Opening by Alejandro Bonilla Garcia. President of Greycells.
Excellencies, esteemed representatives of NGOs, members of Greycells, ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to this inspiring briefing session organized by Greycells. Today, we will delve into the crucial role of civil society in the upcoming series of summits scheduled between 2023 and 2025, including the SDG Summit, the Summit of the Future in 2024, and the Social Summit in 2025. We are delighted by the active engagement of civil society in these summits through the Global Futures Forum, led by the Coalition for the UN we Want (C4 UN), which brings together over 1,600 individuals, 150 NGOs, and think tanks.
Our distinguished guests include the Honorary President of Greycells, Michael Moller, former Director of the United Nations Office in Geneva. We are also privileged to have the leaders of two Global Futures Forum Tracks present: Georgios Kostakos, who co-led the Development Track, and David Woollcombe, who co-led the Environmental Governance Track. Additionally, our Vice-president, Manuela Tortora, a former high official of the World Bank and UNCTAD, is in attendance as well.
David Woollcombe, Founder and President of Peace Child International, will share his valuable insights. Peace Child International, an NGO with consultative status at the UN, is dedicated to empowering young people and fostering a world free from war, poverty, climate change, inequality, and environmental pollution. Their powerful medium is the Peace Child musical play, set in a future world at peace, which inspires children to take action and make positive contributions. Woollcombe emphasizes the importance of merging the energy and ideas of youth with the wisdom and experience of older generations to achieve our common goals.
We are also honored to hear from Georgios Kostakos, co-founder of the Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability (FOGGS) in Brussels and a former UN member. With extensive experience in various UN activities, encompassing peace and security, development, and human rights, Georgios has played a vital role in supporting significant global events such as the 2005 World Summit and the Paris COP in 2015. His interdisciplinary background in International Relations and Mechanical Engineering equips him with a systemic perspective to tackle global challenges. Through FOGGS, he and his colleagues strive to introduce catalytic interventions and collaborate with partners across diverse fields to construct a more ethical, people-centered, inclusive, and resilient global governance system.
Additionally, Manuela Tortora will provide insights into the intended focus of our 2024 Greycells intergenerational dialogue, which aims to shape the intergenerational message of civil society for the upcoming United Nations Forums.
Throughout this session, we will present an overview of the primary proposals arising from the Interim People’s Pact, a product of the Global Futures Forum. We hope these proposals will stimulate ideas on how to fortify and expand them, ultimately allowing us to define, redefine, or reinvent the role of the Geneva Ecosystem. To set the stage and highlight the significance of the Geneva ecosystem in realizing our vision for the United Nations, I now invite our Honorary President, Michael Moller, to address the session.
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