- Insights ▷ October 2018 VOLUME 115 October - 2018 Global governance in a hyper-connected world The eleventh edition of the World Policy Conference was held in Rabat, Morocco, from the 26th-28th of October 2018. Tobby Simon, the founder and president of Synergia Foundation, was one of the speakers at the eleventh edition of the World Policy Conference. He enunciated on the topic “Global Governance in a Hyper-Connected World” along with co panellist who included Virginie Robert – Chief Editor of the International desk, Les Echoes, Patrick Nicolet – Group Toxic air Saudi’s suffocating Weakened New Delhi Position Asia’s largest economy, China, The latest revelations in Jamal has long had a reputation for Khashoggi’s murder at the smoggy skies. But these days, Saudi Arabian embassy seem to neighbouring India is fighting implicate those at the Yemen Facebook Losing Fight activates Against election ‘war Famine room’ UN Humanitarian experts have The social media company is warned that Yemen faces the gearing up for the upcoming US world’s worst famine in 100 Mid-term elections by opening EU bans Brexit’s “Key single-use issues” Plastic The UK and EU say key issues remain unresolved following The European Parliament has unscheduled Brexit talks in voted for a complete ban on a Brussels. On June 23rd, 2016, Britain range of single-use plastics across narrowly voted to leave 1 the union in a bid to stop the European Union - Insights ▷October 2018 world. ‘WannaCry’ Ransomware was a cyber-attack that targeted machines running the Microsoft Windows operating systems. This attack affected companies and individuals in more than 150 countries, including government agencies and large industrial entities. However, the narrative or the intent of these attacks are quite clear – in a connected world, the adversary has the ability to disrupt an industry or a critical infrastructure anywhere in the world. According to Tobby, there is also a real threat of digital wildfires in a hyperconnected world. In 1938, when the radio had become widespread, thousands of Americans were confused due to an adaptation of the H.G Wells novel “The War of the Worlds”. As the adaptation showed news broadcasts and police stations had jammed telephones in a panic belief that the United States was invaded by the Martians. Tobby highlighted that the internet remains an unchartered, and a fast-evolving territory. Social media allows information to be transmitted around the world at Global governance in a breakneck speed. Due to the benefits that are well documented, the connected world could also witness a rapid spread of fake news and fake narratives. These are either intentional or unintentional, misleading or provocative but can have serious hyper-connected world consequences. The eleventh edition of the World Policy Conference was The chances of this happening are exponentially higher today than when the radio held in Rabat, Morocco, from the 26th-28th of October 2018. was introduced as a disruptive technology. Radio was a communication of one to many while the internet is that of many to many. Additionally, Tobby also pointed Tobby Simon, the founder and president of Synergia out that elections are considered as the cornerstone of a democracy. They are Foundation, was one of the speakers at the eleventh increasingly made vulnerable to both information operations and cyberattacks in edition of the World Policy Conference. He enunciated on the information age. the topic “Global Governance in a Hyper-Connected World” Assessment along with co panellist who included Virginie Robert – Chief Editor of the International desk, Les Echoes, Patrick Nicolet Our assessment is that global governance in a hyper-connected world has become – Group Technology officer & Group Executive Board distributed and collaborative. We are all part of a much broader problem-solving network, with many high performing organisations and individuals – public and Member of Cap Gemini, Francois Barrault – Chairman of private, working on different parts of the problem or even the same part of the IDATE, Chang Dae -whan, Chairman & Publisher Maekyung same problem. We believe that global governance is not about leaders charting Media Group & Former Prime Minister, South Korea and their own course but helping networks solve issues with the best and most current thinking available. Thus, we feel that collaboration is a new competition and the Francis Gurry – Director General WIPO. more valuable our contributions are, the higher our influence will be. Background The World Policy Conference (WPC) has been ranked the 3rd best Think Tank Conference in 2017 according to The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania '2017 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report'. Analysis Tobby Simon, the founder and president of Synergia Foundation, was one of the speakers at the eleventh World Policy Conference held in Rabat, Morocco. He shared his insights on the topic “Global Governance in a Hyper-Connected World.” He outlined on the paradox of globalisation and said that while globalisation is the most progressive force in history, it could also cause one of the most severe Toxic air suffocating New crises in the 21st century. Consequentially, people would likely become xenophobic, protectionist and nationalist due to the increased risk of integration. He mentioned that the primary challenge to global governance is the inability to manage current Delhi issues as the future is unlike the past. Asia’s largest economy, China, has long had a reputation for He said that at the national level, the biggest challenge for politicians and smoggy skies. But these days, neighbouring India is fighting policymakers is the need to balance the enormous benefits that global openness a far bigger battle with pollution: The South Asian country and connectivity brings with the need to protect industries and employment at the local level. He pointed out that the repurposing of global governance is vital to meet is home to the world’s 10 most polluted cities. new challenges. Nations are divided and cannot agree on a common approach. This is either because they lack common consensus or leadership in critical global Background issues. Pollution is described as the introduction of contaminants into the natural Tobby emphasised that the underlying tragedy of the Global Commons is the environment. Pollution often leads to adverse changes in the environment. It can overexploitation of shared resources. Like herders in the past, no single person be chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the has the motivation and responsibility to limit the number or extend the grazing of components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally livestock. As a result, the resource will eventually collapse. He said that the internet occurring contaminants. The onset of urban pollution began with the burning of is a shared global common and cyber criminality is a common threat that requires coal and wood. It was the Industrial Revolution that began in the 18th century that intervention both at the global and national level. One cannot fight criminals gave birth to environmental pollution as we know it in modern times. who transcend national borders with justice systems that are limited by national jurisdictions. Air pollution can be defined as the presence of toxic chemicals or compounds in the air, at levels that pose a health risk. Most often it is caused by human actives such as He reiterated that cyber-attacks could trigger massive outages in a hyper-connected mining, construction, transportation, industrial work and so on. 2 - Insights ▷ October 2018 Analysis Background A US-study has estimated that India and China together account for more than half Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist who was a permanent resident of of global deaths due to air pollution. According to the study, the increasing exposure the United States and a columnist at the Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi to air pollution combined with an ageing population has led to India rivalling China Arabian Consulate in Istanbul on 2nd October. He was a vocal critic of Saudi Arabian in health burden from bad air. The report states that China’s PM2.5 pollution levels crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his “oppressive regime”. have started stabilising and people’s exposure to particulate pollution has also started declining but meanwhile, it’s on a steep rise in India. The Saudi government denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s death for two weeks into the investigation, before finally admitting he was killed by several high ranking India has long struggled to pull together the type of coordinated national approach officials in the embassy. that’s helped China reduce pollution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is now pushing new initiatives that are looking towards curtailing hazardous air Turkish officials claim they have evidence he was dismembered and tortured before quality. But any gains would have to be enough to override other facets of India’s being murdered. Saudi’s ties with its strongest ally, the United States, have grown rampant growth, from the dust left by thousands of new construction sites to strained over the issue. Many political, financial and business leaders have also exhaust emissions from millions of new cars. spoken strongly against the country. By the World Bank’s calculations, health-care fees and productivity losses from Saudi Arabia is the world's top producers and exporters of oil. Saudi Arabia's pollution cost India as much as 8.5 per cent of GDP. At its current size of $2.6 trillion, economy is petroleum-based; Oil actually accounts for 90 per cent of the country's that works out to about $221 billion every year. exports and nearly 75 per cent government revenues. In 2014, a global fall in oil prices caused the Saudi economy to deteriorate.