig, denn sonst wird außerhalb der europäischen Grenzen über Algorithmen, Plattformen und technische Standards entschieden – und somit auch über Fragen von Chancengleichheit, Zugängen und die Gestaltung des öffentlichen Diskurses.

Welche Risiken die Abhängigkeit von ausländischen Tech-Firmen birgt, lässt sich schon heute deutlich beobachten. Von sozialen Netzwerken bis zu Smart Cities setzen IT-Unternehmen aus China und den USA ihre eigenen Lösungen durch, anstatt bei den Bedürfnissen der Menschen und konkreten Problemen anzufangen. Welche Daten dabei genutzt werden und wie Algorithmen wirken, ist den Nutzer*innen zudem häufig unklar. Doch hier liegt auch die Chance für Europa, es anders zu machen und technische Alternativen zu schaffen, die transparenter, inklusiver und stärker am Gemeinwohl ausgerichtet sind.

Diese Vision treibt Dr. Francesca Bria an. Sie ist Expertin für Digital Ethics und Präsidentin des Italienischen Nationalen Innovationsfonds. Als Beraterin und Botschafterin bei UN-Habitat für digitale Städte und digitale Rechte beschäftigt sie sich mit Fragen der digitalen Souveränität Europas und der Beteiligung von Bürger*innen in der Digitalisierung.

Das Gespräch wird in englischer Sprache geführt und ins Deutsche übersetzt.

October 7, 2021
Women and Leadership 4.0
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia and The Asian Network who is supporting women empowerment and the UN Sustainable Goal number 5 ‘Gender Equality’ will gather 12 female Leaders from Asia sharing their expertise in Leadership, entrepreneurship, Youth and Technology for Good.

October 6, 2021
Infrastructure and Development: New Perspectives, New Solutions to Recover from the Covid-19 crisis – A hybrid panel for the launch of INTERSECTING, on the occasion of the T20 Summit
GEO – Green Economy Observatory, Bocconi University, with RIS (New Delhi, India) and the support of the Grand Paris Alliance

11.00 – 11.10 Opening
Edoardo CROCI, Coordinator of Green Economy Observatory, GREEN Bocconi University
Nicolas J.A. BUCHOUD, Co-Editor of INTERSECTING

11.10 – 11.30 Keynote addresses
Sachin CHATURVEDI, CEO, RIS- New Delhi
Dean Tetsushi SONOBE, CEO, ADBI, Tokyo

11.30 – 12.00 Panel: Sustainable responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Riatu MARIATUL QIBTHIYYAH, Director, LPEM FEB UI, Jakarta
Raja AL MARZOQI, Professor, Economic Division, Institute for Diplomatic Studies (Riyadh)
Henri de GRSSOUVRE, Director for urban foresight and think-tanks, SUEZ, Paris

12.00-12.15 Closing address
Dennis J. SNOWER, Global Solutions Initiative, Berlin

October 5, 2021
What is the link between biodiversity loss and financial instability?
Bruegel

Biodiversity is decreasing at an unprecedented rate. But what are the risks of biodiversity to financial institutions? And why has this relationship been ignored by economics until now?

At this event, speakers from Banque de France will present “A ‘Silent Spring’ for the Financial System?”, a newly published paper discussing the relationship between biodiversity loss and financial instability in France. The authors found that “42% of the market value of securities held by French financial institutions comes from issuers (non-financial corporations) that are highly or very highly dependent on at least one ecosystem service”.

September 27-28, 2021
Spinelli Forum 2021 – Our Future in a Sovereign Europe
Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

How can Germany and Italy strengthen Europe’s ability to act both internally and externally? This is what 60 young leaders from Germany and Italy will be discussing at the “Spinelli Forum” in Berlin on the 27th and 28th of September 2021. The discussion will focus on the major European policy challenges in foreign and security policy, for Europe’s economic sovereignty in international competition, for a social and prosperous Europe as well as for the “European Green Deal”. Participants from both countries from the fields of politics, administration, business, academia, and the media will develop concrete proposals over the two-day event. The event will be opened by Ettore Francesco Sequi, Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Miguel Berger, State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office.

The Spinelli Forum is organised by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) together with the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) on the initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the German Federal Foreign Office.

September 27, 2021
Leading the Developing World in Digital Financial Inclusion
Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)

Long before the Covid-19 crisis, technological innovations such as the expansion of the internet, the introduction of cell phones and smartphones, and the development of software applications prompted digitization in the financial services industry. By 2019, millions of people were receiving wages and remittances directly in their bank accounts and managing their funds digitally without having to visit a bank in person. While several parts of the world made progress, many developing countries still grapple with financial inclusion challenges. Through a year-long partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CSIS examined the prospects and challenges of digital ID and payments systems in expanding financial services to the most underserved parts of the globe.

September 23, 2021
Women in E-Commerce
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

There are many initiatives globally to encourage and empower women to become entrepreneurs. The digital revolution, whilst catalysing such initiatives, is not without its constraints. There are both hardware and heartware challenges, yet for those who have overcome them, the rewards extend beyond material wealth. Their success fuels the aspirations of the next generation.

September 21, 2021
How Private Companies in Indonesia Combat Marine Plastic Debris
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

Plastic is a material that is versatile, resistant, lightweight, and inexpensive to produce, which makes it ubiquitous in our everyday lives. However, the amount of plastic waste released in our environment and its negative effects on our marine ecosystem have attracted increasing scientific concern in recent years. East and Southeast Asian regions are recognised as the biggest contributors of marine plastic pollution due to rapid economic growth and the lack of solid waste management infrastructure. Indonesia, in particular, ranks fifth in the world among countries that have mismanaged their plastic wastes, according to a study by Dutch scientist Lourens Meijer et. al. (2021).

September 15, 2021
Accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations in Africa
Brookings

The rapid spread of the delta variant of COVID-19 has made the successful rollout and uptake of vaccinations against the disease around the world more urgent than ever. Through regional cooperation and tough national actions, among other factors, the African continent has made impressive strides toward preventing the devastating impacts of the pandemic seen elsewhere. However, recent months have seen massive upticks in case numbers as containment measures are relaxed and global travel resumes. In fact, the region has now counted over 7 million cases, and this number is rising rapidly, alongside large numbers of tragic and preventable deaths.

September 15, 2021
EU-AFRICA INITIATIVE: Development Challenges in a Post-Pandemic Africa
ISPI – Italian Institute for International Political Studies

Despite relatively low numbers of Covid-19 cases and victims in Africa – though the third wave has caused an uptick in the spread of the virus – the pandemic has had severe repercussions on the continent’s societies and economies. Extreme poverty levels rose, erasing progresses made over recent years, while negative (or stagnating) growth rates have both put pressure on African states over the sustainability of their debt obligations and undermined future prospects for development. Looking at a post-pandemic continent, African governments will need to secure financial support from international donors and partners to address development challenges: creating quality jobs, filling infrastructure gaps, stimulating intra-African trade as a way to strengthen competitiveness abroad are but a few of the policy strategies necessary to get Africa back on a development path over the next few years. What could be the role of European and other international partners in supporting those processes? How will the digital transformation impact African economies and societies? Is there room to promote a green and sustainable recovery?

September 13, 2021
The 4th East Asia Energy Forum: A Low-Carbon Energy Transition in the ASEAN Region
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

The Fourth East Asia Energy Forum, ‘A Low-Carbon Energy Transition in the ASEAN Region’, co-hosted by ERIA and Ministry of Energy, Brunei Darussalam, will be a virtual forum due to the COVID-19. It will discuss the current status and holistic low carbon energy transition towards ultimate objective of carbon neutrality in the EAS region with particular focus on the ASEAN region.

September 8, 2021
Technology and Distribution Innovations in Healthtech
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

The pandemic has put healthcare at the forefront of human existence as never seen before. Within the healthcare universe, healthcare technologies or “Healthtech” has emerged with rapid adoption of technology such as telemedicine and e-pharmacy that has catapulted the Indian and SEA healthtech sector to a path of high growth.

This second episode of online roundtable by CIIE.CO and ERIA aims to bring spotlight to distribution innovation and development of healthtech. The discussion will capture relevant knowledge and experiences from the perspective of start-up business, impact investment as well as policy lenses to leverage technology for a better healthcare ecosystem, against the backdrop of Covid-19 in the region.

September 8, 2021
T20 Roundtables – The Reform of the World Trade Organization: Key Priorities for the G20
Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and Trade and Investment Research Network (TIRN)

The webinar discusses key recommendations for the G20 in support of WTO reform. Discord among members over a variety of issues, including dispute settlement, the role of development or the launch of new trade initiatives, as well as increased trade tensions paralyzed the WTO to effectively realize its main functions in support of multilateral cooperation and sustainable development. For long it has been argued that the WTO needs to be reformed. Despite several reform proposals that have been tabled by stakeholders, the multilateral trading system remains at a critical junction.

September 7, 2021
G20 Global Financial Stability Conference 2021
Korea Development Institute (KDI)

This conference will cover three main themes: 1) The Global Financial Stability Risks and Policy Coordination in the Pandemic Era, 2) The Digital Currency and their Macro-Financial Implications, and 3) Post-Pandemic International Financial Market and System.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact not only on the real economy such as the global supply chain and consumer behavior patterns, but also on domestic and global financial economy as seen from the increasing instability of global capital flows. In addition, the uneven global economic recovery followed by potential monetary policy normalization in some countries can pose a major threat to the global economy. Furthermore, the emergence of digital currency in line with the acceleration of “Economic Digitization” poses a new challenge for all of us.

This conference will enable various scholars and professionals from home and abroad to examine in-depth policy objects together and discuss strategies to ensure global financial stability and solid economic growth, while preparing for the post-pandemic future of the international financial market and system.

September 6, 2021
The Migration Conundrum: Challenges for a Common European Response
ISPI – Italian Institute for International Political Studies

Concerning migration management, the EU seems to be stuck in a rut. Despite proposals made last September of a New Pact on Migration and Asylum, only very few steps have been taken since to materialize concrete changes. The latest increase in arrivals (and victims) along the Central Mediterranean route as well as the recent diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain were not followed by tangible results in the last European Council of 24-25 June. Outstanding differences between member states remain the main obstacle to a common EU response, and while a provisional agreement on the European asylum agency (currently EASO) has been reached, a deeper reform of the Dublin regulation appears to be politically unviable. What can EU countries and their partners do to govern migration in a spirit of collaboration and solidarity? How to strike common ground among member states for a comprehensive reform of European migration policies?

September 2, 2021
Global Design Thinking Conference 2021
The Global Design Thinking Alliance (GDTA) and the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI)

How can we make public administration more digital, human-centered and innovative?

To discuss this and related questions, this year’s Global Design Thinking Conference will become a one-day virtual Policy Innovation Lab with contributions from around the world. It will bring together experts on local and global transformation to showcase and discuss cutting-edge innovations in the public sector.

September 1-3, 2021
Brugel Annual Meetings 2021
Bruegel

This year’s Bruegel Annual Meetings will take place on 1-3 September. The event will be held in a hybrid format with a small number of people joining on site and larger audience watching online.

This event comes at a crucial time when the some parts of the world are preparing to reopen after the pandemic. The past year has raised the question of what we want the post-pandemic world to look like. How can we recover from the economic crisis while ensuring that we take this opportunity to build a inclusive and sustainable future that is prepared for future shocks.

August 31, 2021
Prosperity in the 21st Century: Securing Future-Proof Economies after Corona
The New Institute

In the pandemic, doubts have grown around the way we have been doing business and dealing with risks up to now and its sustainability in the long run. Corona is a wake-up call and catalyst for a restructuring of the global and German economic model. Even the German government said so. And the recent ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court on the lack of consideration for the interests of future generations suggests that more far-reaching decisions will soon come forth.

But what does that mean? What does a different way of doing business look like? How indispensable is the goal of constant growth? And what would be the alternative? What is the state of research and practice on measuring prosperity in ways other than gross domestic product? Which countries are already doing this? Is it possible to manage the economy in a way that allows for the regeneration of natural resources – which would be just as urgent as stopping climate change? How can concerns about social decline be managed in an unstable world? And what does all this mean for the next German government?

With Dennis Snower, President of the Global Solutions Initiative.

August 27, 2021
Blended Finance for Water and Climate: When Theory Meets Practice
OECD

Vast additional public and private funds will be required to deliver the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. Blended finance is an important financing solution to accelerate action, but it has not reached scale for water-related investments. This session will discuss lessons learned and how to overcome barriers to scale blended finance.

This session will take place during the Stockholm 2021 World Water Week.

August 26, 2021
How Water Can Drive a Green, Resilient & Inclusive Recovery
OECD

The session will present key findings of new joint analytical work by the OECD and the World Bank distilling evidence on how water can contribute to a green, resilient and inclusive recovery and examples of transformational action on the ground. Participants will be invited to share their perspective on and experience with the role of water in driving the recovery.

This session will take place during the Stockholm 2021 World Water Week.

August 25, 2021
Collaborate to establish a Global Observatory on Financing Water
OECD

This session will be an opportunity to collaborate on the establishment of a global Observatory on Financing Water Supply, Sanitation and Water Security. The Observatory would provide a unique repository of good practice, peer-to-peer learning and horizon scanning for new developments related to financing water.

This session will take place during the Stockholm 2021 World Water Week.

August 19, 2021
Policy success through anticipation: How to build a democratic culture of emergency preparedness?
Club de Madrid

While democracies are frequently put to test, having to remain adaptable to new contexts, innovations and challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic entailed a unique defiance to their resilience and capacity for renewal. The sudden global health crisis sent shock waves across every aspect of daily lives, shaking governance, society and multilateralism to the core and escalating pre-existing tensions. When discussing life in a post-COVID world, many challenges still lie ahead, from equal vaccine distribution to building a strong, resilient, green and inclusive global recovery. Above all, there is an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of different measures and approaches, and to build more robust global strategies for similar future threats.

July 30, 2021
Build Back Better World: Meeting the Global Infrastructure Challenge
Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)

Infrastructure is not only a priority for domestic rebuilding in the United States. At their summit in Cornwall in June, G7 leaders agreed to an ambitious “Build Back Better World” (B3W) initiative to help fill the $40+ trillion infrastructure need in the developing world. The B3W will focus on climate, health and health security, digital technology, and gender equity issues and will provide an alternative for infrastructure funding to the China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In this event, the CSIS Economics Program will host a discussion among former U.S. Trade Representative Amb. Charlene Barshefsky, Bechtel Corporation CEO Brendan Bechtel, CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost, and former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley to discuss the G7 initiative and the essential elements of a successful U.S. global infrastructure strategy.

May 3-June 30, 2021
UNDP, Oslo Governance Center and Southern Voice – SDG 16 Trends and Emerging Issues

UNDP through its Oslo Governance Center and Southern Voice are partnering to launch a global initiative to better assess emerging trends that facilitate or hinder the achievement of SDG 16 in the context of Covid-19 and amplify the voice of Southern actors in regional and global policy spaces related to thematic issues on peace, justice and inclusion.

The following themes wil be discussed:

Peace and security (3-17 May)
Accountability, rule of law, and human rights (18-31 May)
Civic engagement and civic space (1-14 June)
Transparent, inclusive, and responsive public service delivery (15-30 June)

June 22, 2021
Forum Climate Economics 9:
Increasing Global Climate Ambition – How to get Lower-Income Countries and Fossil-Fuel Exporters on Board?
Kiel Institute for the World Economy, ifo Institute for Economic Research

The new U.S. Administration’s return to the table has put the multilateral climate protection process of the Paris Agreement back on the international agenda, but lower-income countries and fossil-resource rich countries are often overlooked. Their emissions trajectories are rising steeply and ratcheting up their targets would be essential to reach the Paris goals. But these two groups of countries are facing particular challenges and obstacles.

In low-income countries, a fast-growing population and a high vulnerability to climate damages can in the eyes of decision makers create a trade-off between investing in the necessary energy transition and the fast creation of jobs and income. In addition, their political and financial institutions have difficulties to absorb international financial transfers and to allocate them efficiently to local zero-carbon projects.

In fossil-resource rich countries, by contrast, climate policy threatens the single most important source of income. Moreover, heavy fossil-fuel subsidies often boost domestic energy consumption and stabilize the political order of these major oil, gas, and coal exporters.

Together with the keynote speakers Laurence Tubiana and Adam Sieminski the Forum Climate Economics 9 will integrate perspectives from the global North and South to shed light on the specific needs and challenges of these countries for ratcheting up their climate goals. Addressing these questions: What can the global North contribute to overcome these challenges? Which policies can facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy in low-income countries? And how to support fossil-resource rich countries so they can keep the oil, gas and coal in the ground?

June 10-11, 2021
Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier und die Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU): Woche der Umwelt: So geht Zukunft

Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier und die Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) laden herzlich ein zur digitalen Woche der Umwelt. Unter dem Motto „So geht Zukunft!“ erwarten Sie am 10. und 11. Juni 2021 spannende Diskussionen und ein attraktives Fachprogramm zu wichtigen Zukunftsfragen. Ausstellende aus Wirtschaft und Technik, Forschung und Wissenschaft und aus der Zivilgesellschaft präsentieren online ihre innovativen Lösungen für die Zukunft.

Am 11. Juni von 14:30-15:30 Uhr findet im Rahmen dieser digitalen Woche der Umwelt eine Session der Global Solutions Initiative statt: “A circular economy to recouple social, economic and environmental prosperity – perspectives from the Global South”.

June 9, 2021
T20 Italy – High-Level Forum on Digital Transformation

As the National Coordinator and Chair of the T20 Italy, ISPI is promoting a series of 3 High-Level Forums which are intended as an international platform for debates on key global challenges and priorities for the Italian G20.

Under the claim “The Future is Now: People, Planet, Prosperity”, the Forums explore possible scenarios and viable policy options. They will engage top representatives from the political and business communities, as well as senior experts from leading think tanks and institutions worldwide.

The Forum will address the following critical issues:

Reducing digital gaps between and within countries
Enhancing E-government and digital identity
Enforcing data protection and digital security

June 8, 2021
T20 Italy – The T20 Spring Roundtables

International Finance: Still Fit for a Post-Pandemic World?

ISPI, the T20 National Coordinator and Chair, and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) are co-hosting the T20 Associated-event “International Finance: Still Fit for a Post-Pandemic World?”, in cooperation with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This Public Event is preceded by a closed-door Workshop by invitation only (see the programme), intended as an occasion to broaden participation in the Task Force (TF) “International Finance”.

As states start to rebuild their economies, it is crucial to explore whether the global financial system is still fit for the needs of the post-pandemic world economy. A ‘check-up’ is required to escape the fate of future financial crises. What kind of instruments and tools are needed to meet the expectations of developing and advanced economies alike? Which measures should be taken by the G20 and key international institutions to ensure stability and fairness of the global financial system?

June 4, 2021
T20 Italy – The T20 Spring Roundtables

Fostering Inclusive and Sustainable Global Value Chains: the Role of G20

A significant share of global production takes place in global value chains (GVCs). Participating in GVCs is widely associated with economic benefits, such as productivity and employment creation, and considered one of the driving forces of growth and development worldwide. However, the sustainability of production in GVCs is increasingly contested, and associated social and environmental costs can be hefty. As production in GVCs entails that multiple actors, both private and public, located in various countries jointly produce goods and services, the sustainable governance of GVCs is best addressed in a coordinated multilateral effort.

The webinar will offer insights into what it takes for multilateral actors, such as the G20 and others, to address and mainstream sustainability into the global production and trading systems.

June 1, 2021
T20 Italy – The T20 Spring Roundtables

Meeting the Moment: Debt Relief for Middle Income Countries

ISPI, the T20 National Coordinator and Chair, and Global Development Policy Center of the Boston University are co-hosting the T20 Associated-event “Meeting the Moment: Debt Relief for Middle Income Countries”, in cooperation with the Creco Research Institute, CSEP, The Group of 24, Centre for Finance and Development, Labour 20 and LPEM FEB UI. This Public Event is preceded by a closed-door Workshop by invitation only (see the programme), intended as an occasion to broaden participation in the Task Force (TF) “International Finance”.

Over 70 countries around the world might be at risk of external debt distress this year, including many Middle Income Countries (MICs). The world runs the risk of financial crises after the Covid-induced economic crisis, with MICs showing particularly high vulnerabilities. All the more so as most of these countries are not covered by current debt relief schemes.

What to expect from rising debt levels in MICs? How to escape the fate of financial crises originated by MICs? What can the G20 do to support these countries?

May 26, 2021
T20 Spring Roundtables: The Quest for a Carbon Circular Economy
The Institute for International Political Studies – ISPI

Limiting global warming to below 1.5°C has become an imperative of our times that can be met only by reducing the greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere. The Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) approach is an energy strategy that aims at reducing, reusing, recycling and removing carbon and it could play a critical role in advancing the hard-to-abate sectors towards carbon neutrality.

What measures should be taken to successfully implement the CCE? How to make the best use of innovative technologies to further advance cleaner energy transition? What role can be played by international fora (such as the G20) to advance the CCE strategy?

May 10, 2021
T20 Forum on Climate Change
The Institute for International Political Studies – ISPI

Climate change is increasingly perceived as the defining challenge of our time as it endangers both life and livelihood in our planet. The Covid-induced crisis is making this challenge all the more crucial as it urges us to strike the right balance between global recovery and environmental targets. From governments to private companies and international organisations, finding viable options and strategies to build a green future is key.

What is the potential impact of climate change on our economic and social systems? How can we reconcile climate protection and economic growth? How can we make our food systems more resilient to climate change? And what can we expect from multilateral efforts and in particular from the Italian G20 in 2021?

April 29, 2021
The External Dimension of the EU’s Green Deal: What Role for EU Development Cooperation?
Bruegel

The EU Green Deal’s political scope extends far beyond climate neutrality and the European Union. What geopolitical and human repercussions does it have for its partners?

April 22, 2021
T20 Associated Event “Sustainable Recovery for a Green Future”
Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY) and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

Climate change, energy transition and sustainable growth are long-standing global challenges. Today they are made even more crucial by the Covid-induced crisis which is urging to find the right balance between the much-needed global recovery and environmental targets.

April 9, 2021
OECD and T20 Associated Event – Co-Chair IAI “Providing debt relief and financing a sustainable recovery in Africa”

The webinar aims to engage experts in a debate on how the G20 can support programmes that address African governments’ liquidity and financing needs. The meeting is part of a wider effort to incorporate voices and perspectives from developing countries into the discussions on the policy agenda of Italy’s G20 Presidency.

March 30, 2021
OECD Forum Series 2021: Gender Equality and the Recovery

The pandemic has magnified the need to consider gender equality and diversity as an integral dimension of policy making. The recovery provides an opportunity to effect profound change, taking a more holistic approach to equity and equality – going beyond the traditional “gender” issues – to broader societal priorities that urgently need more inclusive approaches.

March 26, 2021
Interdependencies and Dependencies: China – Eastern Europe – European Union
German Association for East European Studies, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Mercator Institute for China Studies

China’s ascendancy to the role of global player is also being felt in Eurasia. In Central Asia, China is the strongest economic power, while it maintains links with Russia in the form of a “strategic partnership” based on trade in raw materials and industrial goods. In East-Central Europe, the Chinese are present as investors in infrastructure and production. All this offers opportunities for development, common ties and the forging of trust. China is also pursuing its own political interests, however. Beijing and Moscow are in agreement when it comes to their rejection of universal values such as human rights and the “liberal” world order. Herein lies the potential for confrontation when it comes to cooperative partnerships. Can this ambivalence be regulated, or are we on the threshold of a new international conflict between divergent systems? This conference, “Interdependencies and Dependencies: China – Eastern Europe – the European Union”, will provide some answers.

March 18, 2021
ISPI for Milano Digital Week – The City of the Future: Visions, Projects and Utopias

Since the dawn of time, the concept of “city” overlaps some of the most advanced and courageous visions of how the world should be built. Today, for the first time in the history of mankind, more than half of the world’s population resides in urban settings. And while today’s metropolises continue to produce innovations and new cultural trends, they are also at the root of pollution, global warming, and the proliferation of social inequalities. Although much of the world’s wealth originates in urban economies, a new development model is necessary to ensure the good of the people and the planet. What will the urban future look like after the Covid-19? Do we still need bold and unconventional visions? Can the major projects of “new cities” represent realistic and replicable paradigms? What conceptualization of “city” do these projects inspire? And which are the main challenges?

March 15, 2021
Think green act local: the role of the G20 in sustainable infrastructure
Bruegel

In this workshop, invited guests will discuss priorities and proposals for the Italian G20 Presidency for a green local infrastructure agenda.

March 9, 2021
A new carbon pricing paradigm for the path to net zero
Bruegel

Which role carbon pricing could and should play in the future policy mix?

March 3, 2021
The Economics of Biodiversity
Bruegel

The Economics of Biodiversity is a global review that presents a new economic framework that sets out how we should account for nature in economics and decision-making, grounded in a deep understanding of ecosystem processes and how they are affected by economic activity.

Join this conversation as Bruegel’s Guntram Wolff and Maria Demertzis chair a discussion with Sir Partha Dasgupta, author of the report, and Executive Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, responsible for the European Green Deal. They will lay out the central findings of the review and responses to questions from the audience.

February 8, 2021
Sensitive intervention points for Net Zero
Oxford Martin School

Achieving net zero emissions involves an economic transformation on a scale comparable to the Victorian era, when the foundations of the infrastructure used in the United Kingdom today were put in place. The scale of the transformation ahead implies that, if successful, our generation will justly be considered the “Victorians of the 21st century”.

In the fourth discussion in the Oxford Net Zero Series, hosted by the Oxford Martin School, Professor Cameron Hepburn, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, considers the economics of the key technologies, which are increasingly positive. The costs of renewables, batteries and electric vehicles continue to fall. Similar trends are emerging in low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia, which can decarbonise major parts of heavy industry, as well as some long-distance transportation. As further deployment and innovations cut costs, it is no longer entirely implausible that net zero emissions could be achieved at net zero cost (even ignoring significant co-benefits and large benefits from avoiding the worst climate impacts).

The talk examines 40 potential sensitive intervention points organised into the nine categories, with a particular focus on technological interventions to accelerate progress to net zero.

February 4, 2021
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Greening the EU Trade?
Bruegel

With the European Green deal, the EU has set a target of reducing the bloc’s carbon emissions by 55 per cent by 2030. In the upcoming June, the European Commission will submit a proposal for a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), in order to protect the EU against distortion of competition and against the risk of carbon leakage.

While CBAM aims to support the EU’s green objectives, it raises concerns on international trade, and some argue that this could easily slide into unfair advantage and European protectionism. How can we prevent this from happening? And how will CBAM reshape global trade?

February 3, 2021
The geopolitics of the Green Deal
Bruegel

This event will mark the launch of the eponymous paper co-written by Mark Leonard and Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations, as well as Jean Pisani Ferry, Simone Tagliapietra and Guntram Wolff of Bruegel. In the paper the authors map out the geopolitical implications of the European Green Deal and lay out a foreign policy agenda to manage the geopolitical aspects of the European Green Deal and to lead climate change efforts globally.

February 3, 2021
The Macroeconomic Impact of Covid-19 in Africa
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)

The measures introduced worldwide to slow down the spread of COVID-19 have a significant socioeconomic impact on all countries. In low- and middle-income countries this impact is compounded by the limited financial, monetary and social instruments and the associated resilience at a state and societal level. Low- and middle-income countries need to engage on 3 central issues: (1) how to improve the efficacy of various fiscal and monetary interventions in a way that reflects their specific developmental context, (2) what viable (as opposed to available) financing options exist, with specific emphasis on vulnerable groups, and (3) how to align the COVID-19 stimulus with broader technological and social system transformation to support more climate-resilient and sustainable economies.

February 1-5, 2021
International Conference on AI in Work, Innovation, Productivity and Skills
OECD

The 2021 OECD International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Work, Innovation, Productivity and Skills (AI-WIPS) brings together technical and policy experts to discuss the fast-evolving changes in AI capabilities and uptake and to assess their implications for labour markets and societies.

February 1, 2021
Zero carbon energy systems
Oxford Martin School

The combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in industrialised countries.

Systemic change in energy systems is therefore a critical component of any net-zero agenda. It is a huge global challenge, but recent developments give cause for optimism that a Green Industrial Revolution is possible.

Join Professor Nick Eyre, Lead Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy, where he will discuss with Dr Steve Smith, Project Manager, Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub, how the declining costs of renewable electricity mean they can provide cheap mitigation, as well as enabling major improvements in energy efficiency, so that the total amount of energy that will need to be decarbonised is much lower than often projected.

January 25, 2021
Value and limits of working with nature to address climate change
Oxford Martin School

The failure to stem the tide of biodiversity loss, or to address the deeply related issue of climate change, demands we quickly find more ambitious and more coherent approaches to tackling these challenges.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are one such family of approaches that has recently gained prominence in international policy and business discourse. Broadly defined as actions that involve working with nature to address societal goals, NbS are being widely hailed as a win-win for addressing biodiversity loss and climate change. However, this win-win scenario is not guaranteed.

Some NbS – particularly those involving planting trees in naturally treeless habitats – can have negative outcomes for climate change mitigation, biodiversity and local peoples’ livelihoods. There are also critical questions around the timeframes over which NbS can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises given the negative impacts of warming on the health of the biosphere.

In the second discussion in the Oxford Net Zero Series, hosted by the Oxford Martin School, Professor Nathalie Seddon, will bring together interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners to explore the value and limits of working with nature to address climate change and why NbS must both support biodiversity and be implemented with, by and for people, if they are to provide benefits over the longterm.

January 18, 2021
Net zero – why and how?
Oxford Martin School

The first discussion in the Oxford Net Zero Series, hosted by the Oxford Martin School, hones in on the fundamental motivation of the research programme: ‘Why net zero?’. Join the Oxford Net Zero Initiative’s Research Director, Professor Sam Fankhauser; Director, Professor Myles Allen; Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow, Kaya Axelsson as they discuss with the Chair, Dr Steve Smith, the meaning of the word ‘net’ in net zero, reviewing what is needed to mitigate global warming, as and before we fully phase out activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions.

The discussion will explore the framing opportunities and challenges that the term ‘net-zero’ offers for science, policy, and advocacy informing effective climate action, as well as the innovation required at scale to achieve the global goal.

December 15, 2020
FGI2020: Globalization at the Crossroads – Risk, Resilience and Recalibration in Global Trade and Value Chains
UNIDO, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) and Kiel Centre for Globalization (KCG)

The event welcomes a stellar panel who will explore how we can understand value chain risk as a result of external shocks, what options companies have for improving resilience of their global footprint, and what is needed to recalibrate international production and global sourcing.

Speakers are:
LI Yong (Director General, UNIDO)
Gabriel Felbermayr (President, IfW Kiel)
H.E. Rania Al-Mashat (Minister of International Cooperation, Egypt)
Susan Lund (Partner, McKinsey and Leader, McKinsey Global Institute)
Ricardo Hausmann (Professor, Harvard University)

December 14-16, 2020
OECD Forum 2020: A series of events to mark the 60th anniversary of the OECD

Join the OECD for the start of the celebrations of the OECD’s 60th anniversary on 14 December 2020, alongside leaders and key stakeholders. The event will look back at the OECD’s history, focusing in particular on the transformations of the last decade. This will be a key moment to reflect on current and future global economic, social and environmental challenges, and discuss the role of the OECD and international co-operation.

December 1-3, 2020
2020 Asian Development Bank Institute Annual Conference: The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Policy Implications
Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI)

The 2020 ADBI Annual Conference will examine the macroeconomic impacts of COVID-19, its effects on MSMEs and households, and the pandemic-driven acceleration of digitalization in Asia and the Pacific. It will explore how these trends will shape macroeconomic policy making and prospects for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region moving forward.

November 30 – December 1, 2020
Wittgenstein Centre Conference 2020: Demographic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, a collaboration among the Department of Demography of the University of Vienna, the World Population Program of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

This conference aims to bring together researchers from around the world working on COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences from a demographic perspective.

November 25 – December 4, 2020
Rome Med 2020 – Mediterranean Dialogues
Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

MED is the annual high-level initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, with the aim to rethink traditional approaches to the Mediterranean area complementing analyses of current challenges with new ideas and suggestions and to draft a new “positive agenda”, addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the international level.

November 27, 2020
Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and OECD

Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The recent OECD-European Commission report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area.

November 25, 2020
Launch of the OECD Centre on Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE)
OECD

Join the virtual high-level roundtable for the launch of the new WISE Centre. The OECD Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, Ministers and representatives of business and civil society who have all integrated well-being as a central part of their mandate and activities will discuss how to ensure that recovery and reconstruction strategies prioritise people’s well-being and inclusion.

November 24-26, 2020
2020 #GGSD Forum. Securing natural capital: Resilience, risk management and COVID-19
OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum

The 2020 OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Forum will address the risks posed by unmitigated biodiversity loss and natural capital depletion for the resilience of our societies, as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic is re-shaping the policy debate on these issues.

November 24, 2020
High-Level Panel on Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
UNESCO

During this High-Level Panel, you will have a chance to hear leading voices from different disciplines and segments of society, including governments, civil society, academia, private sector, and youth. Speakers from around the world will share their perspectives on the latest developments in AI and their ethical implications, focusing on the ways that a global ethical framework can contribute towards beneficial development and application of AI technologies and successful mitigation of the inherent risks.

November 19, 2020
KDI Global Forum on Development Cooperation: Innovation for Development
Korea Development Institute (KDI)

The forum aims to foster dialogue among diverse actors to share knowledge and best practices of development cooperation. The forum on “Innovation for Development” will bring together research results and practices addressing innovation for sustainable growth in developing countries.

November 16-20, 2020
OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum 2020
OECD

The Global Blockchain Policy Forum is the leading international event focused on the policy implications of this technology and its applications, led by the OECD’s Blockchain Policy Centre. Following the second edition of the Forum in 2019, which was attended by more than 1 600 people, the third edition of the Global Blockchain Policy Forum in 2020 will convene government ministers and senior policy makers, industry leaders, academics and other stakeholders.

November 17, 2020
The 3rd East Asia Energy Forum – Role of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)/Carbon Recycling in ASEAN/East Asia
The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Energy Research Institute Network (ERIN)

The forum, which will be held as a virtual conference, will feature keynote speakers from the ministerial level of ASEAN countries and Japan, as well as speakers and panellists from the specialists of ministries, companies, and international organisations from East Asia region. It will be part of the Asia Energy Business Forum (AEBF) 2020.

November 12, 2020
Reforming the ETS: what to make of revenues?
Bruegel

President von der Leyen has set a new destination for EU climate policy: a 55 per cent emissions reduction by 2030. The EU will now have to unleash a torrent of new climate and energy legislation to align its tools with the new target. The reform of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) will be a key element in the developing EU climate policy architecture. At this event, experts will discuss what this future scheme could look like and how this tool can be repurposed to meet the ambitious climate goals of the European Union.

November 11-13, 2020
Paris Peace Forum

Bouncing back to a better planet

November 9-12, 2020
Finance in Common Summit

Building Resilience for People and Planet

With Tanja Gönner (The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)) and Gabriela Ramos (UNESCO).

November 6, 2020
India and Argentina in the New World Order
CIPPEC and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)

Follow this interaction between prominent Indian and Argentine Think Tanks, discussing bilateral relations between both countries, the role they play in the post-pandemic world, and debating a topic that is of common interest to both economies: globalization, digitalization and the future of work from the perspective of the Global South.

With Global Solutions Fellow Julia Pomares, Executive Director, CIPPEC

October 20-30, 2020
Policy Dialogue ‘Multilateralism that Delivers’
World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid, in collaboration with Bertelsmann Stiftung

The 2020 Policy Dialogue ‘Multilateralism that Delivers’ provides a unique, multi-stakeholder platform that brings together a large number of WLA-CdM’s more than 100 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, from over seventy countries, sitting policymakers, representatives of international organisations, civil society and academia to identify and promote a much-needed renewal of our multilateral system, one that breathes new life into our international order and reflects new realities. Building on continued work on challenges to multilateralism, specific measures and policies will be shared with the UN75 stock-taking process, as well as with the German EU Presidency and the UN2020 campaign and other major action-oriented discussions currently taking place on this most pressing topic.

October 29, 2020
Europe-Africa: What Chance for the EU New Strategy?
The Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

The “Comprehensive Strategy with Africa” drafted by the EU aims to renew the Euro-African “political alliance” around five pillars: green transition and energy, digital transformation and employment, peace and security, and migration. This scheme will be discussed with African heads of state at along-awaited European Union-African Union summit in 2021. How does the proposed partnership innovate the current frameworks of relations between the two continents? Is the proposed EU strategy in line with African states’ own priorities? And what could be Africa’s possible responses?

October 29, 2020
Book presentation with Nobel laureate Robert Shiller
Forum New Economy and ESMT

Whether it is financial bubbles, real estate booms or Bitcoin hype – time and again, major economic trends are shaped by the power of storytelling. However, it is still largely unknown how these narratives arise, how they go viral – and what makes them so dangerous at times. Nobel laureate Robert Shiller is the first to offer a systematic framework for understanding the phenomenon of economic narratives. How do they come about? And what makes a narrative become a mass phenomenon? What can we learn from epidemics? How can we predict when a great narrative will burst? When is the next financial crash likely to come? And what can politicians do to prepare? All of this is part of his new book “Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events”.

October 28, 2020
Call for Fellowships: The Foundations of Value and Values – What is a Sustainable Value-System for the 21st Century?
The New Institute

We are excited to announce our first call for fellowships for the programme “The Foundations of Value and Values”. For this call, we identified a set of overarching questions, which offer guidance for any project proposed as part of a fellowship application: What is the source of value creation? How do values and value systems evolve – especially against the backdrop of rapidly changing environments? What is the relationship between universal, moral values and economic value? How can ethics, philosophy, and critical social theory be translated into policies? And how are we to transform a change in value and values into sustainable behavioural change at the individual and societal level, even though it may not be in the self-interest of the individual?

October 28, 2020
Value Balancing Alliance 2020 Korea

Dial in to the first Value Balancing Alliance event in Korea.

Get to know the efforts of global businesses to standardize the ESG measurement and follow discussions with financial experts on how to integrate financial and ESG performance.

October 28, 2020
G20 at the time of Covid-19. What’s at stake in 2021
The Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

Multilateral cooperation was being put to the test by growing divisions and confrontation well before the Covid-19 crisis. With the pandemic taking a heavy toll on human life, triggering a deep world recession and accelerating global trends, redoubling multilateral efforts is even more crucial today, in many fields: from global health to climate change, from SDGs to digital transformation. The G20 is the most important multilateral forum and its action needs to be given new life to provide effective responses. In particular, key questions emerge in view of the Italian Presidency of the G20 in 2021: which multilateral responses are needed in a post Covid-19 world? Is the G20 format still fit to provide effective responses? How to further strengthen its action? Which priorities and tools are key to a successful Italian Presidency?

Roundtable discussion with Global Solutions Initiative’s Fellow Colin Bradford

October 27, 2020
COVID-Robust EconomiesRegional Impacts of COVID-19, and Options for Recovery
The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming economies and societies across the Asia-Pacific and its impacts will be felt for a long period of time. Countries and organisations across the region are developing strategies, actions and new thinking to speed-up the economic recovery process and transition towards the new normal: from macroeconomic policies to regional trade, value chains and production networks, to the regional economic integration across ASEAN and regional dialogue partners.

October 27, 2020
Book Talk: “The Ages of Globalization” with Professor Jeff Sachs
Oxford Martin School

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs interviewed by Professor Ian Goldin – Professor Jeff Sachs’ new book The Ages of Globalization and this talk, explores the interactions of technology, geography, and institutions throughout human history, describing seven ages of globalisation and the nature of societal change from one age to the next.

October 22, 2020
How can the EU and Japan boost collaboration and multilateralism around the globe?
Bruegel

The pandemic has reminded us of the great paradox of our time: the necessity for cooperation in tackling collective challenges and yet, the fragility of the global system. The European Union and Japan share a common understanding of this situation and a political willingness to remedy it.

During this online conference speakers from Europe and Japan will share their perspectives on how the two partners can work together, jointly with other like-minded countries, to improve global collaboration and multilateralism in areas such as health, climate, and trade.

October 8, 2020
Active Democracy in Times of Emergency
The RSA

How can a more ‘active democracy’ break political deadlock, build civic trust and drive transformative collaboration between government, civil society and communities? One month on from Climate Assembly UK’s reported recommendations and with the US election looming, RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor is joined in conversation with OECD policy analyst Claudia Chwalisz and chief executive of Reboot Panthea Lee to explore practical strategies for long-term change.

October 6-9, 2020
OECD Forum on Green Finance and Investment: Financing a Green Recovery, and Maintaining Momentum for Green Finance and Investment
OECD Centre on Green Finance and Investment

The OECD Forum on Green Finance and Investment is the annual flagship event of the OECD Centre on Green Finance and Investment. Now in its seventh year, the Forum gathers senior policy makers and key public and private actors for action-oriented discussions on green and sustainable finance issues.

October 1, 2020
Can Business Save the World?
The RSA

The excesses of capitalism left unchecked are catching up with us, in the form of huge inequality, environmental disaster, and institutional collapse. Can business, which has until now been part of the problem, become part of the solution?

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