FOGGS is shutting down: Shared by Gautam Banerji

FOGGS is shutting down. Sad indeed!
Gautam

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Facebook X LinkedIn Bluesky YouTube FOGGS Update: October 2025 Rethinking Global Governance, FOGGS Open Consultation Mondays, Democrat Project Conference, From Our Partners, Katoikos articles & more... This is the last regular FOGGS Update 31 October 2025 Message from the FOGGS President, Vice-President and Executive Director Following a recent decision by the FOGGS Executive Board, the Foundation has started to wind down its activities with a view to shutting down completely in the coming months. This was a difficult call to make but the view prevailed among Board members that it is better to end on a high note of activity and service, rather than struggle to survive with dwindling resources. The coming months will be dedicated to completing a couple of ongoing projects, to which FOGGS has already committed, and to ensuring that key elements of FOGGS' legacy are preserved. To that end, a dedicated "FOGGS Legacy Platform" is being prepared and will be accessible online in early 2026. Although it saddens us to be sharing such news, we would like you to be among the first to hear it, as you have been our supporters, partners and friends for many years now, perhaps since the establishment of the Foundation in 2013. We are proud of what we have achieved together during these 12 years, including research and policy recommendation projects (e.g. UN reform and the Global Resilience Council proposal, the COVID Education Alliance (COVIDEA), the DEMOCRAT Project (Horizon Europe), Militaries for Civilian Emergencies (M4CE)), numerous events and publications (including the online magazine Katoikos.world and the Global Citizen podcast), and worldwide networks of pro-active thinkers (notably the Global South Perspectives Network (GSPN) and the Peace Reflection Group of former UN system staff (PRG) that FOGGS helped create and supported from their start). Some of the above will continue to exist and hopefully thrive even after the dissolution of FOGGS, on their own or placed under a different institutional framework; announcements to be made in due course. We believe that in the 12+ years of FOGGS’ existence we have managed to advance, or keep alive at least, the quest for a new Narrative of Hope for human-centered, principled and inclusive globalization despite the geopolitical and geo-economic turbulence of our times. We will continue to do so and invite you to do the same, individually and in groups, inspired by the legacy and acting in the spirit of our beloved FOGGS. With heartfelt thanks and warmest regards,  Richard Kinley     Yoriko Yasukawa        Georgios Kostakos FOGGS President    FOGGS Vice-President    FOGGS Executive Director

Call in Support of the UN Charter shared with UN member states On UN Day, 24 October 2025, which marked the UN’s 80th anniversary, the Call in Support of the UN Charter at 80, initiated by the Peace Reflection Group of former UN System staff (PRG), was sent to all the Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva of all UN Member States. This was done in order to amplify the urgency for renewed commitment to the UN Charter's founding principles of peace, justice, and multilateral cooperation for the common good. You can read the Call and still sign in support here, if you have not done so already: https://www.foggs.org/prg/call-un-charter-at-80/ Rethinking Global Governance, from a Global South Perspective In this Katoikos.world piece, the author, Daryl Swanepoel of the Inclusive Society Institute (ISI) of South Africa, argues that China’s Global Governance Initiative is not an act of defiance but a mirror held up to a stagnant world order — one still trapped in the hierarchies of 1945. Beijing’s push is less about rewriting global rules and more about exposing the West’s reluctance to share power or reform institutions it controls. It calls for a new balance in global governance — one that recognizes the legitimacy, aspirations, and agency of the Global South — and warns that if the current system remains paralyzed, others will inevitably build alternatives. FOGGS Open Consultation Mondays While the UN remains central to multilateralism, its structure and processes have failed to adapt to the realities of today’s world. The upcoming Open Consultation will explore whether the UN can still serve the Global South’s aspirations, what equitable multilateralism might look like, and which reforms could finally make the system representative, just, and future-ready. Join the conversation, moderated by Dr. Klaus Kotzé and add your voice, impressions and proposals on the way forward. See recordings of previous consultations here.  Project Democrat upcoming conference From Our Partners and Associates Recent Articles, Podcasts & Art Europe’s moral moment: A diplomatic call for justice and peace in Palestine Georgios Kostakos and Daryl Swanepoel, 21 October 2025 414 former European diplomats and ministers have urged the EU to turn the fragile Israel–Palestine ceasefire into lasting peace rooted in justice and international law. They call for unrestricted humanitarian aid to Gaza, accountability for all war crimes, and a renewed European role guided by courage, not complacency.... Read this article here. Europe’s EV Tariffs Protect the Past and Not the Planet Bennet Oetken, 16 October 2025 As Brussels slaps heavy tariffs on Chinese electric cars, it risks turning the green transition into a trade war. Will Europe choose protectionism—or pioneer a new “Green Trade Truce”?... Read this article here. The UN Charter must be at the heart and soul of any new peace architecture Michael Von Der Schulenburg, 16 October 2025 Eighty-five years after World War II began, the UN Charter’s dream of peace through law still struggles against the shadow of nuclear deterrence and great-power rivalry. As the world shifts toward multipolarity, the author argues it’s time to rebuild a global order rooted in the Charter’s principles—not domination, but dialogue.... Read this article here. Hail the Peacemaker! And then what? Georgios Kostakos, 15 October 2025 Trump’s whirlwind tour of Israel and Egypt played like global theatre—praise for Netanyahu, boasts of peace, and a “Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration” signed without Israelis or Palestinians present. Behind the spectacle lies a bigger question: is Trump shaping peace—or simply auditioning for Emperor of the Earth?.... Read this article here. Reaching Consensus Is the Foundation of Promoting Women’s Rights Jiang Tao, 7 October 2025 Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration, gender equality remains both an unfinished revolution and humanity’s most practical path forward. Despite real gains — from education to legal rights — structural bias, unpaid labor, and economic exclusion still hold women back. Equality is not ideology but efficiency: it fuels growth, peace, and freedom for all. The task now is not just to measure progress, but to renew the consensus that made it possible — to defend every inch won, and to see gender justice not as a women’s cause, but as civilization’s conscience..... Read this article here. Art by Bob Haverluck 7 October 2025 Resilience in troubled times Trouble(d) Times – but not losing heart Contribute your own article to Katoikos! We invite anyone who is interested in being a part of the Katoikos community to submit articles or artistic content for publication. We are looking to provide a platform for people to raise their voice and participate in an ever-evolving discussion on how to improve the world we share.  Click here for further details. We want to hear from you, dear FOGGS Update Readers We have been communicating for years, thank you for your enduring support. Time for us to listen to you too, what your profiles and interests are, and what you expect from these Updates. Please fill out this electronic form. We are very grateful to all our supporters and well-wishers for your continued encouragement and support. Funding for big-picture causes like ours is in short supply. Please consider donating to FOGGS via direct deposit to the FOGGS account. The FOGGS Team