On November 5th, CIPÓ researcher Gabrielle Alves participated in the Young ThinkTankers Forum. The event, held as part of the 3rd Southern Voice Research Conference (9-11 November 2021) brought together think tank experts from around the globe to discuss current and future policy issues related to sustainable development, the UN 2030 Agenda, and post-pandemic challenges.
Following the successful conference titled “Shaping an equitable post-COVID world: the role of Global South think tanks,” the 59 network members came together for a joint call to action.
Southern Voice members propose that think tanks
- Mobilize a broad and social dialogue based on scientific research and communication. Mobilize a broad and social dialogue based on scientific research and communication. Open deliberation of the opportunities and trade-offs of reform is essential, and think tanks can facilitate this.
- Increase accountability of Global South local and national governments for sound development policies and of the responsibility of Global North countries on their contributions to global public goods.
- Enable alliances between institutions, sharing information and deepening the analysis of structural problems in the Global South. While collective action is essential, think tanks can give support by defining the mechanisms and norms that drive successful partnerships.
- Reinforce think tanks’ independence and non-partisan perspectives to offer technical assistance to governments. The pandemic has shown that think tanks can put their strengths at the services of the public sector to bolster the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies
- Produce data-driven and inclusive outputs much faster than currently obtainable. The ultimate goal is to turn knowledge into practical actions that benefit society as a whole.
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the significance of multilateral institutions, strong public governance and collaboration. It is paramount to take advantage of the crisis to counter the problems it has revealed. Think Tanks play a pivotal role in this.
