The Stimson Center, the Doha Forum, and the Global Institute for Strategic Research (GISR) released the fourth edition of their Future of International Cooperation Report, which offers proposals to innovate global and regional governance towards a renewal of global trust. The report outlines ways to advance justice and security together while charting a path towards a post-2030 development agenda in the lead up to the 2027 SDG Summit.
Themed, ‘Redefining Global Trust,’ the report leverages the selection and appointment of a new UN Secretary-General as well as follow-through efforts from the 2025 World Social Summit, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), and the 2024 Summit of the Future to explore how global and regional governance can restore and expand trust. By drawing potential “win-win” implementation linkages between the Doha Political Declaration, the Sevilla Commitment, and the Pact for the Future, it identifies entry points for deepening the multiple, mutually reinforcing action agendas to help redefine trust.
Enjoying this article? Make sure you always catch our coverage by subscribing to our SDG Update newsletter.
Highlighting the impacts of mistrust and distrust on governance, including the erasure of a sense of community, hindrance of information sharing, and a diminished respect for international law, the report focuses on restoring trust in global and regional politics, economics, and security and justice.
The report underscores the need for clear foundational principles to counter trust deficits through effective global and regional governance. At the global level, these principles include transparency, legitimacy, effectiveness, and integrity. Closely related principles at the regional level are cooperation, collaboration, accountability, and reciprocity.
The report formulates recommendations for reinvigorating trust through more effective, networked, and inclusive global and regional governance.
To redefine global trust, the report calls for:
- Establishing a multilateral information integrity council;
- Building a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub and shared computing infrastructure; and
- Streamlining and reforming the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts.
To improve regional trust, it recommends:
- Building an inter-regional early warning and preventive diplomacy network;
- Expanding and deepening regional and inter-regional trade agreements; and
- Embedding enforcement mechanisms into regional security arrangements.
The report emphasizes that to reduce distrust, injustice, lawlessness, and abrogation of accepted norms and customs, political and moral courage must accompany a robust vision of “just security.” It highlights this concept as central to a post-2030 development agenda and argues that buy-in is necessary not only from national governments and international organizations, but also from partners from civil society and the business community.
The report was published on 14 September 2026, ahead of its formal launch at the start of the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-Level Week. [Publication: Future of International Cooperation Report 2026: Redefining Global Trust] [Publication Landing Page] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Future of International Cooperation Report 2025]