Australian Prime Minister meets the Global Foundation
The leadership group of the Global Foundation met Thursday 1 December 2022 in Canberra with the Australian Prime Minister, Hon Anthony Albanese, who expressed his support for and his intention to work with the Foundation going forward.
Attending the meeting were the Chairman of the Board, Ms Louise Watson, Chairman of the Global Advisory Council, Dr Mark Cutifani and Secretary General, Mr Steve Howard.
‘We were warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Albanese at his offices at Parliament House’, said Secretary General, Steve Howard.
The Prime Minister recounted his engagement with the Global Foundation over many years, in Australia and globally, at the 2016 Rome Roundtable meeting, from his earlier time in Government and later in Opposition.
‘We congratulated the Prime Minister on his extensive and successful engagements across the world in the first six months since coming to office in May 2022’, Mr Howard said. ‘We expressed the widely-held view from our global network that the world welcomed Australia returning to such an active and helpful role in global affairs, including on action to address climate change’.
The Foundation advised the Prime Minister of the recent formation of its Global Advisory Council, with a distinguished group of global and Australian citizens, under the leadership of Dr Cutifani and that the Council would hold its second meeting in Melbourne next week, on 6 December, to be followed by a major dinner address by Dr Cutifani, who had travelled to Australia from London for the purpose.
Global & Australian Advisory Councils joint meeting and AGM, Melbourne 6 December 2022
The Global Foundation convened the first ever joint meeting of its Global Advisory Council and Australian Advisory Council, co-chaired by Dr Mark Cutifani and Prof. Sir Edward Byrne AC, in Melbourne on 6 December 2022. This was followed by the Annual General Meeting, chaired by Ms Louise Watson, Chairman of the Board. The meetings were hosted by Ms Simone Menz and Mr Murray Prior, Global Head of Business Development, on behalf of Key Partner, King & Wood Mallesons.
The joint advisory meeting involved 35 eminent global and Australian leaders, attending in person and online, including His Grace, Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa; Prof. Stefania Proietti, Mayor of Assisi; Ms Sharan Burrow, outgoing Mr Pascal Lamy, President of the Paris Peace Forum; Professor Enrico Giovannini, former Italian Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures; Mr Thomas Tayler (for Dr Steve Waygood), Chief Responsible Investor Officer, Aviva Investors; and Dr Wang Haiyou (Henry), President of the China Centre for Globalization.
A letter of support and encouragement for the joint meeting was received from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State to His Holiness, Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Matters discussed included:
- the necessity to marshal efforts for the overall reform of global governance and, in tandem, of the international financial system to make it more fit for purpose, in addressing vital matters such as effective climate change-related investment action.
- the potential for global application of the successful Italian Government model for designing national infrastructure planning to better achieve the global sustainable development goals; a copy of the presentation by Dr Giovannani may be found here.
- the importance of supporting the indigenous Voice to Parliament, unanimously supported by the Foundation members at its National Roundtable meeting held in Canberra in May 2021; Mr Danny Gilbert, the most prominent Australian business leader promoting the success of the Voice referendum, addressed the meeting and later circulated his recent major speech on the matter, which may be found here.
A report of the joint advisory meeting will be submitted to the Board of the Foundation for its consideration in setting the agenda of the 2023 year.
Annual General Meeting, 2022
Chairman of the Board, Ms Louise Watson, chaired the AGM of the Foundation, adjacent to the joint advisory meeting, in Melbourne on 6 December, 2022
All matters on the Agenda were approved unanimously by the meeting, including the re-election of Ms Watson and Mr Howard to the Board.
The Global Foundation is a non-for-profit, membership organisation, supported by influential people from around the world.
Originating in Australia, the Global Foundation has become a trusted global network organisation, enabling a relatively small but growing group of prominent citizens from many walks of life and many parts of the world to align and work together in a coherent way to help shape the global common good. The Foundation convenes Global Roundtable and Australian Roundtable series that gives confidence and enables alignment on complex world issues, free from official constraints.
Ms Louise Watson, Chairman of the Board, the Global Foundation
Mr Steve Howard, Secretary General, Member of the Board, the Global Foundation
Paul Wellings OBE Member of the Board, The Global Foundation
Mr Brian Loughnane AO, Member of the Board, the Global Foundation
Dr Selena Ng, Member of the Board, the Global Foundation
Global Advisory Council
The inaugural meeting of our long-awaited Global Advisory Council took place in Rome on 23 May 2022. Chaired by distinguished global private sector leader, Dr Mark Cutifani who, until his recent retirement, was the CEO of global mining company, Anglo American.
Members will recall that Mark is revered within the mining industry and in communities worldwide, for his continuous commitment to ‘business with purpose’, far and beyond ESG and other metrics.
The Foundation is fortunate to have secured the leadership contributions of Mark and a stellar group of global leaders, who all share a commitment to the aspirations of the Foundation.
See here for more about our Global Advisory Council membership, which will provide ongoing global
guidance to the work of the Foundation, overlapping with that of the Australian Advisory Council, which continues to support our work from an Australian perspective.
Testimonials
His Holiness, Pope Francis: address to Global Foundation Rome Roundtable, Jan 2017.
“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 Global Common Good” – you have gathered to discern just ways of attaining a globalization that is “cooperative”, and thus positive, as opposed to the globalization of indifference. You seek to ensure that the global community, shaped by the 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.”
Madame Christine Lagarde
Governor, European Central Bank – Recipient of The Global Foundation Global Achievement Award
“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…”
Mr Pascal Lamy, Honorary Member
President, Paris Peace Forum, former Director-General, World Trade Organisation – Recipient, The Global Foundation Achievement Award
“I have been acquainted with The Global Foundation for some time and am happy to see that they are still driving the idea that global problems, including global governance, can be talked about and solved. Organisations like The Global Foundation have a mission that is clearer today than a decade ago. They are the translators of global problems into something citizens understand. This knowledge brings about awareness which inspires mobilisation and ultimately, political action. Greater awareness and greater mobility require civil society, which is better equipped at bridging the gap between knowledge and action.”
President Jin Liqun
Founding President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
“Thanks for your great contribution. I would like to say that you are the first to support the establishment of this Bank with your foresight and insight. Looking forward to working with you in the days and years to come.”
Governance and management
Enjoying the highest possible tax-deductible status in Australia, the Global Foundation is governed by a Board of directors and managed by a modest secretariat, based in Sydney. The Board is supported by an Advisory Council, comprising a cross-section of outstanding citizens.
The Patron in Chief is the Governor General of Australia, who hosts the Foundation from time to time. It also enjoys the patronage and endorsement of many other prominent Australian and global figures.
