This approach has been central to GGF’s work on the Second United Nations Charter, an ambitious effort to rethink the institutional foundations of international cooperation for the twenty-first century. Its development brought together scholars, former senior international officials, diplomats, legal experts, economists and civil-society leaders with extensive experience across different dimensions of global governance. The resulting Charter is not simply an expression of aspirations for a more effective international system. It offers a detailed institutional architecture for translating those aspirations into workable reforms.
GGF has subsequently extended this approach through the preparation of Protocols Complementary to the Second UN Charter, addressing areas in which further institutional design and technical development are required. These initiatives draw on sustained consultation with internationally recognized specialists, whose expertise is brought together through carefully structured processes of discussion, drafting, review and revision. The objective is not simply to convene distinguished individuals, but to use that expertise to produce substantive outputs capable of contributing to serious policy debate and, ultimately, institutional change.
This combination of convening capacity and institutional innovation is a particular strength of GGF. Our methodology follows a structured process that moves from the identification of an important governance challenge to the development and dissemination of actionable solutions. Our process begins with problem definition and scoping, followed by the identification and convening of relevant experts from different disciplines and sectors. In assembling these expert groups, GGF also seeks to ensure meaningful representation of different regions and intellectual traditions, recognizing that the legitimacy and effectiveness of proposals for global governance depend in part on drawing upon diverse perspectives and experiences. Through facilitated dialogue, iterative drafting and peer review, our ideas are then tested, refined and translated into coherent institutional designs, legal frameworks and policy proposals.
Dissemination constitutes a final and differentiated stage of our methodology. Once developed, GGF products are actively communicated through publications, conferences, academic and practitioner networks. GGF prioritizes meaningful engagement with governments, international organizations, civil society actors and other stakeholders. This ensures that the ideas generated through the GGF process inform decision-making and build the coalitions necessary for advancing institutional innovation and reform.
The effectiveness of our approach lies in GGF’s ability to combine intellectual rigor with practical experience. By bringing together individuals with diverse professional backgrounds and subject-matter expertise, GGF ensures that proposals are grounded in political, legal and institutional realities. The iterative and peer-reviewed nature of the process allows the creation of innovative ideas through critical review and consensus-building, enhancing their credibility and relevance for policymakers and practitioners.
GGF is therefore also interested in working with organizations, foundations, governments, international institutions and other partners seeking to advance promising ideas for strengthening global governance. Where an initiative would benefit from independent intellectual leadership, access to international expertise, or a structured process capable of taking an innovative concept from initial formulation to a developed and actionable proposal, GGF can bring to the task the experience and networks developed through its own major initiatives. Such collaborations are considered selectively and must be consistent with GGF’s mission, independence and public-interest character.
Our ability to work in this way rests in part on GGF’s independence. The Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation supported by private philanthropic funding. This enables it to pursue innovative ideas with intellectual freedom while maintaining high standards of institutional accountability. GGF’s financial statements and financial management are subject to annual independent professional review and audit in accordance with the requirements applicable to the Foundation in Switzerland.
At the heart of GGF’s work is a simple proposition: important ideas for reform become more consequential when they are matched by the expertise, institutional design and sustained collaborative effort required to make them credible. GGF seeks to provide precisely that bridge – from ideas to workable proposals, and from proposals to the wider coalitions and conversations through which institutional innovation can become possible.