FOGGS Update: January 2025

 Newsletter shared by Fouad Kronfol

Recording of FOGGS Open Consultation Monday #4

Hosted by FOGGS President Richard Kinley, the fourth in the series of FOGGS Open Consultation Mondays focused on the topic "How multilateralism can more effectively enable action on climate change". Participants discussed the challenges of climate multilateralism and the need for stronger partnerships between governments, businesses, academia and civil society to advance implementation of existing agreements and commitments made by various actors. The meeting recording is available on the FOGGS YouTube channel, while the transcript and summary will soon be posted on the FOGGS Website.

Decolonising the UN | FOGGS Open Consultation Monday #5

The United Nations was established by the victors of World War II and was significantly influenced by a Western approach to goals, means and indicators. This has come to haunt the UN in its claims and efforts to represent the whole of humanity, in all its diversity and richness. Building on discussions on "decolonisation" that have been ongoing for decades, we will try to respond, with the help of invited experts, to questions like: How would a decolonised UN look in its political, peacekeeping and peacebuilding structures and operations? How can a new deal be reached for collective global governance that respects all civilisations and actors?  Register here to take part 👉 bit.ly/foggs-open-consultation-mondays-5

"Security Council Reform: When and How It Can Be Done" Article on PassBlue

A trio of ex-UN officials take on the perennial question of UN Security Council reform and suggest a two-step approach, focusing on five “key issues”: the size of an expanded body, membership categories, regional representation, veto-related questions and the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly. Authored by Sukehiro Hasegawa, Kerstin Leitner and FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos, this opinion essay puts forward a practical proposal that if implemented could revive the legitimacy of the UNSC and make it effective in the way it was intended when the UN Charter was adopted.

Democracy Talks

The next Democracy Talk will take place on Wednesday, 29 January 2025 at 15:00 CET, with Wieger Bakker of Utrecht University as guest speaker. See more details and add the event to your calendar here. Democracy Talks is an initiative of the Democrat Project, of which FOGGS is a partner. The recordings of past Talks can be found here.

Ιn Silico Medicine for our digital era | Event at sparta.komvos

At an event organized by the FOGGS-associated sparta.komvos on 21 December 2024 in Sparta, Greece, Dr. Georgios S. Stamatakos, Research Professor at the National Technical University of Athens, presented "In Silico Medicine", a scientific, technological, and gradually clinical discipline that aims to support disease prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and patient-specific optimization of eventual clinical interventions or mimic clinical studies through the conduct of in silico experiments, i.e., experiments on a computer. The presentation by Dr. Stamatakos, who is internationally recognized as the "father of in silico medicine", included a summary of key milestones, showing how this discipline has progressed over the past two decades and offering possible clues of what might come next. You can watch the event recording here.

EVENTS WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF FOGGS BOARD MEMBERS OR PARTNERS

Join this critical discussion on how emerging corporate elites—driven by advancements in digital technology, health and energy sectors— are influencing global governance and multilateral frameworks in an era of geopolitical instability. These actors often prioritize profit over sustainability, exacerbating inequality and deepening environmental crises. With FOGGS Executive Board member Harris Gleckman. Click here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vk61FJijQqGPcaz2Kiz3fg

FOGGS Advisory Board member and former Chief of Policy Planning at the UN Department of Political Affairs Tapio Kanninen will participate in this hybrid event by the University of Helsinki with a presentation on "The importance and role of the United Nations in peacekeeping, military observation missions, and peacebuilding". For more information about the event, and to register, click here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-social-sciences/news/how-end-war-ukraine-discussion-concept-proposals-think-corner

Click here to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84173463116

Recent Articles & Podcasts

The Green Patriarch Dimitrios Th. Vachaviolos, 11 January 2025

For the past forty years or so, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has been undertaking important initiatives aimed at raising awareness on environmental protection issues. This is due, to a large extent, to Patriarch Bartholomew, who, immediately after his election to the throne of the Great Church of Christ (October 22, 1991), got actively involved in raising awareness among governments and citizens of the need to preserve the natural environment. It is not by chance that he is often referred to as “the Green Patriarch” by the international media.... Read the full article here.

Jimmy Carter: A Legacy of Leadership and Humanity Jordan Ryan, 5 January 2025

The passing of U.S. President Jimmy Carter marks a moment to reflect on the life of a remarkable individual and the style of leadership he embodied—one defined not by the pursuit of power or profit, but by an unwavering commitment to human dignity, peace, and justice... Read the full article here.

"Global Citizen: Change Makers" | Two part podcast with Fernando Carrera, former Foreign Minister of Guatemala

What makes you agree to work for a right wing, ex-military President when you have spent much of your life working to defend and promote human rights? What is it like to work with that President to change the longstanding international strategy of waging a War on Drugs? How do you face down the Prime Minister of Israel who is unhappy about your country recognising the State of Palestine? And what drives you to call on your own President to step down?

These were some of the questions Jason and Yoriko asked Fernando Carrera, former Foreign Minister of Guatemala, in this second episode of CHANGE MAKERS. The answers were always fascinating and often surprising, with some valuable lessons about how politics – particularly geopolitics – works in real life. In fact, the conversation was so engrossing that we decided to extend it over two episodes! Tune in to these Change Makers episodes on Katoikos.world, Spotify, Apple Podcast, or any app that you listen podcasts on.