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.

Despite the success of the G20 in helping prevent the 2008 global financial crisis from becoming an economic depression, the group can do more in the area of effective global governance, particularly on economic and security issues, says CIGI Distinguished Fellow Paul Heinbecker in the fifth instalment in CIGI’s G20 Paper series.

Has Canada lost its place in the world? Are we destined for a future as middle power, denied a seat at the “grown-ups table?” Some would argue yes — that decades of neglect and inattention have rendered Canadian foreign policy ineffective at best and non-existent at worst. Paul Heinbecke r— career diplomat and former permanent ambassador to the UN — strongly disagrees.

Thanks to Lord Nicholas Stern of Britain, a compelling case has been made about the drastic economic consequences of failing to deal in good time with climate change. The next economic crisis might well be driven by an inadequate response to climate change. We have seen from the Great Recession that the G20 can deal successfully with global-scale problems. We need it now to focus its efforts on the quintessential global governance issue – climate change—that could doom us all if we can’t find the means to agree to change course.