Europe

World events of the past decade have put the international refugee system under great stress. The challenges include a dramatic increase in the number of forced migrants, a significant shortfall in needed funding, and inadequate international burden-sharing.

Sarah Cliffe CIC Director, recently moderated the Third Session of the Doha Forum held in Qatar from May 21-23. The theme for the Third Session was the Global Economy. Globally we are facing two major economic challenges; the global slowdown and volatility of commodities, currencies and financial markets.  Watch the full video of the Third Session of the Doha Forum below:

“What we had feared has come to pass,” said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on 22 March.

The first time I heard the German word “zwangsoptimist” was in a meeting to discuss ways to improve how the international system functions. Meaning “someone who feels compelled to be an optimist,” the word not only succinctly sums up my work for and alongside the U.N. over the past 27 years, but could also be a one-word job description for the organization’s next secretary-general.