‘Shaping Global Governance, Climate and Nature’ project

The Global Foundation has facilitated advocacy for co-operation and global action to address climate change through its Global Roundtable series since 2008, including, perhaps most significantly, the Assisi Accord of 2022. The Shaping Global Governance, Climate and Nature project represents, therefore, an escalation of the previous efforts of the Foundation, with a new leadership structure and renewed sense of purpose.

The project in brief

Launched at the Rome Roundtable 2024, the aim of the project is to help reach agreement on how global governance can be re-imagined to better manage the realities of the 21st Century, with a particular focus on collaborative actions to effectively address climate change and the challenges facing the natural world.

The Foundation is stepping up with this project and mobilising its unique and expanding coalition of international leaders from business, civil society and global institutions, working with eminent persons and governments. This process necessarily involves participation from all corners of the world and all sectors of society, confronting and acting on the gaps emerging between the ‘global South’ and the ‘global North’, between ‘East’ and ‘West’.

The Foundation has appointed a steering committee to oversee the project, which enjoys an impressive existing and expanding network of influential affiliates contributing to the success of the initiative.

amina_mohammed — **“We need to invest in the ecosystem…It’s not rocket science what we have to do. What we need is a leadership to do it.”**
*– Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations* at the Global Foundation’s *‘State of the World’* Roundtable 2024

Project Leadership

The project is led by a steering committee co-chaired by distinguished global business leader, Dr Mark Cutifani CBE, Chair and Acting CEO, Vale Base Metals, former CEO of Anglo American; and distinguished former global trade union leader, Ms Sharan Burrow AC, Global Advocate of Rights and Sustainability.

Dr Cutifani and Ms Burrow are also Chair and Deputy Chair, respectively, of the Global Foundation’s Global Advisory Council

Programs of engagement

Over the next three years, 2024-2026, we will engage all who are affiliated with our Project in a continuous program of trusted dialogue and communication with each other and with wider interests, seeking to constantly re-shape global governance for action on climate change and nature.

The Foundation will deploy its renowned convening and partnering power for the preparation for and conduct of these meetings, working with the most reputable partners.

The highest visibility of the project will manifest through a cumulative series of at least 10 face-to-face roundtable meetings, each to be convened in a major global location, in a roundtable format, with a limited numbers of participants, to facilitate trusted interpersonal exchange.

For 2024, three such in-person roundtable meetings are planned, as follows:

Dr Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Finance Officer of Aviva Investors, on the lack of sustainability markets.

Project programs: 2024

Beijing Mission 25-27 May 2024

Rome Roundtable 16-19 June 2024

Brazil, date and location TBD

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This May, in Beijing, the Foundation partnered for a global roundtable discussion about the project with a long-standing ally, the Center for China and Globalization, China’s top international think-tank, whose Secretary General, Dr Mabel Miao, is a member of our project steering committee.

For more than 20 years, the Foundation has worked closely with Chinese authorities and think-tanks on matters relating to China’s global engagement and enjoys a high standing with Chinese authorities. We helped secure Australia’s first LNG gas dela with China. We have hosted an Australian Prime Minister in Beijing for ground-breaking talks about China’s approach to addressing policy on climate change, partnering with Australia, initially and then with the United States. More recently, the Foundation was the first international partner of the Chinese Government for the formation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

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Since 2014, the Foundation has met in Rome, from time to time, at the Vatican, where it has built trusted relations at the highest level, including an audience with Pope Francis in January 2017, at which His Holiness personally endorsed the work of the Foundation.

More recently, in June 2023, the Foundation was invited to co-convene and co-chair with prestigious Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) at the Vatican a global roundtable discussion around the future of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Building upon this contribution and development efforts since that time, at the invitation and with the support of the Secretary of State to His Holiness, Pope Francis and the Chancellor and President of PASS, the Foundation convened a global roundtable meeting of some of the world’s most senior leaders, to focus on and formally launch the project. This historic meeting took place at the ACU Rome campus and in Assisi from 16-19 June 2024.

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The Government of Brazil will this year lead the G20, the grouping of the world’s premier economies and in 2025 it will host the official United Nations COP climate negotiations. Brazil is not only a very significant nation, it also acts as an important bridge of influence between the developed and developing world, globally.

The President of Brazil has announced an ambitious proposal to use the market power of the global investors to generate large-scale funds that will help to save tropical forests, initially in the Amazon and eventually, worldwide. Brazil and the World Bank, which is assisting with the development of the fund, has asked the Global Foundation to lend its support for the initiative, recognising our convening power.

For these reasons, the Foundation plans to convene a global meeting in Brazil in the second half of 2024, in partnership with the Government of Brazil and the World Bank, for which the timing and logistics are presently under discussion and will be advised soonest.

What the Foundation can offer its supporters

I am pleased to join you for this new edition of the Rome Roundtable of the Global Foundation. Inspired by the Foundation’s motto – “Together we strive for the common good” – you have gathered to discern just ways of attaining a globalisation that is “cooperative”, and thus positive, as opposed to the globalisation of indifference. You seek to ensure that the global community, shaped by institutions, agencies, and representatives of civil society, can effectively achieve international goals and obligations that have been solemnly declared and assumed, such as those of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Global Foundation clearly helps to stir the debate, to propose ideas, to catalyse proposals, and to help in the process of all our debates across global institutions. I know that I can call on [you], my Australian colleagues, when we need new ideas, when we need energy, and when we need a bit of that sun, which helps you see the light, perhaps a little better than most…

Who we are

Founded by eminent Australians in 1998, the Global Foundation is a not-for-profit and non-partisan international membership organisation that has become one of the most globally trusted platforms for international dialogue and action at the highest levels.

The Foundation is funded entirely by enlightened private sector supporters, who believe in ‘business with purpose’. It further distinguishes itself by harnessing coalitions of influence from many sectors of society, crossing over traditional barriers and borders. As a catalyst, often acting without fanfare, it facilitates progress on complex and seemingly intractable issues affecting the planet.

Over the past 25 years, the Foundation has been able to build a remarkable network, enjoying endorsement from and participation by leaders of the most influential global organisations, including the United Nations, the Vatican, the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank.

On an ongoing basis, the Foundation works in partnership with its key supporters in identifying and driving strategies that will have an enduring impact. As an integral part of this, from time to time, the Foundation convenes global roundtable discussions that bring together its supporters and figures of global influence, helping to reach common ground. You can read more about us here.

Project Steering Committee

Dr Mark Cutifani CBE, Co-Chair

Mark Cutifani, FREng CEng FIMMM FAusIMM DBA (Hon) DoL (Hon) BE (Mining–Hons), was appointed Chief Executive of Anglo American Plc on 3 April 2013. He stepped down as Chief Executive at Anglo American’s AGM in April 2022, and currently acts as special adviser to the new Chief Executive. He has more than 45 years of broad experience of projects, operations, marketing, business development and finance.

Mark has considerable experience in mining, having been associated with the industry since 1976 and has a practical working knowledge of most of the commodities produced and sold across the globe. He has had line experience and responsibility for mining and industrial businesses across six continents. Prior to joining Anglo American, he held the position of Chief Executive Officer at AngloGold Ashanti based in South Africa, and before that he was the Chief Operating Officer for Inco and then Vale’s global Nickel business, based in Canada. Prior to his Vale role he held senior executive positions with the Normandy Group, Sons of Gwalia, Western Mining Corporation, Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines and CRA [Rio Tinto].

Mark was until recently also the Chairman of De Beers Group of Companies and a non-Executive Director of Anglo American Platinum Limited. Mark continues as a non-executive director of Total SA. Mark is a mining engineer by training with several published papers and presentations.

In May 2022, Mark became the inaugural Chairman of the Global Advisory Council of the Global Foundation.

Ms Sharan Burrow AC, Co-Chair

Sharan Burrow is a global advocate for human and labour rights, climate action and Just Transition. She is the Former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation 2010-2022. Previously she was President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2000 – 2010.

Sharan is well known for her international advocacy on labour standards, corporate responsibility, climate action with just transition, investment in infrastructure and the green economy, investment in the care economy, women, equality and diversity, global migration and employment.

She has represented workers and civil society groups in global policy discussions in United Nations bodies, on the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation as well as at the tables of the G7, G20, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Sharan is currently a board member of the European Climate foundation, a co-chair of the IEA Labour Council, a Commissioner for the Global Commission on Universal Health Coverage, deputy chair of the B Team, a member of the Commission on Global Climate Governance, a commissioner for the Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development, an advisor to The Global Foundation and a former co-chair of the New Climate Economy. She has twice been a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.

Mr Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy is the Vice-President of the Paris Peace Forum and of the European branch of the Brunswick Group. He coordinates the Jacques Delors Institutes (Paris, Berlin, Brussels). He is also President or member of various boards with a global, European or French vocation (European Starfish Mission (ocean), Mo Ibrahim Foundation, European Climate Foundation, IFPRI, PECC, CERRE, TMEA, Antarctica 2020, Transparency International, Alpbach Forum, Beijing Forum, World Trade Forum, WEF, Global Risks, Europaeum, Collegium international, Musiciens du Louvre, Institut Mendes-France, Colbert Foundation, etc.).
He is an affiliated professor at the China Europe International Business School CEIBS (Shanghai) and at HEC (Paris).

From 2005 to 2013, Pascal Lamy served two consecutive terms as Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). He was previously Trade Commissioner (1999-2004), Director General of Crédit Lyonnais (1994-1999), Chief of Staff of the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors and his G7 Sherpa (1985-1994), Deputy Chief of Staff of the French Prime Minister (1983-1985) and to the French Minister of the Economy and Finance (1981-1983).

Dr Steve Waygood

Steve Waygood has always been fascinated by the power of money to change the world. He has worked for Aviva Investors for the last 15 years where he founded its Global Responsible Investment team as well as its Sustainable Finance Centre for Excellence, which seeks to transform capital markets so that they become more sustainable. He also co-founded the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, the World Benchmarking Alliance, and the UN Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative.

Steve started his career at WWF-UK in 1995, where he worked on its own ethical and environmental investment policy. He has subsequently advised the UK Government, the European Commission, the Financial Stability Board and the UN on the creation of sustainable capital markets.

Steve was appointed to the European Commission High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, and the UK Green Finance Taskforce, and is also a member of the Financial Stability Board Taskforce on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). He was highlighted by the Financial Times in 2018 as being one of the warriors of climate change among Money Managers.

His work became a case study in the Harvard Business School MBA in 2012. Steve has received the Leadership in Sustainability award from the Corporation of London and the British Chamber of Commerce. He has received awards from Brummell, the International Chamber of Commerce, the City of London, the United Nations Foundation, Yale and Harvard.

Dr Mabel Miao

Dr. Mabel Lu Miao is the Co-founder and Secretary-General of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a leading Chinese non-government think tank ranking in 64th place globally in the authoritative 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index (GGTTI) released by the University of Pennsylvania and the only think tank in China granted “Special Consultative Status” at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); Over the years under the leadership of Dr. Miao, CCG has gained wide international recognition and grown into a significant think tank with global impact that promotes China’s globalisation process. CCG is the only non-governmental think tank with the qualification for independent establishment of post-doctoral research workstations issued by government.

Dr. Miao also serves as Founder and Secretary General of Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) program, Deputy Director General of the Alliance of Global Talent Organizations (AGTO), Secretary General of China Global Talent Society, Secretary General of Policy Advisory Committee of Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA) and Deputy Director-General of the International Writing Center of Beijing Normal University.
Dr. Miao holds a Ph.D degree in Modern and Contemporary Chinese Studies from Beijing Normal University. She was also a visiting fellow at New York University and Harvard University, a post-doctoral fellow of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUS), and a Lien Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

Mike Fitzpatrick

Mike Fitzpatrick has over 40 years’ experience in the financial services sector. Committed to sustainability, Mike and his associated interests have made a range of investments in renewable energy and related technology development. Current investments include electric vehicles (California based Proterra), high purity quartz for use in silicon manufacture (Creswick Quartz) and Third Equation, a developer of transformers designed to stabilise electricity grids.
Mike holds a number of non-executive directorships, including Infrastructure Capital Group, Carnegie Clean Energy Limited and Chairman of Latam Autos Limited and Continuity Capital Group.

Mike is also a Trustee of the Rhodes Trust and a Biyala of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club.

Infrastructure Capital Group is a leading Australian based mid-market infrastructure fund manager with over A$2 billion in equity investments and with almost A$500 million allocated to renewable energy in its recently launched Australian Renewable Infrastructure Fund (ARIF).

In 1994 Mike founded Hastings Funds Management Ltd (Hastings), the pioneering infrastructure asset management company where he was Managing Director until he sold his interest in 2005. Hastings was then one of the largest managers of infrastructure and alternative assets in Australia (including infrastructure, high yield debt, private equity and timberland) managing investments of approximately A$3.8 billion. Hastings’ related directorships included Pacific Hydro, Australian Infrastructure Fund, Utilities Trust of Australia and Hastings Diversified Utilities Fund.

Prior to establishing Hastings, Mike was a director of CS First Boston. He also previously held positions with Merrill Lynch and First Boston in New York, the Victorian Treasury and Telecom Australia.

Mike is a former Chairman of Pacific Current Group Limited, Victorian Funds Management Corporation, the Australian Football League and the Australian Sports Commission, a former director of Rio Tinto Limited and Rio Tinto plc, a former member of the Melbourne Park Tennis Centre Trust, a former director of the Carlton Football Club and a former director of the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Mike has a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Arts from Oxford University where he was the 1975 Rhodes Scholar from Western Australia.

Ms Louise Watson

Louise has been a member of the Board of the Global Foundation since 2017. She has over 25 years’ experience as a strategic adviser to companies and Government. Louise has long-standing and trusted relationships with Australia’s corporate leaders, influencers, investors, market operatives, and the media.

Louise advises leaders and companies on seminal events and issues, and during times of corporate change. She has advised on more high-profile corporate M&A transactions than any other communications specialist and developed the blueprint for privatisation communications in Australia when she was communications adviser to the Australian Government on its first privatisation, The Commonwealth Bank.

In 2002, Louise established Symbol Strategic Communications, recognised as one of Australia’s leading corporate advisory firms in communications and investor relations. Symbol advises listed companies and corporates on reputation management, issues management, significant transactions and transformation projects, and investor and media relations.

Ms Christine Christian AO

Christine Christian is a chairman and company director, investor and entrepreneur with a 35-year career that spans financial services, investment, private equity, credit risk, Government, media and the not for profit sector. In 2020 Ms Christian was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Ms Christian has significant experience in business building as well as maximising shareholder returns. She developed and exited financial services businesses including as the Chairman of Dun & Bradstreet Credit Bureau and as CEO of Dun & Bradstreet Australia and New Zealand. Christine has held executive and advisory roles in the USA, China and India.

Christine is Chair of Auctus Investment Group Limited and SelfWealth Limited and currently holds non-executive director roles with MaxCap Group, Lonsec and Arcus Partners. She is President, Library Board of Victoria and Council member of La Trobe University.

Previous directorships include as Chairman of Humm Group Limited (previously FlexiGroup), Tanarra Credit Partners and Kirwood Capital and non-executive Director of ME Bank Limited, Credit Clear Limited, the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA), Scottish Pacific Business Finance and the ASIC Business Advisory Council. She was co-founder and Director of New York–based Powerlinx Inc., an innovator in the emerging partner economy and was Founding Chair of the Business Information Industry Association – Hong Kong and Middle East, and Director until 2012.

Christine is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Strategic Management Society and member and past-president of Chief Executive Women.

Mr Steve Howard

As Founding Secretary General of the non-profit Global Foundation, Steve has led the necessary global push for the adoption of ‘co-operative globalisation’, a positive strategy for inclusive, ‘win-win’ economic development and a sustainable global economy. Many world leaders, including Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Christine Lagarde, Pascal Lamy and Mark Carney, have personally participated in and endorsed this and related initiatives.

Through this collaborative and low-key approach, Steve has helped to shape global affairs with practical outcomes over 20 years.

He led the successful renaissance strategy for Melbourne, in Australia in the 1990’s, including a national strategy for private sector investment in public infrastructure, now adopted as a business model, worldwide. He continues to advise on complex infrastructure projects and funds in emerging markets.

In 1998, he co-founded and has since led the Global Foundation, for which an early centerpiece was the restoration of relations between Australia and the European Union and France, in particular.

Steve is respected in China for his contribution to China’s global engagement over the past 20 years.
Highlights have included: his role in bringing China, the US and Australia together on global climate change policy; and more recently, his integral role in the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the first international institution led by China. He visits China regularly for high-level dialogues embracing security, international relations and multilateral economic development.

Steve completed his Degree in Social Science at Deakin University and the Senior Executive Program at London Business School, under a British Government scholarship. He was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Merit for his contribution to France-Australia relations in 2004.

Professor Paul Wellings

Professor Wellings was previously Vice Chancellor of the Universities of Wollongong (2012-21) and Lancaster (2002-11), and Deputy Chief Executive of CSIRO (1999-02). He has extensive Board experience and is currently Deputy Chair of the General Sir John Monash Foundation. Paul was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Queen’s birth honours list for services to higher education.

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