
Council of Councils
About the Project
The Council of Councils is a CFR initiative connecting leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a common conversation on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation. The Council of Councils draws on the best thinking from around the world to find common ground on shared threats, build support for innovative ideas, and introduce remedies into the public debate and policymaking processes of member countries.
The membership of the Council of Councils includes leading institutions from twenty-four countries, roughly tracking the composition of the Group of Twenty (G20). The network facilitates candid, not-for-attribution dialogue and consensus building among influential opinion leaders from established and emerging nations. A list of member organizations is available on the Council of Councils roster page.
In addition to an annual conference, the Council of Councils provides an ongoing exchange for research and policy collaboration among its members, including during regional conferences hosted by members. The group also considers long-term structural reforms that would enhance the global governance capacity of leading international institutions.
To explore more about this initiative, you can visit the Council of Councils website.
The Council of Councils initiative is made possible by the generous support of the René Kern Family Foundation and Robina Foundation.
Events
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Sessions were held on the future of international cooperation, managing geopolitics and emerging health threats in the post-COVID-19 era, supply chain resilience and regional economic initiatives, preventing conflict in the Indo-Pacific, pursuing a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine, and the future of energy, climate, and geopolitics.
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Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament
Differences between nuclear and nonnuclear weapons states could seriously weaken the nuclear regime. Recasting disarmament as a common endeavor that addresses each country’s legitimate interests and priorities would improve its prospects. -
Outer space is growing more crowded and contested. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan recommends regulating activities that disrupt, deny, or destroy space systems to ensure outer space is available to all.
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African UN member states should act as unifiers and conveners rather than dividers. More coordination could help them overcome the structural challenges they face at the United Nations.
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Sessions were held on the future of the European Union, a global governance of migration, the weaponization of economic interdependence, the French nuclear deterrence strategy, European strategic autonomy, the challenges of meeting the Paris Agreement goals, and the future of think tanks.
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Refugee health needs in non-camp, urban settings have increasingly shifted to noncommunicable diseases. Providing preventive care and specialist treatment requires a massive influx of resources, but it is well worth the investment.
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Mitigating potential communicable disease in refugee populations is a subset of efforts for human rights, equality, and dignity. A basic multilateral framework could improve health care in these situations and provide an example for future challenges.
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Emission reductions alone are unlikely to prevent severe climate change effects. Geoengineering proposals are a way forward, but they need legitimate and effective governance.
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Climate change poses an immense challenge to the biosphere and global economy. To make international trade more environmentally friendly, the world needs to use rules that have been around for decades, create new rules, and find new space for climate change policy.
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As national governments, international institutions, and nonstate actors explore different approaches to Arctic governance, a cohesive approach is necessary to address the environmental, economic, sociocultural, and geopolitical challenges this region faces.
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Sessions were held on denuclearizing North Korea, addressing global health among the world's aging population, managing energy and the environment in Asia, and the intersection of technology and nationalism.
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A global policy framework and consolidated institutional architecture can help states facilitate regular migration, cope with illegal crossings, and humanely respond to forced migration.
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Participants discussed how Donald J. Trump’s repudiation of multilateral cooperation undercuts the world’s ability to alleviate transnational challenges, even if other countries step up to fill the void left by the United States.
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International trade institutions should be reformed with a focus on increasing public support for the rules-orientated system.
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Sessions were held on how to revitalize the Bretton Woods institutions, strengthen liberal democracy, combat transnational organized crime and corruption, and mitigate the humanitarian and political crises in Venezuela.
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A new Report Card on International Cooperation from the Council of Councils finds that multilateral action on most of the critical transnational threats has shown progress, but is still inadequate in addressing terrorism and other violent conflicts.
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The Council on Foreign Relations has launched an international initiative to connect leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a common conversation on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation.