As it marked its tenth anniversary in 2011, CIGI was really just setting out on its journey. Given CIGI’s stated vision to be “the world’s leading think tank on international governance with recognized impact on significant global problems,” and realizing the magnitude of the issues to be tackled — global economic crises, the dangers of climate change, the immense disparities in world development and threats to security including nuclear risks and armed conflict — the road toward “recognized impact” appeared to be long and challenging. Helping to transform how the entire planet’s nation-states and people interact among themselves is no small objective.

CIGI’s anniversary 10 years after its July 2001 founding was an opportunity to take stock of the organization’s history and accomplishments. This retrospective tells the story of CIGI’s founding, its evolution into a hub of academic and research excellence, and what influence on global governance CIGI has been able to achieve after only a single decade on a road whose milestones stretch through centuries.