The United States and the Future of Global Governance roundtable series will focus on core global governance challenges and proposals for fundamental institutional reform. Topics will include overhaul of the UN Security Council; the reform and expansion of the G8; prospects for a global counterterrorism organization; the adaptation of U.S. sovereignty to a global age; the trade-offs between formal institutions and ad hoc coalitions; and the domestic and legislative preconditions for sustained U.S. multilateral engagement. This roundtable series is sponsored by CFR's Program on International Institutions and Global Governance and is supported by a generous grant from the Robina Foundation.

The U.S.-UN roundtable meeting series seeks to organize high-level discussions with senior United Nations officials, including officials from member states and regional organizations, on timely issues related to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and international security. A core group of selected invitees from member state governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental communities participate in these discussions. The goal of these meetings is to raise awareness of the role of the United Nations in addressing critical issues of peace and security. This meeting series is cosponsored by CFR's Center for Preventive Action and the Program on International Institutions and Global Governance.

The United States has a fundamental stake in a more effective UN system--that is, improving the UN's many specialized agencies, departments, and programs. In the Making Multilateralism Work workshop series, the International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) program will engage U.S. and UN officials on practical steps to improve the UN system's performance in priority areas, including international peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and human rights. Each workshop will culminate in a meeting report and a briefing memo with recommendations for the U.S. government.

Increasingly, regional and subregional organizations and initiatives complement--and compete with--global institutions in addressing shared threats and overcoming collective action problems. Yet the depth and performance of these institutions and arrangements varies hugely across regions and issue areas. Few have analyzed the risks and opportunities of these trends -- and how the United States can and should respond to them. To fill this gap, the IIGG program is organizing meetings on Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Some of these events will occur in the United States, others in the respective regions.

Prospects for effective multilateral cooperation on global and transnational problems in the twenty-first century reflect the distinct national interests and world order visions of the great powers. But the identity and number of the world's leading states is changing, creating new challenges and opportunities for global governance. The world order that ultimately results from this transition period will reflect bargaining and negotiations between established powers—including the United States, European Union, and Japan—and emerging ones—most notably China, India, and Brazil. To better understand the priorities of today's emerging powers, and their potential contribution to resolving global challenges, the International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) program of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) held meetings in Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, New Delhi and Berlin.