The Policy Center for the New South hosted a seminar on January 16, 2026, titled “Crisis or Opportunity? Multilateralism in a Polycentric World.”
The discussion addressed the growing strain on global cooperation amid overlapping financial, climate, security, and technological shocks, occurring at a time of intensified contestation over international rules and shrinking public budgets. Beyond these challenges, the seminar examined how such transformations may also open new spaces for agency and coalition-building, particularly for actors from the Global South.
The exchange was grounded in the speakers’ Policy Paper, “Crisis or Opportunity? Pockets of Effective Multilateralism in a Polycentric World,” which sheds light on emerging, pragmatic forms of multilateral action. Drawing on insights from the 2025 Financing for Development Conference held in Sevilla, the discussion highlighted how problem-specific coalitions bringing together like-minded actors around targeted issues can offer a realistic response to an increasingly fragmented international system. While these arrangements are neither comprehensive nor ideal, they contribute to sustaining multilateralism through “pockets of effectiveness” across regions and policy domains.
The seminar featured contributions from:
- Len Ishmael, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
- Andy Sumner, Professor of International Development, King’s College London
- Stephan Klingebiel, Head of Inter- and Transnational Cooperation, IDOS
Together, they discussed how multilateral cooperation is evolving in practice, its implications for global governance, and the ways in which Global South actors can shape and benefit from emerging forms of collective action.
