Project Syndicate

At this year’s #UNGA, we partnered with Project Syndicate to host a timely conversation on reimagining the UN for a rapidly changing world and what the future of global governance could look like more broadly. Thank you to all the leaders who joined us and shared their perspectives for this important conversation. Watch the full event recording here:https://lnkd.in/edqKtVzN #PSEvents #UNGAxFord 📸Carey Wagner Photography

🌐 UNGA81 reinforced something that has become increasingly clear: the debate about the future of multilateralism is also a debate about leadership, representation, and the capacity to deliver. During High-Level Week, we witnessed a standing ovation for the outgoing UN Secretary-General following his final General Assembly address. At the same time, conversations across NY were already looking ahead: What kind of leadership does the UN need next? What reforms are politically possible? How can regional and Global South perspectives shape them? After some time to take stock and reflect, here are a few thoughts on what happened, what we are hearing, and what may come next. 🔹 What are we hearing? At Cepei Think Tank, we used the week to listen as much as to contribute. Our new Policy Update on UNGA81 examines the priorities and signals emerging from regional and geopolitical groups. What emerges is a multilateral landscape in motion, with regional actors articulating clearer expectations around representation, finance, peace and security, and institutional reform. 👉 Read the Cepei Policy Update here: https://lnkd.in/egrVvEZs 🔹 What kind of leadership does the UN need? Together with the The Aspen Institute Center for Leadership, Cepei convened “Setting the Tone: Leadership for the UN’s Next Chapter.” One point stood out: UN leadership is inherently collective. The question is not only who should lead, but whom they should lead with—and how they should lead to enable the organization to deliver. I explored these questions further in my Project Syndicate op-ed, “A Roadmap for the Next UN Secretary-General.” I argue that the next SG should begin with political clarity rather than thematic expansion: complete existing agendas and shift the emphasis from proliferation to execution. 👉 Read the op-ed here: https://lnkd.in/eh3w7JQk 🔹 Remaking the UN At an event convened by Project Syndicate and the Ford Foundation, moderated by Jo Coburn, I joined Susana Malcorra, Natalie Samarasinghe, and Shamala Kandiah Thompson to discuss the next SG`s role vis-à-vis Member States and the wider UN system. 👉 Rewatch “Remaking the UN” here: https://lnkd.in/eHpVYGU3 🔹 Leading the UN Into Its Next Era At Devex Impact House @ UNGA, I joined Dr DebapriyaDr Debapriya and Minh-Thu PhamMinh-Thu Pham , to discuss a potentially consequential leadership transition—with conflicts multiplying, the SDGs off track, and AI reshaping global governance. 👉 Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eyu2A_wi 👉 #UNGA81 offered signals of where multilateralism may be heading. The coming months will show which ideas gain political traction, which coalitions emerge, and whether reform can translate ambition into implementation.

🌍 Our Chief Economist Beata Javorcik joined a fantastic event, “Reinventing Europe🇪🇺,” produced in partnership by AXA and Project Syndicate in Paris. 🇫🇷✨ Speaking on a panel on Multinational Europe, Beata said: “Europe can reinvent itself. Eastern Europe has already shown how. Over the past 30 years, Eastern European countries have transformed what they export – and, with it, their economies.” She also highlighted that the next big opportunity is AI. How can Europe turn the AI boom into growth? “By producing and exporting AI-related equipment and applications powered by AI,” she said. Beata was in great company alongside: 🔆 Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia 🔆 Lars Sandahl Sørensen, CEO of Danish Industry 🔆 Frans Timmermans, Former Executive Vice President of the European Commission 🎤 Moderated by Jo Coburn, journalist and The Times radio presenter The event closed with a keynote speech by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, who highlighted that growth of global trade has exceeded expectations. 📈 A timely discussion on Europe’s economic transformation, competitiveness and the opportunities ahead. 🇪🇺🌐💫 📸 Photo credit: Lafontan – Seignette.

At today’s Project Syndicate conversation in Paris, I reflected on a simple question: how can Europe turn vulnerability into resilience, competitiveness and lasting prosperity? 100 billion euros. That is what Europe paid in just six months of the conflict in Iran in additional fossil-fuel costs. And the energy bill is only part of the cost of vulnerability. Dependence also affects production, inflation and the resources available for investment and public services. Climate extremes add another layer of pressure on our economies and societies. 🌱 Europe’s answer cannot be isolation. We need to diversify, reduce our dependencies and invest in resilience, while turning clean, home-grown energy into an engine of industrial and technological development. ⚡ That means accelerating electrification, investing in grids and infrastructure, and creating the right conditions for innovation and investment. Public support can help unlock strategic projects, but lasting competitiveness also depends on productivity, skills, affordable energy and functioning markets. 🧠 It also means anticipating the demands of the next wave of innovation. AI needs water and electricity, at scale and reliably. Europe’s digital ambitions therefore depend on the choices we make today on energy, infrastructure and resilience. Europe has the research base, the companies, the people and a Single Market of 450 million. Our task is to make those strengths work together, turning today’s investment into tomorrow’s industrial leadership and lasting prosperity 🇪🇺 Thank you to Project Syndicate for bringing together this timely conversation.