Mission and how we work.
A system of international cooperation fit for the 21st century, built on mutuality, sustainability and dignity.
Our theory of change.
What we bring
- Expertiseevidence, analysis and policy proposals
- Narrativestories and arguments that build support
- Strategycoalitions, timing and winning the argument
How we work
- Conveningin the platforms where the rules of cooperation are decided
- Advising and accompanyingpartners over time
Who we equip
- Governments
- Civil society
- International organisations
- Media
What changes
- Proposing and implementing reforms, at home and internationally
- Building coalitions across regions and political divides
- Making the public case for working together
Our two goals
- How the ecosystem is organisedMaking multilateralism effective
- How the ecosystem is financedRebuilding international finance
Our visionA system of international cooperation fit for the 21st century, built on mutuality, sustainability and dignity.
Built onOur five Signature Concepts: Global Public Investment · Circular Cooperation · Model Power · Public Good narrative · From development to dignity
Our vision and mission
Vision. A system of international cooperation fit for the 21st century, built on mutuality, sustainability and dignity.
Mission. To help shape the emerging ecosystem of global cooperation, and to help governments and organisations find their place in it.
Three thresholds, three principles
In our analysis, humanity has crossed three thresholds from which there is no turning back.
- Our destiny has become shared. A virus, a financial crisis or a tonne of carbon in one place changes lives everywhere. Security and prosperity now depend on cooperation. Our principle: mutuality - cooperation based on shared responsibilities and shared benefits.
- Our power has become planetary. Nuclear weapons, climate change, biotechnology and artificial intelligence can alter the conditions of life on Earth. Power on that scale brings the same scale of responsibility. Our principle: sustainability - strengthening public systems, reforming unjust rules and investing in planetary wellbeing.
- Human equality is recognised. It is now impossible to defend the idea that some people matter more than others. No system can be legitimate now that does not reflect this. Our principle: dignity - the experience of being heard and valued, at the centre of all cooperation.
The two questions we answer
Every system of cooperation rests on two questions. The answers given in the 1940s no longer fit the world of the 2020s.
- How cooperation is organised: making multilateralism effective. Reforming how the UN, the development banks and other institutions are governed; strengthening the regional bodies and coalitions through which the South increasingly acts; and making the public case for working together.
- How cooperation is financed: rebuilding international finance. The aid model has broken down, yet the challenges that need public money are growing. The world needs international public finance that is permanent, predictable and fairly governed.
How we work
We equip the people and institutions who shape international cooperation - governments, civil society, international organisations and the media - with three things:
- Expertise: evidence, analysis and policy proposals they can use, drawing on our Signature Concepts;
- Narrative: stories and arguments that build public and political support for cooperation;
- Strategy: advice on how to build coalitions, use political moments and win the argument.
We do this in two ways: by convening them in our Impact Platforms, where the rules of cooperation are being decided, and by advising and accompanying them over time. We listen, equip and connect.
Working across divides. The case for international cooperation and human rights cannot belong to one side of politics. We build bridges across parties, with governments of different political colours and with the people who may form the next ones.
Working across regions. The narratives and institutions of a new system of cooperation have to work in North and South, East and West, or they will not last. Our work across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe connects experiences that are too often considered in isolation.
Our values
Humility to learn, courage to challenge, hope to inspire others, and excellence in everything we do.
Funders and partners
Our funders and partners include Open Society Foundations, the Hewlett Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, CECG, the Global Fund for a New Economy, ODI Global, the Nkafu Policy Institute, Universidad del Rosario, the Starling Institute, Cepei, the GPI Network, Global Nation, Acápacá, the Joep Lange Institute, IDInsight, SIIData, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Norad and APC Colombia.