On 26 May 2023, UNU will host “A Breakthrough for People and Planet: The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board Report on Effective Multilateralism”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Dr David Passarelli, Director of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR). This event will be held via Zoom webinar at 9:30 JST (UTC+9).
In September 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres shared his vision for the future of global cooperation in his report, Our Common Agenda. From the outset, UNU-CPR has supported the Our Common Agenda process, which calls for inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond and deliver for the people and planet. Recently, UNU-CPR served as the secretariat for the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB), tasked by the UN Secretary-General to identify concrete, actionable recommendations that point towards a radical shift in our approach to global governance.
The Board, co-chaired by former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and former Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven, released a report in April 2023 — A Breakthrough for People and Planet: Effective and Inclusive Global Governance for Today and the Future. The HLAB report sets an ambitious and action-oriented agenda for change that addresses the interconnected challenges of peace and security, the triple planetary crisis, growing economic inequalities, and a widening digital divide.
Dr Passarelli will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to provide an overview of the report’s recommendations and situate them in the broader intergovernmental processes unfolding at the United Nations in 2023 and 2024 towards the UN Summit of the Future. The event will explore the six transformative shifts needed for a more secure and sustainable future that build on ten core principles of effective multilateralism.
Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration by 25 May 12:00 PM is required. Registrants will receive an email on the day of the event with a link to attend via Zoom webinar.
About the Speaker
Dr David Passarelli is the Executive Director of United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. At UNU-CPR, he oversees new institutional development, partnerships, and growth strategies, and leads research and policy advisory programming in the areas of migration, inequality, and development.
Dr Passarelli has worked with UNU since 2008 and was previously the Executive Officer of UNU, advising the Rector on management initiatives at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo and across the UNU system. He also served as the Secretary of the UNU governing board (the UNU Council) and as a member of UNU’s Management Group. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Chief of Staff, during which time he also contributed to the research programme of the UNU Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility as an honorary associate research fellow.
Prior to joining UNU in 2008, Dr Passarelli worked as a research assistant at the Global Institute for Asian Regional Integration at Waseda University, where he graduated with a master’s degree in international relations. He has published in the areas of migration, political theory, and comparative international higher education.
He holds a Doctorate in International Development from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on the rights of irregular migrant children.
About the series
The BIG IDEAS: SDGs Dialogue Series introduces the people, projects, and organisations behind shared efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each event features leading representatives and researchers from international organisations, UN agencies, and UNU institutes to stimulate discussion on sustainable development issues and initiatives. The events provide a unique opportunity for young researchers, graduate students, and civil society to become more familiar with SDG-related topics, ask questions, and learn how they can contribute to local and global SDG progress.
