On 06 October 2020 the Executive Director was a resource person in a webinar hosted by the Think Tanks Civil Societies Programme (TTSCP) at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the United Nations (UN) on The Future of the UN, Policy Advice and Think Tanks: Shaping our Future Together. The meeting was a virtual gathering of the world’s leading Think Tanks on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the UN.
The meeting was divided into three sessions: The first focused on How Think Tanks and Knowledge brokers help the UN Think, focusing on how Think Tanks and other experts have assisted the UN in the past and the importance of partnering with them to meet the challenges of the future. The second was divided into two panel sessions with panel 1 focused on Regional and National Perspectives on Selected Global Issues, where six Think Tanks executives from around the world discussed how they have partnered with the UN to deal with some of the enduring and emerging challenges facing the world (Vasu Gounden was a speaker in this Panel session). Panel 2 focused on Creating knowledge and policy partnerships for a secure and sustainable future. The meeting was also addressed by the UN Under Secretary General Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond.
In his presentation the Executive Director spoke about ACCORD’s partnership with the UN over the last 28 years and the value add that a Think Tank such as ACCORD has to offer the UN.
In February 2020 ACCORD, in partnership with the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and TTCSP, hosted the 2020 Africa Think Tanks Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, and in April 2020 the Executive Director was a resource person in the Opening Session of the virtual Global Think Tank Virtual Town Hall hosted by TTSCP.
