Other FOGGS Initiatives

Dialogues, research, and partnerships to advance global governance and sustainability

Overview

Beyond its flagship strategic projects, FOGGS pursued a wide range of complementary initiatives. These included sustained engagement with UN reform processes — from Our Common Agenda roundtables to the Summit of the Future and Think7/T20 tracks; a three-year advisory partnership with GeSI's Digital with Purpose movement on the Education Track of its global summits; contributions to the Fourth Financing for Development Conference in Seville; the sparta.komvos hub connecting global issues to regional audiences; strategic partnerships with Greycells, MEGA, and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation; a sustained online dialogue series on global governance (Open Consultation Mondays); applied sustainability research and SDG partnerships in India and Greece; and a range of targeted publications and convening activities advancing FOGGS' mission of inclusive multilateralism and a more sustainable world.

UN Reform Engagement

FOGGS engaged systematically with UN reform processes from 2021 to 2024, contributing research, roundtables, and written submissions to key intergovernmental tracks and civil society coalitions.

Our Common Agenda (OCA) Roundtables (2021–2022)

FOGGS engaged extensively with the UN Secretary-General's September 2021 Our Common Agenda (OCA) report. Executive Board member Harris Gleckman authored a background paper on the OCA's governance proposals (Oct 2021) and FOGGS published a critical review of the report (Nov 2021), welcoming its energy while arguing it did not go far enough. FOGGS then convened two focused roundtables: on 27 January 2022, a discussion with senior officials from Permanent Missions to the UN and think tanks held under the Chatham House Rule; and on 18 February 2022, a second closed roundtable with non-state actors including science organisations, think tanks, local authorities, and the private sector.

Summit of the Future Engagement (2023–2024)

FOGGS participated throughout the intergovernmental process leading to the UN Summit of the Future (22–23 September 2024). Written contributions included a submission on the Emergency Platform proposal (March 2023), a comprehensive written submission (Dec 2023), and a response to Rev.1 of the Pact for the Future (May 2024). FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos attended the Summit and wrote A Pact for Humanity's Future that Remains Precarious. A post-SOTF UN Day event (24 October 2024) produced a recording and a presentation on next steps.

Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) and Global Futures Forum (2021–2024)

FOGGS joined the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) as a partner in 2021. FOGGS co-organised the online Europe Regional Futures Forum (13 March 2023) and FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos co-facilitated the Development track at the civil society-led Global Futures Forum (GFF) (20–21 March 2023, New York). The process produced the Interim People's Pact for the Future (May 2023), incorporating the FOGGS Global Resilience Council proposal on page 7. FOGGS also participated in the monthly OCA Discussion Series co-hosted by C4UN and the Baha'i International Community throughout 2022.

Think7 / T20 Engagement (2021–2025)

FOGGS President Richard Kinley was a speaker at the T20 Forum on Climate Change (10 May 2021, Italian G20 Presidency). FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos participated in the Think7 Inception Conference (24–26 January 2022) and actively joined the Think7 Summit in Berlin (23–24 May 2022), where the Think7 Communiqué referenced the Global Resilience Council on page 10. Kostakos and FOGGS Executive Board member Harris Gleckman also co-authored a Think7 policy brief on the GRC published under the International Cooperation for the Global Common Good task force. Under South Africa's G20 Presidency, Georgios Kostakos, Buyelwa Sonjica, and Cilene Victor co-authored a T20 South Africa commentary, Revitalising ECOSOC: Advancing the SDGs — Why the G20 Matters Now, arguing that the G20 should act as a catalyst to revitalise ECOSOC and accelerate SDG delivery — including through the establishment of a Global Resilience Council.

ACUNS Institutional Membership (2021–2025)

FOGGS joined the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) as an institutional member in 2021 and participated actively with board members and associates in all ACUNS annual meetings since. At the ACUNS Annual Meeting 2023 in Washington, D.C., FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos chaired a roundtable on the PRG and Russia–Ukraine war; Cilene Victor spoke on Global South perspectives; and Paola Bettelli and Tapio Kanninen participated across multiple panels. At the ACUNS Annual Meeting 2024 at the UN University in Tokyo, FOGGS organised three roundtables on the Global Resilience Council, institutional capacities in a changing world, and the UN Secretariat's contemporary role. On the sidelines, FOGGS reached an understanding on cooperation with the Kyoto Peacebuilding Center (KPC).

Digital with Purpose — Education Track Advisory (2022–2024)

Over three consecutive years, FOGGS held an advisory and content partnership with GeSI's Digital with Purpose (DwP) Movement on the Education Track of the DwP Global Summits. At the 2022 Summit (Lisbon), Executive Board Member Veerle Vandeweerd chaired a session on education in a rapidly changing digital world; Georgios Kostakos presented COVIDEA alongside Stephen Downes. At the 2023 Summit (Lisbon), Vandeweerd presented both DEMOCRAT and COVIDEA. At the 2024 Summit (9–11 July, Cascais, Portugal), FOGGS co-convened the Education Track: Veerle Vandeweerd and Georgios Kostakos led the track while FOGGS associate Manan Shah chaired the Education opening plenary, bringing together participants from government, education, gaming, ed-tech, and IT sectors. Selected session recordings are available through the DwP recorded events archive.

Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) Engagement (2025)

In preparation for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos joined the UN Townhall convened by the FFD4 Co-facilitators (7 February 2025). His written intervention urged a shift toward self-empowerment, human security, and local economies. FOGGS was represented at FFD4 in Seville, Spain (30 June–3 July 2025) by Georgios Kostakos and GSPN partners, distributing Reimagining Development from the Ground Up, a handout advocating a development paradigm rooted in local capacities and resilience.

Open Consultation Mondays

Open Consultation Mondays began in 2024 as an online dialogue platform bringing together experts, policymakers, researchers, and civil society representatives for regular discussion of pressing global governance challenges. Launched amid rising geopolitical tension, climate crises, economic instability, and technological disruption, the series responded to calls for reform of global governance structures.

Each session focused on a theme tied to global governance or multilateral institutions, prioritising open participation and active discussion over formal presentations. Topics ranged from UN reform and geopolitical shifts to climate governance, development finance, the roles of middle powers and civil society, and the influence of narratives and leadership on international politics.

All discussions hosted by FOGGS under this series, were recorded and are available for public access, as per below:

From January 2026, Open Consultation Mondays were transferred to the Global South Perspectives Network (GSPN), a coalition of think tanks and independent experts working to advance a more fair and inclusive model of global governance, with a strong focus on UN reform and multilateral policy. GSPN amplifies Southern perspectives through research, coordinated dialogue, and shared advocacy, and now also runs FOGGS' online magazine, Katoikos.world.

Climate and Sustainability Initiatives

FOGGS engaged in applied research and partnerships advancing sustainable development and the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with projects in India and Greece.

SDGs in India

In collaboration with Indian research partners, FOGGS produced a report examining the implementation of the SDG framework in India, identifying structural challenges, policy gaps, and opportunities for stronger alignment between national development priorities and global sustainability goals. The 2021 report, Implementing the SDGs in India: Poverty, Hunger and Gender, offers analysis of SDG progress and recommends pathways for accelerating delivery in key areas including education, health, gender equality, and climate action.

Hellenic Forum for Sustainable Development (ELFOVA)

FOGGS co-founded and supported the Hellenic Forum for Sustainable Development (ELFOVA), a national platform promoting sustainable development policies and practices in Greece. Operating in partnership with ELIAMEP (the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), ELFOVA worked to map SDG implementation in Greece, foster dialogue among public, private, and civil society stakeholders, and strengthen Greece's contribution to the global sustainability agenda. The project's research outcomes are available through the University of Athens EEEP programme.

sparta.komvos (2024–2025)

As part of the FOGGS Executive Director's office in Sparta, Greece, a public meeting space was inaugrated in early 2024 as a hub connecting global issues to local audience. It hosted a number of interactive presentations, and open discussions, as well as film screenings and artistic exhibits, until its closing in the spring of 2026, as can be seen on its website: sparta-komvos.net. Some event recordings can be found on the FOGGS youtube channel.

Other Partnerships and Networks

Greycells / GreyTalks Partnership

FOGGS maintained an ongoing partnership with Greycells — Association of Former International Civil Servants for Development, promoting their GreyTalks dialogue series. Among other things, FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos was a speaker at the GreyTalk "The Case for a Revision of the UN Charter" (28 March 2023), alongside Augusto López Claros and Maja Groff. FOGGS, Greycells, and Peace Child International jointly organised a briefing for Geneva Permanent Missions and NGOs (8 June 2023) on civil society proposals for the UN Summits 2023–2025.

MEGA — Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance

In December 2023, FOGGS became a co-sponsoring organisation of MEGA — Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance, a coalition of civil society organisations working with like-minded governments to strengthen environmental governance.

Thabo Mbeki Foundation Consultations (2024)

In March 2024, FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos, together with partners from the Inclusive Society Institute (ISI) — Buyelwa Sonjica and Daryl Swanepoel — held consultations with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation in Johannesburg, including a meeting with former South African President Thabo Mbeki, on cooperation around global governance reform and the Global Resilience Council.

Other Activities