World leaders are gathering in New York for the opening of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly and to discuss the major issues of the day. The list of agenda items is long.
The war in Ukraine continues to rage, energy markets are unstable, global temperatures are rising, and the COVID-19 pandemic lingers as other public health concerns emerge. Meanwhile, inflation has proved to be ubiquitous, burdening consumers, businesses, and governments worldwide.
To address these challenges, global leaders will likely stress the need for strengthening cooperation within, what the UN Secretary-General has called, todayâs âfractured worldâ. The question is: at a time when fragmentation appears to be increasing, what can global cooperation, practically, look like?
Thankfully, we have examples. Because despite challenging headwinds, there are instancesâpocketsâof collaboration that are not only promising but offer insight into what makes cooperation possible, and even durable.
Fruitful collaboration tends to be characterised by three factors: the need is urgent, the area for collaboration is specific, and the benefits are clear.
Climate action is perhaps the most salient example of each of these.
The urgency of addressing global warming is undeniable. Climate change is increasingly wreaking havoc worldwide, causing immense economic and human suffering. The devastating flooding in Pakistan is the lates