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Challenges of Global Governance Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Perspectives From Council of Councils Institutes

A worker wearing a protective suit disinfects a globe-shaped public garden, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Algiers, Algeria, on March 23, 2020. Ramzi Boudina/Reuters

BY

  • Tom Bernes
    Distinguished Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
  • Lars Brozus
    Deputy Head of the Americas Research Division, German Institute for International and Security Affairs
  • Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky
    Research Fellow, Institute for National Security Studies
  • Ari Heistein
    Research Fellow and Chief of Staff to the Director, Institute for National Security Studies
  • Ettore Greco
    Executive Vice President, Institute of International Affairs
  • Patrycja Sasnal
    Head of Research, Polish Institute of International Affairs
  • Igor Yurgens
    Chairman, Institute of Contemporary Development
  • Sergey Kulik
    Director for International Studies, Institute of Contemporary Development
  • Yarik Turianskyi
    Deputy Programme Head for African Governance and Diplomacy, South African Institute of International Affairs
  • Steven Gruzd
    Head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme, South African Institute of International Affairs
  • Elizabeth Sidiropoulos
    Chief Executive, South African Institute of International Affairs
  • Neuma Grobbelaar
    Director of Research, South African Institute of International Affairs
  • Selim Yenel
    President, Global Relations Forum
  • Carlos Javier Regazzoni
    Director of the Global Health and Human Security Committee, Argentine Council on Foreign Relations
  • Chen Dongxiao
    President, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies
  • Lu Chuanying
    Senior Fellow, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies
  • Kriti Kapur
    Junior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation
  • Shoba Suri
    Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation
  • Philips Vermonte
    Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
  • Yose Rizal Damuri
    Head of Economics Department, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
  • Shafiah Muhibat
    Head of International Relations Department, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
  • Mely Caballero-Anthony
    Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Overview

The novel coronavirus has infected millions, killed hundreds of thousands, and affected the well-being of billions more. The COVID-19 pandemic is a transnational threat that requires a global response, but the outbreak has laid bare divergent national approaches to managing global epidemiological interdependence and exposed broader structural weaknesses in the global governance system. Nationalist and inward-looking policies could lead to the loss of millions of lives and global economic disaster. The world needs national governments, regional organizations, and international institutions to act in the same cooperative spirit to effectively mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Challenges of Global Governance Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic paper series includes contributions from thirteen Council of Councils institutes. Eight of these papers consider the broader implications of the pandemic for international cooperation and the trajectory of the global system. The remaining five papers examine major gaps in the international management of global public health emergencies and propose reforms to increase the capacity of the multilateral system and national governments to better prevent and anticipate, detect, and respond to future pandemics.

As the papers make clear, any multilateral reform efforts will encounter strong headwinds in a climate of political polarization and geopolitical competition. Growing U.S.-China tensions and lack of global leadership have undercut pandemic response efforts within the World Health Organization, the Group of Twenty, the United Nations, and other major multilateral forums. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the obstacles to collective action are likely to be even more daunting, across a range of global challenges.

Contents

Part I: The Broader Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Global Governance

COVID-19: The Failure of G20, Tom Bernes
The Difficulty of Anticipating Global Challenges: The Lessons of COVID-19, Lars Brozus
Global Governance and COVID-19: Why International Cooperation Still Matters, Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky and Ari Heistein
G20 in the Spotlight: The Fight Against COVID-19, Ettore Greco
Mistaking Panacea for Pathogens: The Case for Existential Multilateralism, Patrycja Sasnal
COVID-19 and Rebalancing the Global Agenda, Igor Yurgens and Sergey Kulik
COVID-19 Responses Expose Gaps in Global Governance, Yarik Turianskyi, Steven Gruzd, Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, and Neuma Grobbelaar
The Effects of COVID-19 and How to Prepare for the Future, Selim Yenel

Part II: COVID-19 and Global Health Governance
How COVID-19 Could Send Latin America Back in Time, Carlos Javier Regazzoni
Toward a Resilient Global Public Health Cooperation Framework, Chen Dongxiao and Lu Chuanying
COVID-19: Public Health Is a Question of National Security, Kriti Kapur and Shoba Suri
Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation to Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A View From Indonesia, Philips Vermonte, Yose Rizal Damuri, and Shafiah Muhibat
COVID-19 and Global Governance: Waking Up to a Safe New World, Mely Caballero-Anthonyt