I – International tensions are increasing at a Regarding the content and the format, the time where solutions to global challenges Paris Peace Forum is neither a summit are urgently needed. With these issues nor a conventional international in mind, the Paris Peace Forum aims conference. to bring together all actors of global governance to strengthen The Paris Peace Forum places at its heart multilateralism and international innovative solutions to current cooperation. governance challenges. The Paris Peace Forum will convene One hundred years after the end of political and numerous civil society actors the First World War, the Paris Peace as well as all those involved in the Forum recalls the fact that there is an research and application of these global urgency to act; this will require challenges (i.e. global warming, concrete action, free speech and destabilization of the internet, armed dialogue between all actors. conflicts etc.). Actors from civil society, regional and international organizations leaders, Heads of State and Government will be among the participants. The Paris Peace Forum will provide all attendees with the opportunity to have an open dialogue. The Paris Peace Forum is organized around 5 themes: peace and The Paris Peace Forum focuses on security, environment, those who seek to implement concrete development, inclusive economy, actions to today’s challenges. 850 new technologies. The challenges we initiatives were audited by the face are not concerned with sectoral Selection Committee; 120 projects constraints: the Paris Peace Forum were selected and will be presented takes note of this. at the Paris Peace Forum. Heads of State and Government will 105 countries were invited. More than speak simultaneously during the first 60 Heads of State and Government day in several spaces at the venue and have confirmed their participation. in various configurations. One speaker States are obviously a key part of the may make a plea or give a masterclass, solution and their presence is several speakers may be involved in necessary at such a forum. However, round-tables or have discussions – an their attendance at a meeting with such innovative format for such a high level a format will be unique in the sense meeting. that there will be direct meetings between Heads of State and project All participants will be able to take leaders. part in the controversial debates. The formats of the debates (Fishbowl, In addition to States, representatives Brainstorm, Conversation, Vote) from various international and respond to a need for frankness and multilateral institutions will be simplicity in the way in providing present at the Paris Peace Forum; e.g. answers to the highlighted challenges. the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the IMF Director, the WTO Finally, a hackathon on financial Director, the President of the World data transparency will to mobilize Bank. Numerous multilateral collective intelligence in the fields of organizations will also be present, computer, economics or social including those based in Paris (OECD, sciences around global governance and UNESCO, OIF, IEA etc.). Their financial data transparency issues presence shows that this initiative complements existing actors and initiatives. After a call for projects that was resulted in almost 900 submissions in the summer, 120 projects were selected to be presented in Paris this autumn. The project leaders of the selected solutions for governance will not present their projects in the conventional way that is observed at conferences. Instead, they will be at the center of the event, which will be conceived as a ‘global village of action’. The project inventors will represent a community of actors engaged in the search and the application for concrete solutions. Creating international and inter- 10 projects supported in the long projet synergies term The Space for Solutions at the Paris The Forum is focused on the long Peace Forum will convene all the term. The idea is not just to inventors of the selected projects highlight the initiatives, but to from 42 countries and 10 strengthen and support them in their international organizations. Within growth and implementation. A this space, the inventors will be able monitoring committee composed of to present their solution to the experts will follow 10 of the 120 participants, and address any projects presented in Paris from 11 questions about them. to 13 November for the period of one year. A web application to create dialogue between all participants The web application of the event will enable stakeholders to interact in order to band together and learn Prior to the Forum, a study will be from each other before and during conducted on the expectations of the Paris Peace Forum. the project leaders, so as to offer the best possible experience. The UN describes domestic resources as “the The program, which is supported by the largest untapped source of financing to fund Organisation for Economic Co-operation and national development plans”, and has listed Development (OECD) and the UN support for building the capacity of national tax Development Program (UNDP), helps countries audit systems as a priority. to recover revenue from multinationals that have been paying less than their fair share. It also The Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) seeks to build local audit capacities and is seen as project focuses on tackling tax avoidance by the key to meeting the UN’s sustainable improving local audit capacities, with a particular Development Goals. emphasis on ensuring multinationals conform with local tax laws. This is a great example of Currently, 29 programs remain operational and 7 south-south cooperation (e.g Botswana helped have been completed (and thus exceed the target by Kenya) as well as north-south coorperation. set by the TIWB Governing Board of 35 programs by April 2018). Over 20 programs are To date, USD 414 million in increased tax in the pipeline. These developments are, in part, revenues is attributable to TIWB and TIWB-style due to increased active participation from support offered in partnership with the African partner administrations, with 11 countries Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and the deploying their serving tax officials and a UNDP World Bank Group (WBG). TIWB represents managed roster of 40 tax audit experts up and excellent value for money with over USD 100 in running. additional tax revenues recovered for every USD 1 spent on operating costs. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a world-wide movement. Its greatest a farming practice that believes in natural strength is that it is based on the latest growth of crops without adding any scientific discoveries in agriculture, and, fertilizers and pesticides or any other at the same time it is rooted in Indian foriegn elements. tradition. The FAO has as recently as The word Zero Budget refers to the zero April, 2018 urged all countries to move net cost of production of all crops (inter towards the adoption of Agro ecology to crops, border crops, multi crops). The meet the twin goals of global food inputs used for seed treatments and other security and conservation of the inocluations are locally available in the environment. form of cowdung and cow urine. A ZBNF practicisng farmer has lower cost of inputs and thus has better capacity to increase the incomes. At the same time, ZBNF crops helps in retaining soil fertiliting and is climate change resilient. Z.B.N.F principles are in sync with the principles of Agro ecology, Antarctica plays a hugely important role for the business, media and science, who are building planet as a climate regulator and driver of the support for the protection of more than 7 critical ocean currents that feed the world. It million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean contains about 90 percent of the world’s ice and by 2020 through the establishment of a network around 70 percent of the planet’s fresh water, of large-scale marine protected areas in the both of which are vulnerable to warming air and region. waters. This continent is under threat. Antarctica and Antarctica 2020 is calling for high-level the Southern Ocean have been leadership, multilateral cooperation and disproportionately affected by the impacts of sustained diplomatic efforts to ensure action is climate change, with an increase of more than 5 taken to protect the world’s greatest remaining degrees Celsius in the average surface ocean wilderness- the Southern Ocean. This temperature over the past 50 years. protection will safeguard Antarctica’s precious We need to act fast to realise a network of marine life, build global resilience to climate marine protected areas (MPAs) around the change and create an environmental legacy that continent by 2020, to protect these sensitive will benefit humanity for generations to come. ecosystems from the threat of industrial fishing during a time of extreme environmental change Antarctica 2020 is a group of high-level influencers from the worlds of sport, politics, The costs for cyber attacks for firms and states Applying lessons of the past to create a safer social institutions are mountings. Highly digital future with several actions: destructive attacks have illustrated the growing A presentation by Brad Smith, President and need for cyber norms. For instance, the software chief legal officer of Microsoft, to address the ‘NotPetya’ cost businesses, such as Saint- urgent need for digital peace and modern Gobain, more than $1.2 billion in 2017. Add to multilateralism this: A multi-stakeholder