Publications

The UN’s Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees create room for dialogue, but remain non-binding and underfunded. With limited political will for reform, their role will likely be confined to forums for discussion rather than drivers of cooperation.

The Pandemic Agreement marks a landmark step in strengthening global health cooperation. Born out of the failures revealed by COVID-19, it represents a victory for multilateralism – though questions remain about how it will be in practice.

A decade on, the Paris Agreement has had mixed results. This report analyses how structural trade-offs between democracy, robustness, and effectiveness shape the function of the agreement’s core mechanisms.

Can a new Climate Change Council help fix global climate governance – or will it just add to the chaos? This policy brief breaks down Brazil’s proposal and its potential impact ahead of COP30.

The UN Human Rights Council is at a critical juncture. This policy brief pinpoints four mutually reinforcing challenges that hinder the workings of the HRC: (1) the non-enforceability of human rights norms, (2) problematic membership practices, (3) restricted civil society access, and (4) severe resource constraints. To address these issues, policymakers should set up enhanced monitoring and early warning systems, guarantee competitive elections and accountability measures, establish and enforce anti-reprisal policies, and secure states’ financial commitments.

How well is cyberspace governance working? Key UN processes for digitalisation have produced mixed results and are often undermined by geopolitical friction and competing visions of cyberspace regulation.

The Human Rights Council is at a critical juncture. How can it reform? Targeted improvements like stronger membership criteria, protected civil society participation, and adequate funding for Special Procedures may help.

How have multilateral institutions shaped policy responses on vaccine access? During the COVID-19 pandemic, intellectual property rights were often prioritised over quick, equitable vaccine access. How will global health address this going forward?

With COP30 on the horizon and a worsening climate crisis, can the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meet the demand? Its procedural structure, which requires consensus, may be a significant obstacle to achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.