August 20 - 26 from 2pm to 5pm
(Except for Sunday, August 23: 3pm to 6pm)

Location: Hauptschule Alpbach
Language: English

Chairpersons:

Brahma CHELLANEY, Professor for Strategic Studies, Center for Policy Research, New Delhi
Wolfgang F. DANSPECKGRUBER, Director, Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination; Lecturer, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

Speaker:
Thomas MAYR-HARTING, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Austria to the United Nations, New York
Frederik TRETTIN, Visiting Researcher, Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

Content:

Detractors portray the United Nations as a sort of a "talking shop" where "no issue is too small to be debated endlessly."  But the UN remains the only institution truly representative of all the nations. Its centrality and role are being highlighted by the multiple crises the world faces - from a financial meltdown and economic recession to serious energy, food and climatic challenges. Violent conflicts still rage in several parts of the world. At the same time, the ongoing tectonic shifts in economic and political power symbolise the birth-pangs of a new world order, making institutional reforms inescapable. Although the world has changed fundamentally, the global institutional structure has remained largely static since the mid-20th century. How to make the UN a more effective institution - one that is better geared to meet the challenges of the 21st century - is an issue that ought to be at the center-stage of international relations.

This seminar will focus on ways to address challenges of global governance and institutional reforms so as to underpin peace and stability in an era in which power shifts are being triggered not by military triumphs or geopolitical realignments but by a factor unique to our contemporary world - rapid economic growth.