Multilateralism has been under more pressure than ever, while at the same time, threats that demand internationally coordinated action are increasing. How can we bolster resilience against the interconnected threats of climate, economic, and conflict shocks, health emergencies, and pandemics that affect lives and livelihoods, and often cross borders?
On the sidelines of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA80), PAN together with the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, The Elders, the Africa-Europe Foundation, and Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA) convened featured senior figures from government, private sector, multilateral organisations, philanthropy, academia, and civil society for a high-level event, Tackling Future Threats in an Era of Multipolarity: Collaborative Leadership for Security, Health Emergencies, Climate, and Finance, to focus on what’s needed to rebuild and refocus multilateralism and galvanise leadership, action, and investment to bolster resilience against the interconnected, pressing threats of our time.
The event opened with a moderated conversation with members of The Elders, who underscored the critical need for sustained, longview leadership that understands the connectivity between the pressing existential threats — conflict, pandemics, climate change, pandemics, and nuclear threats — to drive collective action for the resilient systems of today and the future. H.E. Mary Robinson raised the bar for leadership, saying, “We don’t want to maintain ambition, we want to raise the level of ambition.”
The conversation continued in a second panel, moderated by RANA Executive Director, Aggrey Aluso, who asked, “We have the tools, how can we work differently to address current challenges and be better prepared for future challenges?” Leaders from global health, finance, climate, and finance demonstrated the specific ways in which longview thinking is being translated in partnerships, health systems, philanthropy, climate action, financing, pandemic preparedness, and more in a time of converging crises and active dismantling. The speakers added to the sense of hope amidst the difficult context, which was driven home by Brazil’s Secretary Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão quoting Pink Floyd, “Hey, you, don’t tell me there’s no hope at all. Together we stand, divided we fall.”
PAN’s Executive Director and Co-Founder Eloise Todd concluded the convening with a call for networked advocacy, to work together across the siloes, to ensure resilience to the challenges of today and the future. “Let’s increase ambition, let’s double down, let’s stand united — our times demand nothing less!”
Thank you to our speakers for your insights and leadership. We were joined by:
- H.E. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO, Member of The Elders
- The Right Honourable Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Co-Chair of The Independent Panel, Member of The Elders
- H.E. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Member of The Elders, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- H.E. Mary Robinson, Former President of the Republic of Ireland, Member of The Elders & Honorary Co-President of the Africa-Europe Foundation
- H.E. Juan Manuel Santos, Former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate, Chair and Member of The Elders
- Priya Basu, Executive Head, Pandemic Fund
- Dr. Chris Elias, President of Global Development, Gates Foundation
- Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, WHO
- Felicitas Riedl, Director of the Innovation and Competitiveness Department, European Investment Bank
- Dr. John-Arne Røttingen, Chief Executive Officer, Wellcome
- Secretary Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão, Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance, Ministry of Health, Brazil
- Aggrey Aluso, Executive Director, RANA & Africa Director, PAN (moderator)
- Eloise Todd, Executive Director and Co-Founder, PAN (moderator)
Watch the full event recording.
