Conference ReportsConference Reports
Conference Report: Can Think Tanks Make a Difference?
How can think tanks increase their positive influence on governments and international organizations in the digital age? How can think tanks develop a culture that produces innovative policy ideas? These were among the questions addressed at a conference on September 20, 2011 marking the tenth anniversary of the founding of The Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Constructive Powers Initiative: Managing Regional and Global Security
The Constructive Powers Initiative (CPI) was launched on the premise that existing global governance architecture is not effective in tackling new security challenges given the changing global order. The CPI regional conflict management workshop, organized by The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, The Centre for International Governance Innovation and Middle East Technical University, was held in Istanbul, Turkey on June 2–3, 2011. The goal of the meeting was to identify common security challenges that could benefit from policy coordination, and explore the relationship between the constructive powers and the G20. In June 2011, the Constructive Powers Initiative met in Istanbul to identify security challenges that could benefit from policy coordination.
Toward a Post-2015 Development Paradigm
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and CIGI convened a meeting of development experts, representatives from international organizations and research institutes, and policy and governance experts to discuss a post-2015 development paradigm. The four-day meeting in Bellagio, Italy resulted in agreement on a proposed architecture of 12 new development goals.
How Are Key 21st Century Powers Arranging Themselves?
There is mounting pressure on the G20 to shift from crisis response to a medium-term agenda with demonstrated progress on its agenda topics. A joint conference held from June 6-8, 2011, was the third in a series of conferences organized by The Stanley Foundation, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), and The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) on the prospects for key influential nations to cooperate on summit diplomacy.
Re-energizing Canada-Asia Relations: Defining an Asian Strategy
This conference report follows a two-day workshop “Re-energizing Canada-Asia Relations: Defining an Asian Strategy” co-sponsored by CIGI and The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, the Security and Defence Forum Program, the Institute of Asian Research at UBC, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, the International Development Research Centre and the Munk School of Global Affairs. The goal of the workshop was to look at how the global re-distribution of economic and political power demands a new understanding of Asia’s global role and a new strategy for advancing Canadian interests and involvement in the region.
The New Geometry of Global Summitry
As part of its commitment to supporting the G20 process through thoughtful analysis and discussion of challenges facing the global economy, CIGI hosted the conference, The New Geometry of Global Summitry: The Future of the G20 (and the G8), from May 2 to 4, 2011. This conference report, written by Peter Heap, summarizes the key topics considered by conference participants. From May 2 to 4, CIGI hosted "The New Geometry of Global Summitry." This report summarizes key topics considered by conference participants.
At the Margins of SSR: Gender and Informal Justice
Gender and informal justice have often been overlooked in the broader security sector reform (SSR) agenda. A joint CIGI and North-South Institute conference, held in Ottawa on September 23, 2010, aimed to increase awareness of these two areas of SSR.
Toward a Post-2015 Development Paradigm (1)
This is a report of a CIGI-International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society project workshop, held in Geneva on February 14-15, 2011, to solicit ideas and suggest directions for developing a post-2015 development paradigm. The ideas contained herein will feed into ongoing research. The report is an informal document.
Challenges and Opportunities for the French Presidency: The G20 — 2011 and Beyond
As host of the sixth G20 summit later this year, France is under pressure to succeed in resolving visible issues and delivering on the existing agenda. A CIGI report considers the issues facing the French G20 presidency and the need for the G20 to define its role quickly or risk becoming irrelevant.
Africa's Climate Change Reality: The African Initiative Congress on Climate Change
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) co-hosted “The African Initiative Congress on Climate Change” in partnership with Makerere University and the Salama SHIELD Foundation. Sessions were held over four days and covered topics ranging from assessing regional needs in combating climate change to human, technical and resource mobilization.
Iraq’s New Reality: Finding its Role in the Middle East
Iraq’s foreign policy – like its domestic agenda – is still in formation, following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Since 2003, most attention has been paid to the role of various neighbours and external actors in Iraq. As its political situation stabilizes, Iraq’s role as a regional and international actor is becoming more dynamic and Iraqi leaders are beginning to pursue their goals in the international arena. This report details how Iraq is reclaiming its foreign policy and beginning to develop its positions on critical regional and international issues.
CIGI 09: Towards a Global New Deal
This report on CIGI'09: Towards a Global New Deal, CIGI's annual conference held on October 2-4, 2009, reviews the causes and consequences of the international financial crisis, and discusses measures needed to ensure a global economic recovery and to prevent another such crisis from occurring.
Iraq’s New Reality: the Politics of Governance and Federalism
Iraq is a society in transition, grappling with the universal challenges of establishing forms of governance and allocating power within the institutions of the state. As Iraqis work to develop effective systems of governance, a key debate is over the nature and appropriateness of federalism as an option for Iraq.
Climate Change and the Trading System
Two vitally important policy areas – trade and climate change - are intersecting, posing difficult questions about how to provide effective action on climate change without damage to the international trading system. On October 26-27, 2009, experts from both fields discussed the risks and possibilities for dealing with them. The participants focussed on a few key issues. The great difficulty of dealing with border carbon adjustments came in for a good deal of emphasis - but while there was a shared view that it would be best to avoid them entirely it was recognized that unfortunately they are likely to be part of the mix. On the other hand, it was felt that the prospects of accommodating “green” subsidies in the trading system are more promising, and with respect to subsidies and special fiscal arrangements a strong case was made for cutting back the very large amounts that support the production and consumption of fossil fuels.
Iraq's New Reality: Ensuring Security and Setting the National Security Agenda
Iraq’s security situation has improved since the peak of sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007. Some level of insecurity persists in parts of the country, and preventing militant attacks and outbreaks of violence continues to be a challenge for Iraqi security forces. This report, co-authored by CIGI and the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, focuses on the issues of Iraq ensuring its security and creating a national security agenda.
Iraq's New Reality: The Impact of Conflict on Minorities, Refugees and the Internally Displaced
Iraq has always been a multi-ethnic and multicultural society, home to many minority and micro-minority communities that have existed for thousands of years, even if the former regime focused on Iraq’s unity as an Arab country with Sunni Arabs and the Ba’ath Party as the dominant political actor. Since the war began in 2003, the vitality of this cultural, religious and social mosaic has been under threat.
Down and Almost Out: A Time for Reflection on the Future of the Multilateral Trading System
The third major collapse of talks in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations on July 28, 2008, in Geneva prompted more than one participant at an international roundtable of trade experts sponsored by CIGI to suggest that it was time for reflection — on the Round, on other mechanisms to manage trade negotiations, on the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO) itself, and more generally on the institutional requirements of the emerging multipolar global economy. The participants at CIGI’s annual meeting of trade experts on September 11-12, 2008, were challenged with recommending how the international institutional framework might be reshaped to meet the needs of today’s more highly integrated globalized world economy.
The Future of Security Sector Reform
"The Future of Security Sector Reform" e-conference took place on May 4-8, 2009. CIGI and Governance Village organized the event. This e-Conference report outlines some of the urgent challenges that must be addressed for the SSR model to bridge the policy-practice divide and realize its core aims.
Inter-American Cooperation at a Crossroads
This conference report discusses the changing landscape of inter-American institutions, practices and mechanisms.
The Way Forward in Afghanistan
This report draws on the extraordinarily successful Town Hall event on "The Way Forward in Afghanistan" organized by the Canadian International Council (CIC), in cooperation with The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), at CIGI headquarters on December 9, 2008.