The Stanley Foundation Builds Governance & Sustainable Peace

Global leadership is being tested at this time.  If governments are not able to build global  confidence in their ability to lead, then grass roots will lead by example.  In truth government legitimacy is being questioned it will be interesting to learn of the answers through effective action to global challenges.

The Stanley Foundation is holding out the light of effective global governance.  I particularly like in their values the line that states

* We will risk failure in order to remain relevant and effective. 

That is the value of courage.  We need that one now.

http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/resources.cfm?id=706&article=1

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The Stanley Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation. Foundation programming is focused on promoting and building support for principled multilateralism in addressing international issues.

The Stanley Foundation does not make grants.

Vision
The Stanley Foundation seeks a secure peace with freedom and justice, built on world citizenship and effective global governance.

Mission
The Stanley Foundation promotes public understanding, constructive dialogue, and cooperative action on critical international issues. Our work recognizes the essential roles of both the policy community and the broader public in building sustainable peace.

Core Values
Core Values are statements that convey important philosophies of the foundation and are used in concert with the Vision and Mission statements to guide the foundation in decision making.

• We want to live in a world at peace where the causes of conflict are addressed and disputes are resolved without recourse to violence.
• All people have inherent value and deserve to be treated with respect.
• People worldwide have a shared interest in peace, justice, and an improved quality of life for all. They have the inherent ability to change themselves and their local and global communities.
• In our work we will be balanced, pragmatic, and flexible in approaching the world’s problems. Our forums will be fair and open, offering a nonthreatening environment that respects all voices.
• We will maintain involvement with global institutions and promote collaborative approaches and multilateral solutions to issues.
• We will risk failure in order to remain relevant and effective.
• Our staff and governance members are our greatest assets. We will build and maintain a constructive, supportive, and collaborative work environment.
• We will be nonpartisan and maintain a long-term, independent perspective.
• We value our heritage as a family foundation. Family involvement will remain a vital element of foundation governance.

Work
The foundation’s current work includes specific actions toward policy change in the strategic areas of nuclear security, human protection, and the evolving global system. We also support educational efforts in our community. Previous initiatives of the foundation can be seen here.

Global Leadership
Today’s realities demand positive international cooperation. Shared global challenges require creative multilateral solutions. Annual world leader summits like the G-8 and G-20 are free from the traditional trappings of fixed institutions like the United Nations. These gatherings adapt more easily to shifts in power, influence and political alignment.

The Stanley Foundation at the G-20 Summit in Cannes, France

Can the G-20 Rise to the Challenges of Global Leadership?

The G-20 meeting in Cannes, France, November 3-4, 2011, carries forward the official theme “New World, New Ideas” used also for the Deauville G-8 Summit this past May. Given the shifting tides of global power and global leadership many observers will be curious to see how the “New World, New Ideas” of the G-20 stack up to the growing challenges facing world leaders.

While global economic growth and financial stability represent the G-20’s core mandates, the group has gradually been broadening its agenda, particularly at the initiative of the government leaders who have served as summit hosts. At the summit a year ago in South Korea, that meant the adoption of the “Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth.” Looking toward Cannes, development ministers report the summit will highlight proposals for infrastructure development. Meanwhile France, this year’s host, has emphasized food security, mindful especially of the impact of commodity price spikes on people with the lowest income.

The Stanley Foundation has a long history of working on global governance issues and examining the evolution of these high stakes summits. Two foundation staff members, David Shorr and Sean Harder, were on-site for the Cannes G-20 meeting. Please take a look at these resources:

• Feature Story News Radio Interview with David Shorr 
• David Shorr Sums Up Cannes G-20 Summit, YouTube
• Experts React to G-20 Communiqué, Press Release
• Greek Troubles Hanging Over the Cannes Summit, China Daily (quoting David Shorr)
• The G-20’s Best Laid Plans, article by David Shorr in Democracy Arsenal
• Press Briefing at Media Center on Nov. 3
• Euro Crisis Shifts Mood for G-20, from The New York Times (quoting David Shorr)
• G-20 Summit to Begin Amid Ongoing Drama in Europe, from Marketplace (quoting David Shorr)
• G-20 Press Briefing Planned for Nov. 2, Stanley Foundation press release
• The G-20: The Committee to Not Save the World, The Atlantic essay by David Shorr
• Rising to the G-20 Challenge, Courier 72, Fall 2011
• What Can the G-20 Do in Cannes?, from David Shorr
• Beyond Blocs: The West, Rising Powers, and Interest-Based International Cooperation, Stanley Foundation policy analysis brief from Bruce Jones
• Global and Collaborative Asian & Pacific Leadership for the G-20, Stanley Foundation policy memo
• Is the G8 Group of Industrialized Nations Still Relevant?, Marketplace Morning Report interview with David Shorr
• Euro Crisis Looms for Group of 8, from The New York Times (quoting David Shorr)
• Making the G-20 a Reservoir of Global Leadership: A Maximalist Argument, from David Shorr
• Rivalry and Partnership—The Struggle for a New Global Governance Leadership, a policy dialogue brief, January 2011
• Summit Shows U.S. Can Still Set Agenda, if Not Get Action, from The New York Times (quoting David Shorr)
• A Difficult Yet Constructive Summit; Final Thoughts on the Seoul G20, Stanley Foundation press release
• Making Multilateralism Work: How the G-20 Can Help the United Nations, Stanley Foundation policy analysis brief from Bruce Jones

Stanley Foundation staff members were also on-site for previous G-8/G-20 meetings. See our resource pages for past summits:

• G-8 Deauville 2011
• G-20 Seoul 2010
• G-8/G-20 Toronto 2010
• G-8 L’Aquila 2009 and G-20 Pittsburgh 2009