Under the banner of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), the workshop organised by the International Organisation Partnership (IO’s Partnership) on 17 and 18 June in Geneva provided a rich occasion for collective reflection between representatives of governments and international organisations. The goal was to draw up principles for better vigilance and readiness for emerging and existent critical risks.
It was a great occasion for the OIV, a member of the IO’s Partnership, to participate in such exchanges dealing with crisis management and anticipating critical risks such as space weather impacts, drone threats in civilian airspaces, the weaponisation of biology, and climate change impacts.
The need to create global understanding through harmonisation and common spaces
Sophie Pallas, OIV Director of External Relations, and Alejandro Fuentes Espinoza, OIV Head of the Economy and Law Unit, took part in this event, where the urgency of facing emerging risks together was underlined:
- While establishing that the risks are increasing, this workshop highlighted the need for greater international cooperation: sharing information, creating new tools for risk assessment, and developing good practices and recommendations to manage uncertainties.
- From epidemic diseases to extreme climatic events, it appears urgent to create a more global understanding through harmonisation and common spaces, starting with common definitions of threshold risks and good practices to anticipate and manage risks.
- Increasing awareness of emerging risks should be expanded among the general public while strengthening trust towards the organisations.
- Thinking about the next generation of institutions was the subject of the final reflection: how to include younger generations and future citizens, how to encourage greater participation in decision-making, and how to communicate better and more efficiently. Trust will be the key to effective action by our organisations.
Finally, this workshop illustrated the benefits of cooperation between both nations and international organisations: learning from one another to better face major challenges.
