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Add to Preferred SourcesAt a time of geopolitical upheaval, shifting alignments, and growing uncertainty around the future of global and regional institutions, trust remains the essential foundation that enables cooperation between states, societies, and other stakeholders.
New kinds of leadership, reinvigorated institutions, and renewed respect for international norms, policies, and laws are needed to reverse the ongoing breakdown of trust within and between countries, which is undermining efforts to build a more secure and just world — or “just security.” This fourth edition of the Future of International Cooperation Report (FIC’26) critically examines growing trust deficits across the spheres of global and regional politics (including diplomacy and mediation), economics (including business and technology), and security and justice (including protecting people and preventing violent extremism) – even in cases where national interests overlap, and the benefits of coordinated action are clear.
With a fresh reconceptualization of trust in this second quarter of the 21st century and the attendant multiplier effect of social capital investments, FIC’26 charts a positive reform and accountability agenda to leverage the confluence of a new United Nations Secretary-General (from January 1, 2027) with World Social Summit and Summit of the Future follow-through, alongside initial steps toward a Post-2030 Development Agenda in the lead-up to the September 2027 SDG Summit in New York.