The UN's role in Overcoming Development Challenges

On 28 February, renowned aid expert Richard Manning delivered a GEG Special Lecture on the future of multilateral aid. Former Chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, Richard recently served as Vice Chair of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria’s replenishment and as Coordinator of the Replenishment of the African Development Fund, the soft-loan arm of the African Development Bank. Richard’s remarks focused on these two replenishments, as well as that of the International Development Association, the principal source of World Bank funding for low-income countries. He noted that, contrary to the fears that austerity-focused Western governments would cut back on multilateral aid commitments, for the most part governments maintained or even increased their contributions. However, emerging donors in general did not significantly increase their core funding contributions, although some – notably China – have demonstrated interest in engaging with multilateral banks in new and creative ways. Richard also argued that the governance of multilateral institutions continues to lag behind shifting economic realities, and that the BRICs deserve a say in these institutions commensurate with their weight in the global economy.

Global Economic Governance Seminar, 9 November 2012. Has there been, as many have argued, a precipitous decline in civil conflicts during the past decade? What are the underlying drivers of civil conflicts in the current era, and how do they differ from previous eras? Drawing from this analysis, what international and national policy responses are likely to be most, and least, effective in settling such conflicts? The panel for this session is: Richard Caplan, Professor of International Relations, Oxford, Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of Government and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and Dr Anke Hoeffler, Research Officer, Center for the Study of African Economies, Oxford

Former Chilean Minister of Finance and Fellow of the Center for International Development at Harvard, Andres Velasco, delivered a lecture on the subject 'Fiscal policy in natural resource intensive countries: some theory and the experience of Chile.'.

Ngaire Woods chairs a panel discussion looking into the political, economic and environmental consequences of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference last year.

Laurence Whitehead talks about the extent of the damage done in Haiti by the earthquake of last year and how the people of Haiti are coping with living after the disaster.

John Mitchell talks about the NGOs and humanitarian organisations work and how they have been working to help Haiti after the earthquake disaster.

Paul Sherlock gives his presentation for the event; 'The International Community's Response to Haiti'.

Ngaire Woods talks about the international community's humanitarian response to the Haitian Earthquake. Part of a series of presentations entitled 'The International Community's Response to Haiti'.

Special Lecture given by former Prime Minister of New Zealand and now Administrator of the United Nations Development Program the Rt Hon. Helen Clark. She is introduced by Director of the Global Economic Governance Program, Professor Ngaire Woods.

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, President of European Socialist Party and former Prime Minister of Denmark talks about the politics of current efforts to regulate the financial sector.