The Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine added further pressures on the current rule-based multilateral order and its capacity to deal with emerging global challenges. The German G7 Presidency faces the opportunity to tackle key issues of multilateral cooperation at unprecedented turbulent times. Surging energy and food prices are especially threatening food security and green transition in G7 member states and developing and emerging countries in the Global South.

The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) partnered with the Southern Voice and the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG), to organise a Public Consultation Forum with IFAD running candidates. The overall aim of the event was to bring transparency and accountability to the selection processes of IFAD leadership, by encouraging candidates' dialogue with representatives of the civil society and major stakeholders from both the Global North and South.

The Russian aggression in Ukraine called for an unprecedented response in Europe. Meanwhile, the political, economic and social challenges posed by the pandemic have shown the need for negotiated and internationally shared solutions. Looking beyond the emergency posed by the pandemic, systemic challenges such as the fight against climate change and efforts for sustainable development, peace and Euro-Atlantic security require common interventions by key international actors, a stronger role for the multilateral system and a more systematic involvement of local actors.