Peter Gluckman, the president of the International Science Council, asserts that the multilateral system is struggling due to increasing global rivalries and transactional politics. At a recent science diplomacy dialogue at Stellenbosch University, he announced a new initiative focused on science diplomacy, in collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
Gluckman highlighted a shift since the peak of global cooperation in 2015, marked by the Paris climate accord and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as major powers engage in conflicts and countries adopt inward-looking policies. With the SDGs set to expire in 2030, he believes a more effective governance framework is necessary.
He proposes focusing on five types of “global commons” requiring varied governance approaches: non-sovereign spaces (like Antarctica), shared goals (climate change), global standards, technological spaces (like AI), and knowledge itself. This new approach aims to facilitate more effective responses to both local and global issues.
Gluckman pointed out that the informal scientific community could better keep long-term global commons issues in focus than the stalled formal multilateral system. He mentioned ongoing collaborations with UN bodies to strengthen this effort.
Addressing trust issues between scientists and the public, Gluckman urged scientists to engage more with communities and reconsider how they measure success—pointing out that funding systems often prioritize high-profile publications over sustainable community impact. He emphasized that without rebuilding trust, the scientific community may struggle to retain public support.
