Tentative Questions to be explored in the Global Governance Roundtable

Session 1: Introduction

Session 2: Catalysts and Drivers for Global Governance – past and future

• What have been the principal factors driving the evolution of global society over the past century?
• What are the most likely drivers for the future evolution of global governance?

Session 3: Global Governance and Human Welfare

• What have been the collective benefits generated by the evolution of global governance?
• What are the most important lessons that have been learned from the process?
• What opportunities have been generated by global systems for communication, transportation, exchange of goods and information, economic development, scientific and technological progress, social and personal relationships?
• What are the potential benefits of enhancing and accelerating its development?
• What conditions must be met for global governance to enhance human welfare?
• Why are regional or global governance regimes seen as detrimental to human welfare in some countries, triggering a nationalist backlash?
• What are the main obstacles to a global governance reform dedicated to human welfare?

Session 4: Global Governance Challenges

• Challenges posed by rapid and uneven technological advances, depletion of resources, pollution, political instability, militarization and armed confrontation, migration, unemployment, inequality and multi-culturalism

Session 5: Failures, Obstacles and Unresolved Problems

• What have been the most serious failures of global governance and the reasons for them?
• Apparent failures and unresolved problems that obstruct the future development of the global community

Session 6: National Sovereignty and Global Governance

• What is the relationship between the development of the nation state and the global community?
• What conflicts does it generate and under what conditions can they be reconciled?

Session 7: Global Rule of Law and Universal Human Rights

• The role of international law in the evolution of global governance
• The evolution and role of universalized recognized human rights

Session 8: Role of Academia and Civil Society in the evolution of Global Governance

• What is the role of academia and civil society in the evolution of global governance and how can it be made more effective?

Session 9 & 10: Small Group Discussions & Report of Discussion Groups

Session 11: Role of business & economy in the evolution of Global Governance

• What is the role of business and economy in the evolution of global governance?
• How can its positive potentials be more fully harnessed?
• How can its negative contributions be minimized?

Session 12: Strategies to enhance and accelerate effective governance of the globe

• What have been the most successful strategies applied to further progress at the global level?
• What new or alternative strategies should be applied to achieve these objectives?
• What strategies can be adopted to more effectively address current threats, bottlenecks, impasses and opposition?

Session 13: Viable pathways for the transition of global society to a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for all humanity

• What are the likely benefits and risks of increasing movement toward global governance?
• What would be the most beneficial ultimate objectives of the evolution of global governance?

Session 14: Discussion
Session 15: Conclusions & Recommendations