High Noon: The Urgent Need for New Global Problemsolving Approaches

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High Noon The Urgent Need for New
GlobalProblem-solving Approaches

• 2003

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The Urgent Need for New Approaches toGlobal
Problem-Solving

• Key Messages
• Two big forces of change are running ahead of our
  ability to respond to them
• In that context, there are about 20 urgent global
  issues
• 3. The current global problem-solving setup has
  not been up to the task
• 4. There are several families of ideas on
  alternative global problem-solving approaches
• 5. Time has come for starting an international
  discussion on the methodology of global
  problem-solving
• 6. The events of September 11 have made all this
  even more urgent

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A Beleaguered Planet
Population increase
New economy

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A Dangerous Gap . . .
Population Increase
New Economy
Human Institutions
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Inherently Global Issues
A few examples...
Greenhouse gas emissions
Information age taxation
Deforestation
Biodiversity loss
Financial stability
Fisheries depletion
Poverty
Water shortages
mostly failures
Exception that proves the rule The Montreal
Protocol
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20 years, 20 issues

• Sharing our Planet Issues involving the global
  commons
• Global warming
• Biodiversity and ecosystem losses
• Fisheries depletion
• Deforestation
• Water deficits
• Maritime safety and pollution
• Sharing our humanity Issues whose size and
  urgency requires a global commitment
• Massive step-up in the fight against poverty
• Peace-keeping, conflict prevention, combating
  terrorism
• Education for all
• Global infectious diseases
• Digital divide
• Natural disaster prevention and mitigation
• Sharing our rulebook Issues needing a global
  regulatory approach
• Reinventing taxation for the 21st century
• Biotechnology rules

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The current international set up for solving
Inherently Global Issues (IGIs) is essentially
not up to the task . . .

• Treaties and conventions
• Too slow for burning IGIs
• Intergovernmental conferences
• Too short on follow-up mechanisms
• G7/8, G-X type mechanisms
• Four limitations
• 1. Methodology
• 2. Exclusiveness
• 3. Knowledge limitations
• 4. Distance to the people
• Global multilateral institutions
• Not able to handle IGIs alone

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Two major tracks...
World Government
Covering all issues
Current Setup
Alternative Approaches
One global issue at a time
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A world government ?
In the next 20 years, there is not a chance that
we will see a world government concept emerging
as a solution.
not functioning at world level
A case study...
EU
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Alternative approaches three families of ideas
Main features
Main ideas originating in

• Inter-governmental
• Not permanent

G20-type Groupings

• Recent G7 experiments

• World Bank and other experiments forestry, dams

• Tripartite public sector, business, civil
  society
• Permanent

Global Issues Networks (GINs)

• New diplomacy
• New sources of funds

New Diplomacy and Expanded aid concepts

• Recent development in the field of aid (global
  public goods UNDP ideas)

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Global Issues Networks (GINs)

• Permanent Networks for various global issues
• - launched by a multilateral as facilitator
• - tripartite (public, private, civil society)
• Three phases
• - Startup
• - Norm Production
• - Rating, naming-and-shaming
• GINs dont legislate, but put pressure on
  countries to enact conforming legislation
  (reputation effects)
• Partial examples Dams, Forestry

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Global Issues Networks (GINs)
Phase 1 - The constitutional phase
1 year

• Parties in each GIN
• Government
• International civil society organizations
• Business
• Facilitators/conveners
• One global multilateral (as lead facilitator)
• One from civil society
• One from the business world

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Global Issues Networks (GINs)
Phase 2 - The norm-producing phase
1 year
2-3 years
1 year

• Modus operandi
• Discipline and substance, no posturing
• Deliberative polling through Electronic Town
  Meetings (ETM)
• Rough consensus 
• Structured work on a specific IGI
• What is the problem?
• How much time do we have?
• Where do we want to be 20 years from now?
• How do we get there?
• What are the options?
• What should the norms be?

Detailed norm packages
Other recommendations
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Global Issues Networks (GINs)
Phase 3 - The implementation phase
1 year
1 year
2-3 years
? 10 years?
2-3 years

• New tasks
• Rating countries and players against norms,
  creating reputation effects
• Observatory and knowledge exchange roles

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Global Issues Networks (GINs)
GIN
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ETM Electronic Town Meeting
IEP Independent Expert Panel
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1 year
? 10 years?
2-3 years
Membership
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102
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Vertical and Horizontal A new interplay
Global Issue Network 1

• Vertical legitimacy
• All issues

Global Issue Network 2
Global Issue Network 20

• Horizontal cross border legitimacy
• Issue-by-issue

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G20-type Mechanisms

• Example G20, FATF, Financial Stability Forum
• Create one G20 group for each global issue
• Membership would depend on the issue
• G20s work would feed into
• G7/8
• Treaties and conventions
• National legislation

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Expanded Concepts of Aid and Diplomacy

• National issues experts also become diplomats
• National sector ministries with 2 budgets
• - Domestic budget
• - Global action budget
• ODA (C) and ODA (G)
• Global Participation Fund to help poor countries
• - Participate
• - Implement

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A possible outcome
Current International Setup
G20s

• Treaties
• Intergovernmental conferences
• G7/8 type groups
• Global Multilaterals

GINs
New Diplomacy and Expanded Aid Concepts
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The point is...

• There is an urgent need for leadership in getting
  these methodological questions discussed.
• A new Bretton Woods conference?
• Special heads-of-state brainstorming?
• Other venues?

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Basic Books New York, 2002