Crisis or Opportunity? Multilateralism in a Polycentric World

The Policy Center for the New South is pleased to host a seminar on January 16, 2026, titled: “Crisis or Opportunity? Multilateralism in a Polycentric World.” 

Global cooperation is under increasing strain. Shocks related to finance, climate, security, and technology are overlapping at a time when major powers are contesting international rules and norms, and public budgets are shrinking. Yet these shifts may also create new spaces for agency and coalition-building, particularly for parts of the Global South. 

The discussion will be grounded in the speakers’ recent Policy Paper titled: “Crisis or Opportunity? Pockets of Effective Multilateralism in a Polycentric World”, which highlights emerging forms of pragmatic multilateral action. Drawing on examples from the 2025 Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla, the speakers argue that problem-specific coalitions, bringing together like-minded actors around targeted issues, may constitute a realistic response to a fractured international landscape. While such configurations are neither ideal nor comprehensive, they nonetheless help sustain multilateralism through “pockets of effectiveness” across different regions and policy domains. 

This seminar will feature contributions from: Len Ishmael, Stephan Klingebiel and Andy Sumner. They will explore how multilateral cooperation is evolving in practice, what it means for global governance, and how actors from the Global South can shape and benefit from new forms of collective action.