By Rocío Canas, Shakeel Ahmad Ramay and Gabriela Canales

As become clear during this talk, we are facing common threats that no longer take borders, nationalities, age or gender into account. Reflecting on these scenarios can be useful with respect to developing ideas for ways to improve our response to these challenges.

GDL member Shakeel Ahmad from the Foreign Services Academy of Pakistan talked about how the world has to move beyond the idea of a “strong man” and begin a journey of the imagination, to create joined-up work and to seize new opportunities to promote innovation of the private sector.

GDL member and environmental specialist Gabriela Canales emphasised that the current age shows how we are all vulnerable to a virus that cannot be stopped by the military or by borders. Rather, solidarity, equity and justice need to become the new normal for all people in order to work towards greater stability and security.

About the author:

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay  is a scholar working on global diplomacy, global governance, climate change negotiations and track II diplomacy.

Rocío Cañas is an international analyst and cooperation officer working in the fields of foreign policy, diplomatic relations, development cooperation and human rights in both the public sector and non-profit organizations internationally.

Gabriela Canales is a specialist on environmental management, sustainable development, public policy and international cooperation.

Published on July 26, 2020.