‘Global problems require global solutions.’

British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, launched the UK’s initiative on international institutional reform (April 2008), setting out the UK Government’s ambition for systemic reform.

You can read his full speech on the 10 Downing Street website.

Strengthening international institutions

The ForeignSecretary, Rt Hon. David Miliband MP, spoke on strengtheninginternational institutions during the debate on the Queen's Speech looking ahead to 2009.

'...if we want the multilateralarchitecture to continue to be the basis for international engagementand co-operation in the 21st century, we need to build support forreform...we need fundamental reform of our institutions, notably at theUN.'

You can read full the debate read full the debate on the UK Parliament website.

Foreign policy priority

Foreign Office Minister, Lord Malloch-Brown, made a speech at Queen Mary's University on 11 November on international institution reform and the globaleconomic climate.

Read more about the event and watch Lord Malloch Brown's speech

Institutions for 21st Century challenges

International institutions such as the United Nations were established for another age.

But global shifts in culture, economy, politics, communications and national independence have helped to create an interdependent world of 200 states.

Our institutions are increasingly unable to deal with the range of problems that now threaten the world’s stability, prosperity and sustainability:

• conflict and insecurity
• climate change
• interdependent international financial systems
• terrorism
• proliferation of weapons
  
• development emergencies
• global poverty and rising inequality
  
• increasing demand on scarce resources such as food and energy.

The response of international institutions to these challenges is often ‘demand-led’, emerging in response to crises. This approach has limited success.

We must now work together to make these institutions deliver real and lasting change to tackle these 21st Century challenges.

They are still the best mechanism to achieve this through a legal framework of regulated relations between countries.

Learn more about our active role at the United Nations and European Union.

International financial institutions

The current international financial crisis has shown how important it is for international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to be able to tackle the challenges of our global economy.

We believe the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank can be improved to better do this.

We work closely with the UK Treasury who lead on the reform of international financial institutions. There's more info on the HM Treasury website [opens an external website].

The UK wants action to reform institutions

We believe institutions will not be reformed fast enough to meet these new challenges unless we all work together.

We urgently need a 'global dialogue' on the:

• need to reform international institutions
• global challenges we must address and possible solutions
  
• practical ways to acheive this.

To do this we need an environment where these ideas and interests can be constructively discussed as widely as possible.

We know this dialogue needs to be a genuinely broad and inclusive process and we must involve those who can offer their experience and insights:

• states
• non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
  
• academic institutions
• business
  
• faith groups
• the wider public.

On 10th November 2008 the Prime Minister told guests at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet that the current turmoil in the world economy offers a chance to build a “new global order” based on cooperation and opportunity.

He said, “It is now in our power to come together, confer, and decide and that we must be guided by one clear truth: that we need solutions that can no longer be defined in terms of us and them, but can be achieved only together: as us with them."    

Read his latest speech in full on the No 10 Downing Street website:  http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17420.