The invasion of Ukraine last week is not only a humanitarian disaster and a clear breach of international law, but also raises critical questions about the multilateral and rule-based world order. Many international institutions including the G7 as well as civil society movements have reacted swiftly, condemning the violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine. The Global Solutions Initiative calls for an immediate stop to military aggression and urges the international community to help those who are suffering due to the war.
This incident affects the international order and multilateralism at a time when global challenges like climate change and inequality most urgently require international cooperation. Therefore, multilateral formats continue to have a critical role to play in addressing these challenges at the global level. The Global Solutions Initiative’s central narrative which focuses on recoupling economic and social prosperity to enable all human beings to thrive clearly and necessarily excludes aggression, war, and the violation of human rights. At the same time, the broader challenges being tackled by G20 and the G7 remain ever critical. Given the devastating impacts of war on human and environmental wellbeing, there is as much need as ever for the continuation of all multilateral formats and perhaps an even greater need for cooperation and close exchange.
The Global Solutions Summit, which will be taking place on March 28th and 29th in a hybrid format in Berlin, calls on all participants, speakers and members of G20/7-related working groups to include the current geopolitical developments in their contributions, policy briefs, and discussions. We are prepared to open our program for special multilateral questions and panels, and to include discussions on the future of G20 and the G7. All sessions will take into consideration the implications of the current situation for ongoing global challenges.
We understand our Summit as an opportunity to keep international forums and global networks alive, even under the most difficult circumstances.
Dennis Snower
President, Global Solutions Initiative
Markus Engels
Scretary General, Global Solutions Initiative