Shaping Cooperation in a Fragmenting WorldW H I T E P A P E RJ A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4Images: Getty Images© 2024 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders.ContentsPreface 3Executive summary 4Introduction: New approaches to global cooperation 51 Global security: “Cooperation” in an age of distrust and insecurity 72 Climate: Rethinking climate governance 113 Technology: Taming – and unleashing – technology together 154 Trade: Expanding and rebalancing global trade 18Appendix: Members of the Global Future Council on the Future of Geopolitics 21Contributors 22Endnotes 23Shaping Cooperation in a Fragmenting World2PrefaceThe World Economic Forum’s network of Global Future Councils is a multistakeholder and interdisciplinary knowledge community dedicated to promoting innovative thinking to shape a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. The mandate of the Global Future Council on the Future of Geopolitics is to offer insight into the current, turbulent geopolitical context and to identify opportunities for revitalizing or rebuilding mechanisms of cooperation to advance shared interest within this context. The ideas presented in the following report draw on discussions that took place among the council members – both in person and virtually – over the course of 2023. While each chapter of this report is informed by the insights generated during council discussions, the chapters represent the views of the respective authors alone and should be understood and attributed as such. Shaping Cooperation in a Fragmenting WorldJanuary 2024Shaping Cooperation in a Fragmenting World3Executive summaryStrengthening global cooperation is essential for a safer, healthier and more prosperous world. Yet, the current, turbulent geopolitical context in which conflict and competition are increasing has pulled stakeholders apart at the very moment that acute and ongoing global challenges demand collaborative solutions. Against this backdrop, the World Economic Forum convened the Global Future Council on the Future of Geopolitics to identify how global stakeholders can cooperate in addressing critical issues. Though building cooperative pathways will be challenging within the current climate, the council members argue that innovative, inclusive approaches to cooperation...
