Join us to observe the 80th Anniversary of the UN Charter on 26 June 2025. |
UN CHARTER AT 80: A CALL TO RECLAIM ITS PURPOSE
In response to mounting concerns on the state of our world, multilateralism and the UN, a Call has been prepared on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter, calling for a return to the Charter’s purpose. See brief background information and how you can support the call here
Latest FOGGS Paper
Ambassador Francis M. O’Donnell’s World Peace: Reclaiming the United Nations and Its Ideals is a timely call to renew global commitment to the UN Charter on its 80th anniversary. Drawing from decades of diplomatic experience, O’Donnell urges a return to the founding principles of peace, human rights, and the rule of law.
The paper highlights the urgency of UN reform, stronger international cooperation, and support for sustainable development. The publication can be found here.
Latest Katoikos.world Article
What is a Sadistic State and how can it be countered?
Reflecting on what is happening in the US since the (second) Trump inauguration on 20 January 2025, people say it is becoming an authoritarian state, a corrupt state, an anti-immigrant state, a human rights crushing state, a white nationalist state, an oligarch-controlled state, and a state that is chaotic by design. It is certainly a state, where the President seeks to ‘rule’ over the co-equal institutions of the government, the Legislative and the Judiciary. While all of these explain an aspect of the Trump (and, to be analytically honest, also the Hungarian) state, this is actually a new form of post WWII governance arrangement in the West, an arrangement best technically described as a Sadistic State (SS).
Read the full article on Katoikos.world
PRG proposal for Security Council reform presented to UN
World leaders agreed in the Pact for the Future (New York, September 2024) to prioritize efforts towards strengthening the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform. In this light, the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations in New York hosted an Open House Discussion on Security Council Reform on 17 April 2025. The event aimed to support the ongoing inter-governmental negotiations (IGN) chaired by the Permanent Representative of Kuwait in ensuring that a future Security Council reflects the realities of today‘s world and can discharge its mandate effectively. Among the civil society actors invited to present their proposals at this Open House was the Peacemaking Reflection Group of former UN system staff (PRG), which is supported by FOGGS.
The presentation, eventually made online by FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos, reflected the PRG proposal as presented in this PassBlue article authored by Sukehiro Hasegawa, Kerstin Leitner and Georgios Kostakos:
https://www.passblue.com/2025/01/14/security-council-reform-when-and-how-it-can-be-done
We look forward to accelerated progress at the IGN.
Katoikos.world Article
Demolishing Trade-based Globalization: Not necessarily a bad thing
On April 2nd, President Trump declared “Liberation Day for America” with sweeping tariffs on all imports, shaking global trade to its core. Allies and rivals alike were hit, as the US pivoted sharply to protectionism. Could this bold move trigger economic collapse—or pave the way for a new, more equitable world order? Dive into the debate that could reshape globalization as we know it.
Read the full op-ed on Katoikos.world
FOGGS at the Africa Consultative Meeting 2025
FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos participated in the Africa Consultative Meeting convened by the Africa Think-tank Dialogue and hosted in Cape Town, South Africa, by FOGGS partner Inclusive Society Institute (ISI) on 25-26 March 2025. Georgios made the introductory presentation at a session dedicated to “The role of middle powers in (re)balancing the global governance system and reviving multilateralism and the UN”. You can find his presentation here.
Katoikos.world Article
Europe’s Wake-Up Call: Will We Rise or Hit Snooze on History
“A week is a long time in politics,” as former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously remarked. The first two weeks of March 2025 have felt endless, marked by political shifts, surprises, and moments that could shape the future for decades to come. As the U.S. takes charge in shaping the Russia-Ukraine conflict and global trade tensions rise, Europe remains on the sidelines.
In this Katoikos.world op-ed, a young, politically active European, Stefanos Tsorakis, questions Europe’s passive role in global geopolitics, urging it to break free from U.S. dependence. Maybe the Readiness 2030 initiative now on the table will enable Europe to finally reclaim its strategic autonomy?
Read the full op-ed on Katoikos.world
Cometh the End of History
In an era dominated by fast, bite-sized information, are we truly learning—or just consuming? This thought-provoking piece delves into the impact of modern media on democracy, the rise of far-right populism in Europe, and how global power dynamics are shifting in unprecedented ways. With Trump’s return to office and the increasing role of digital manipulation, the stakes have never been higher.
Read on to explore why these changes matter—and what they mean for our future.
Latest Podcast Episodes | CHANGE MAKERS by the Global Citizen
In this episode, we spoke to Carol Bellamy, former Executive Director of UNICEF. Carol spoke to us with admirable candor about her experience of leading UNICEF at a pivotal time in the organization.
En este episodio, conversamos con José Woldenberg, connotado politólogo mexicano que desempeñó un papel clave en la transición democrática de su país como uno de los primeros consejeros ciudadanos del Instituto Federal Electoral – el IFE – y luego como Consejero Presidente del IFE durante los años 1996 a 2003.
FOGGS at the UN Townhall on Financing for Development
FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos participated in the UN Townhall convened by the Co-facilitators of the Outcome Document for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), that took place on 7 February 2025.
Georgios emphasized the need to move away from demandeur approaches and focus on self-empowerment, stressing human security and local economies that ensure local nutritional self-sufficiency and resilient decent living. He highlighted how current supply chains worsen financial precarity, stating that the ‘efficiency’ of supply chains is increasing human insecurity, indebtedness, and financial precarity everywhere. Additionally, he urged that resources be redirected away from armaments and called for a stronger UN Economic and Social Council to take a leading role in global economic governance.
The summary of the intervention can be found here.
Latest Katoikos.world Article
Another opportunity missed for humanity…
On 27 January 2025 the world observed Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi concentration and extermination camps near Krakow, Poland, in 1945. It was the 20th such observance, following the UN General Assembly resolution that established the “International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust” in 2005 “Reaffirming that the Holocaust…
