Global Public Goods: An Idea to Revive Cooperation?

Introduction

The speaker introduces the session and the objective of the conversation.

Objective of the Conversation

• The objective is to generate ideas to revive cooperation after recent geopolitical tumult.

Globalization and Interdependence

Lucas Schindler discusses globalization and interdependence.

Widespread Optimism in 1990s

• The 1990s were characterized by widespread optimism that the end of the Cold War would usher in a new era of global cooperation.

• This optimism has faded in recent years, especially with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Inequalities Created by Interconnection

• While interconnection lifted hundreds of thousands out of poverty, it created inequalities with lasting and dividing impact.

Insulating Europe from Negative Effects

• Jose Emanuel Barroso tried to insulate Europe from negative effects of globalization by creating a fund that would redistribute and strengthen European economies that needed to be strengthened at a time when globalization could have threatened their way of doing business and living their lives.

New Threats Come with New Opportunities

• Globalization is ubiquitous now, with massive economic shifts, digital revolution, data revolution, closer infrastructural personal connections leading to new threats coming hand in hand with new opportunities.

Protecting Access to Global Public Goods

Nina dos Santos introduces the panelists for this discussion.

Introduction to Panelists

• Joseph Manuel Barroso - former Portuguese prime minister, European commission head, board member of Garvey Alliance.

• Professor Maya Gopal - political economist, author, advisor to German government.

• Masile Escobari - panelist at previous Gallant Symposiums, currently...

Issues of the Day

Nina dos Santos discusses pressing issues of the day.

Fading Optimism

• The optimism of the 1990s has been fading fast due to recent events such as the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Collective Action Needed

• Climate change, global health, food security all require collective action and a lot more cooperation between countries because these are dependent on events happening not just within one country but beyond countries' borders.

Exploring Prospects for Cooperation

• The panel will explore prospects for protecting access to global public goods and how much cooperation is needed to be shored up.

Global Public Goods

In this section, Marcella and Umair discuss the concept of global public goods, their importance, and how they are managed.

Definition of Global Public Goods

• Global public goods are non-rival goods that everyone can benefit from.

• They are non-exclusionary and available on a worldwide scale.

• The Global Commons is an example of a global issue that requires management beyond borders.

Importance of Cooperation

• Cooperation is necessary to manage the inheritance of the atmosphere, stable climate, biodiversity, pollination of food systems, water circuits, and oceans.

• The state has an incentive to invest in cooperation to keep access to these types of global commons and public goods.

Challenges in Collaboration

• Our problems are increasingly global but our economic and political structures are local and short-term.

• Collaboration is necessary for addressing challenges like climate change and famine.

• Multi-layer organizations like the UN, WTO, Gavi Kovacs allow us to collaborate more effectively.

Financial Stability and Global Cooperation

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of financial stability and global cooperation during difficult times. They reflect on the challenges faced during the bailout period and how it was difficult to explain that Greece would not leave the Euro. The speaker also compares the situation then to now, stating that it is much worse in terms of global community.

Importance of Financial Stability

• Financial stability is a global public good.

• People want financial security and stability for their future.

Challenges Faced During Bailout Period

• It was difficult to explain that Greece would not leave the Euro.

• European decisions are incremental, fragmented, slow but at the end of the day they have done their job.

Comparison of Situation Then vs Now

• The situation then was relatively manageable compared to now.

• After February 24th, 2021, there is a real risk of deglobalization and decoupling due to events such as pandemic onshoring of supply chains.

Global Public Goods and Fragmentation

In this section, the speaker discusses the weaponization of global public goods such as energy security and migration. The speaker expresses concern about the potential weaponization of infectious diseases and emphasizes the need for a multilateral approach to avoid fragmentation of the global community.

Weaponization of Global Public Goods

• Energy security and migration are examples of global public goods that have been weaponized.

• Infectious diseases could also be weaponized, making a multilateral approach crucial.

• International organizations can only deliver what member states allow them to deliver, so it is not fair to blame them for fragmentation.

Political Power and Commitment

• The issue of political power and commitment from relevant stakeholders (e.g., United States, China, Europe) is crucial in putting order in an extremely fragmented world.

• Despite unavoidable fragmentation, there needs to be a dialogue globally to encapsulate issues where there is agreement while isolating those where there is disagreement.

• To fight climate change effectively, China must be on board along with other major polluters like the United States, Russia, and India.

Cooperation Amidst Geopolitical Shift

In this section, the speaker discusses how geopolitical shifts have affected cooperation between countries. The speaker emphasizes that we need to transform our world towards more just sharing within and between countries.

Paradoxical Cooperation

• There have been examples of huge cooperation recently (e.g., sanctions on Russia, sharing of vaccines and scientific know-how to combat COVID-19).

• However, these examples are not consistent, and fractures in the system persist.

Transforming Our World

• The speaker believes that many people still view the current situation as short-term and that we will return to normal soon.

• To address ecological and social inequality crises, there needs to be more just sharing within and between countries.

• The urge for more autonomy through resource efficiency is important.

Export-oriented Development Model

The speaker discusses the limitations of an export-oriented development model that is commodity-oriented and does not prioritize developing the supply chain within countries.

Incentives for Higher Wages

• When competing on export markets, especially for commodity pricing, there is less incentive to pay higher wages internally.

• Positive feedback loops from interlocking countries' supply chains are necessary to raise purchasing power and benefit both countries.

Partnerships and Exploitation

• The speaker questions whether partnerships have turned into suspicious contractual relations focused on exploiting resources or raw materials.

• Honesty is needed in discussions about global trade and development.

Redesigning Global Trade

The speaker suggests that redesigning global trade could be an opportunity to learn from each other and create more peaceful relations. They also discuss the need for accountability, transparency, and dialogue in global trade.

Global Overshoot Day

• The speaker mentions Global Overshoot Day as a reminder that we need to think about how we can redesign global trade.

• Redesigning global trade could be an invitation to learn from each other rather than focusing on the stigma between developing and developed worlds.

Resource Needs and Climate Change

• More accountability, transparency, and dialogue are needed in global trade to address resource needs for electrification.

• The speaker discusses opportunities for collaborative advantage with their agency's remit over Latin America and the Caribbean. Migration is a huge issue in this region.

Managing Displacement

The speaker discusses displacement in Latin America and the need for burden sharing among countries.

Ukraine Crisis

• The speaker mentions the Ukraine crisis and how Europe is managing it.

• There is an incredible coordinated response in sanctions, generosity in opening borders to Ukrainians, and a question of sustainability.

Displacement in Latin America

• Six million Venezuelans have fled due to a kleptocratic criminal regime that has contracted the economy by 80%.

• Colombia has opened its borders to two million Venezuelans, but there is a unique tipping point where countries must either share the burden or lock their borders.

Collaborative Work in Latin America

In this section, the speaker discusses the need for collaborative work in Latin America to create labor pathways and train journalists on anti-xenophobic press. The speaker also mentions the lack of regional institutions to manage collaboration.

Collaborative Work in Latin America

• Asymmetries remain in attitudes towards neighboring countries.

• Examples from history show that countries can give up control for their sovereign benefit.

• Collaboration needs to happen in parallel, but there are no regional institutions to manage it.

• Success of collaboration depends on economic benefits.

Ideology and Doctrine for Cooperation

In this section, the speaker talks about the conflict between openness and closure in today's world. The speaker also discusses how Europe is a laboratory for globalization due to its advanced case of sharing sovereignty among countries.

Conflict Between Flux and Friction

• World is a contradiction between flux (goods, services, capital, people, ideas) and friction (protectionism, nationalism, nativism, isolationism).

• Opinion itself is a laboratory for globalization due to sharing sovereignty among countries.

Rise of China and Fragmented World

• United States does not accept the rise of China.

• Putin is using war as an instrument due to Russia's economic decline.

• Multilateralism is important for most Europeans.

Europe, China, and Global Politics

In this section, the panelists discuss the relationship between Europe and China in terms of economic competition and global political issues. They emphasize the need to make a distinction between these two areas and avoid black-and-white solutions.

The Model of Society in Europe vs. China

• The model of society in Europe is different from that of China.

• Europe sees China as a competitor in economic terms but also as a partner for fighting climate change or other global political issues.

Challenges Faced by Europe

• It is challenging for Europe to navigate its relationship with China because it requires avoiding black-and-white solutions.

• To keep the world open, it requires a lot of political intelligence, commitment, and ingenuity.

Human Dignity and Political Attitudes

In this section, the panelists discuss human dignity as an important concept that should guide political attitudes. They also touch on leadership requirements for maintaining open communication channels.

Human Dignity as an Abstract Concept

• When speaking about mankind, it refers to each man, woman or child; each person who accepts that human dignity is the most important thing.

• This is a question of doctrine and political attitude that requires leadership.

Leadership Requirements

• To keep the world open with all these negative friction forces requires a lot of political intelligence, commitment, and ingenuity.

• Communication channels must remain open to maintain dialogue even amidst cooperation, confrontation or competition.

Coordinating the Management of Public Goods

In this section, a member of the audience asks about new ways to coordinate the management of public goods. The panelists discuss the importance of institutions and being bold in making decisions.

Importance of Institutions

• Institutions matter, and they are hard to build.

• There is an angle that institutions got us here, but we need to continue building them.

Being Bold in Decision Making

• Leaders must be bold about making decisions for our shared humanity.

• Responsibility lies with leaders and policymakers to make bold decisions.

Collaborative Institutions for Climate Change

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of collaboration in addressing climate change and the need for institutions that can facilitate such collaboration.

The Need for Collaboration

• Collaboration is important to address climate change.

• Countries are forming clubs to collaborate more closely on renewable energy and other climate initiatives.

• Regional governments and mayors are adhering to the Paris Agreement despite Trump's exit from it.

Principles of Collaboration

• Elena Ostrom's concept of collaboration involves a reputational aspect bounded into the sharing of a particular good.

• Financial markets have evaded this principle, leading to an extractive financial sector that is not working in a regenerative way.

Institutional Imagination

• Institutional imagination is needed to create institutions that can facilitate collaboration.

• It is better to have international organizations like the United Nations than not have them, but institutional imagination is needed to make them more effective.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

The speaker introduces Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as a public-private partnership founded by the World Bank, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Bill Gates Foundation. It aims to complement inter-governmental organizations' efforts in immunization.

Gavi's Structure

• Gavi is a foundation based in Geneva that operates as an international public-private partnership.

• It has five donor countries representing rich countries and five implementing countries representing developing countries.

• Its members include representatives of pharmaceutical industries from both Global North and South, research institutes, NGOs and civil society organizations.

• There are eight independent members among them the chair who is selected on merit rather than specific interests.

Complementing Inter-Governmental Organizations' Efforts

• Gavi aims to complement inter-governmental organizations' efforts in immunization by bringing together governments, private sector, NGOs and academia.

• The speaker believes that this approach could be applied to other global issues such as education and climate change.

• Future policy making should have a clear tagline of what it's trying to achieve and bring all stakeholders into the room for effective collaboration.

Lessons Learned from Former Public-Private Partnerships

• We need to learn from former public-private partnerships where gains were privatized while costs were socialized due to lack of investment in infrastructure maintenance.

• Renewable energy transition in Germany showed that revenue created should stay within impacted areas.

• When there is no agreement at intergovernmental level globally (e.g. Paris Agreement on climate change), cities and states can come together to make a difference.

Institutions and International Education

The speakers discuss the role of institutions in addressing social issues, including the private sector, public sector, and philanthropic or social sector. They also address the state of international education and academic mobility.

The Importance of Academic Mobility

• Investing in student mobility and bilateral academic and scientific cooperation was seen as a win-win situation for all after the Cold War.

• However, there is now less optimism regarding academic mobility and international education.

• The speakers discuss what went wrong in the last 30 years with regards to academic mobility and international education.

• They also discuss the roles of universities, governments, and non-governmental organizations in this field.

Digital Public Goods

• One question addresses digital public goods and how to ensure a framework for common digital public good on top of which private innovation can happen.

• Another question addresses vaccine governance and diplomacy. It questions whether vaccines are actually global public goods or private ones that are excludable.

Conclusion

• The speakers note that while there has been progress made in certain areas such as people-to-people programming, there is still work to be done to increase goals related to academic mobility.

International Cooperation and Vaccine Distribution

In this section, the speaker discusses the behavior of some governments and companies in vaccine distribution. They explain how international cooperation is necessary for fair distribution, but also highlight the challenges faced by low-income countries.

Challenges Faced by Low-Income Countries

• More than 88% of vaccines received by low-income countries were distributed through Kovacs.

• Richer countries with more money and capacity were able to jump the line and buy vaccines at a higher price.

• Last year, there was enough money raised for vaccine distribution, but no vaccines available due to richer countries keeping them for themselves.

Need for International Cooperation

• Additional funding has been pledged to Kovacs to create a vaccine pool for future pandemics or waves of COVID-19.

• The speaker emphasizes the need to prepare for future pandemics and highlights the importance of international cooperation in ensuring fair distribution.

Tech Framework and Public Good

In this section, the speaker discusses the need for a public good approach to technology development. They emphasize that technological infrastructure should serve societal goals rather than private interests.

Importance of Public Good Approach

• The speaker emphasizes that infrastructures are important social and commercial components of society's future.

• A co-responsibility between public and private sectors is necessary when developing new technological products.

• The speaker argues that applying existing rules from other sectors can help regulate technology development without reinventing new frameworks.

Global Good and Digital Regulation

In this section, the speaker discusses the structure around a particular common global good that works and offers a good framework. The speaker also talks about the importance of regulating digital space for public good.

Examples of Common Global Good

• There are examples of common global goods that work with things that are very concrete like vaccines, primary education, and not dying out of COVID.

• It becomes harder when there are some winners and some losers as with climate change.

Importance of Regulating Digital Space

• Regulating digital space is important for public good aspect to prevent abuses such as misinformation affecting vaccine hesitancy in Latin America and elections in Europe.

• We need to continue to experiment and improve on parameters such as FDA of digital algorithms.

Meeting with President Putin

In this section, the speaker talks about their meetings with President Putin over the years and whether they ever got an inclination that he would unleash war on Ukraine.

Meetings with President Putin

• In 2014 when there were first Russian troops going into Crimea, the speaker spoke with President Putin who denied it was armed forces of Russia but rather tourists or Russians called by other brothers on the other side.

• The speaker informed colleagues at European Council but there was a leak which appeared in Italian newspaper. Kremlin did not deny statements but said they were taken out of context.

• The question is whether in 2014 President Putin was already planning to destabilize all this region or if it was an involuntary manifestation of a hidden desire.

Unleashing War on Ukraine

• The speaker always thought that Putin would destabilize all this region since Crimea but was not expecting him to launch a full-scale attack and try to take complete control of Ukraine.

• It's a strategic mistake of Russia from the speaker's point of view. Putin wants a victory and will not accept any kind of compromise before he has a clear victory.

Putin's Strategy Towards Ukraine

In this section, the speaker discusses Putin's strategy towards Ukraine and his stance on Ukraine joining NATO and the European Union.

Putin's Stance on Ukraine Joining the EU

• Putin had nothing against Ukraine joining the European Union.

• He negotiated with Ukraine for five years and publicly stated that he had no issue with them joining.

Putin's Stance on Ukraine Joining NATO

• Putin did not want Ukraine to join NATO.

• Members of NATO also did not want Ukraine to join.

Putin's Strategy Towards Westernization of Ukraine

• Putin wanted to prevent Ukraine from becoming more westernized and instead become a vessel state like Belarus.

• This creates a contradiction between justice and peace because recognizing the right of Ukraine conflicts with Russia's desire for a vessel state.