LSE IDEAS, in its capacity as one of the top university-affiliated think-tanks in the world, took part in the Global Think Tank Summit 2019 on 11-13 December at the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) in Rio de Janeiro. The event was organized by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania and was attended by senior think tank officials, policy-makers and academics from every corner of the world. LSE IDEAS was represented by Dr Alvaro Mendez who is the Co-director of the LSE Global South Unit and a Senior Research Fellow in International Relations.
Panel: Multilateralism in a Multipolar World
Considering the many tumultuous events of 2019, the main theme was fittingly titled “Managing Global Turbulence and Transitions: The Role of Think Tanks”. Dr Mendez spoke on the panel on “Multilateralism in a Multipolar World” making the argument that conflict and chaos persist because we have not achieved sustainable economic development around the world. He highlighted the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the key role of multilateral efforts to achieve these Goals by 2030. With a colossal funding gap of US$2.5 trillion per year in the developing world alone, the shortcoming can only be bridged if we maintain the current multilateral system that has allowed cooperation since the 1940s. He highlighted the positive impact of the new development assistance and the Chinese multilateral development banks committed to it, like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), which support the SDGs in the global South (particularly Latin America). The Associate Director of the Atlantic Council, Roberta Braga, chaired the panel, and the distinguished co-panelists also included Brian Hanson, Vugar Bayramov, Carlos Carnero and Pablo Genta.
Representatives from Think Tanks from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
Representatives from European Think Tanks