Is the Copenhagen Accord Really “Nopenhagen”?
Dubbed "Nopenhagen," the Copenhagen Accord reached at the eleventh hour has been criticized by many as not going far enough. But CIGI Distinguished Fellow Johan Whalley sees it as an historic and landmark document in the emerging economic architecture of the twenty-first century.
Moving the G20 Forward: From Private Wrongs to Public Goods
Following on its response to the global economic crisis, the G20 must now tackle other pressing global issues, including climate change, food security and global health. Andrew F. Cooper, CIGI distinguished fellow, and Andrew Schrumm, a CIGI research officer, discuss how the G20 must move beyond being a crisis committee to be a forward-looking organization and one that supports public goods.
The World Summit on Food Security and the People's Forum: Same Problem, Different Takes
Even though more than 1 billion people worldwide are undernourished, little progress was made at The World Summit on Food Security to reduce world hunger. A parallel civil society summit called the the People's Forum met at the same time to discuss food security. Jennifer Clapp, CIGI Chair in Global Environmental Governance, remarks on the striking differences between the two gatherings.
Propelling the G20 from Concept to Reality
As a global economic crisis committee, the G20 leaders’ summit has not only become a catalyst for innovative solutions, it has become the hub of an emerging framework of global governance. While attention and interest in the G20 process continues to grow internationally, with a third installment planned for Pittsburgh in September, it was not always clear that such a summit would ever be possible.
Cat's Out of the Bag: China's Currency Challenge
Senior Fellow Gregory Chin discusses the issue of a global currency, the challenges China faces given its vast holdings of US currency and the plausibility of the Chinese RMB becoming a major settlement currency.
The G8's Global Food Security Initiative
The G8 Leaders announced a US$20 billion pledge to boost world food security at their recent summit in L’Aquila. The pledge, greater by US$5 billion than originally anticipated, is a welcome one given that world hunger is on the rise. Indeed, the FAO recently announced that the number of undernourished people on this planet has now surpassed 1 billion. Never before have so many people gone hungry.
Is the G8's Variable Geometry Sustainable?
The days of the traditional G8 Summit are numbered. No longer can these eight powers convene effectively without the strong participation of the major economies of the global South. Pressured by a massive shift in global economic power, and matched by growing fatigue in the G8, a proliferation of different formats have stretched legitimacy across the process. The stage is now set for the next "G" episode, to be played out this week at the G8 L'Aquila Summit in Italy.
G8 Italy: Wrestling Control Back from the G20?
The Italian G8 Presidency looks like it will get a passing grade for the upcoming G8 L’Aquila Summit, for its ability to use the buzzwords of global governance. The Italian G8 Office outlined its goal for the upcoming Summit: to devise a system of global governance that is “open, innovative, fair and sustainable," that is “open” for trade and investment flows; "innovative" in using new and existing ideas; “fair” in being inclusive and giving attention to emerging and vulnerable countries; and “sustainable” in responding to climate change and promoting environmental protection.
Obama the Big Winner from the G20 Summit
World leaders gathered for the G20 Summit in London on April 2 to continue discussions about how to fix the fledgling global economy. CIGI's experts, in partnership with Chatham House, were on-site providing expert commentary to media and via its blog. CIGI Distinguished Fellow Andrew F. Cooper commented on US President Barack Obama's presence at the G20 Summit.
