SIGA at the Future Resilience Forum in London

On 14th and 15th October 2024, the Future Resilience Forum (FRF) took place in Canary Wharf, London. This international forum aims to reveal meaningful connections in an increasingly volatile world and foster new relationships that promote greater stability and prosperity for both the Global South and the North. Dr Remo Reginold and Svenja Jakob from the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs attended this year’s main event. 

This year's debates focused on the "New World Order" and the African continent. Topics discussed included artificial intelligence (AI) and sovereignty, defence and security, space, cooperation between the Global North and Global South, critical minerals, and supply chains. 

For the Global North, dialogue with African states is essential to ensure the supply of raw materials, particularly with regard to the energy transition. It is necessary to avoid traditional patterns of exploitation and neo-colonial structures. This should be achieved through alternative perspectives and dialogue on an equal footing. Additionally, establishing a carbon market is crucial for integrating and leveraging the private sector in the fight against the climate crisis. Resilient supply chains for raw materials and other goods are also essential for the future.  

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and reinsurance are seen as key tools for a resilient world in the cyber and space domains. Space technologies, for instance, are significant for climate research, communication, and the defence industry, while also providing a platform for geopolitical projections. Innovation requires certain laws and standards, though regulation should not be overly restrictive. 

Opinions diverged on whether the world is evolving towards a bipolar or multipolar order. In both scenarios, the challenge of stricter regulations on AI technologies is evident. States, in particular, favour this approach, while technology companies tend to oppose it. International cooperation is crucial to the future of AI. However, states want to maintain their own sovereignty, which creates a balancing act.  

The Future Resilience Forum 2024 provided interesting insights and a discussion platform into topics and challenges currently facing the world. The need for just cooperation between the Global South and the Global North was emphasised throughout. The focus was on the African continent with regard to the extraction of raw materials. However, the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs also sees a risk of neo-colonial structures in these narratives. The role of the BRICS countries in a ‘New World Order’ and China's influence in particular were barely addressed in the forum. For the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs, including these actors would be important. A holistic approach and transdisciplinary cooperation can contribute to this and at the same time offer the opportunity to recognise geopolitical risks and potentials at an early stage. This was demonstrated by the forum.

Dr. Remo Reginold and Svenja Jakob