Advice from both sides of the pond

20 May 2013

Consultation for the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations took place on both sides of the Atlantic this month, with workshops, meetings and public lectures occurring in Washington and New York, followed by a workshop with Pascal Lamy and senior European policymakers and academics in Brussels.

Whilst in the US, Professor Ian Goldin, Director, and Natalie Day, Head of Policy, held meetings at the World Bank, the IMF, the Brookings Institution, the Centre for Global Development and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as part of the consultation process for the Oxford Martin Commission. At the United Nations in New York, Professor Goldin also took part in an expert panel on intergenerational solidarity, which is a key priority of the UN Secretary General following the Rio+20 conference in 2012.

Meeting photoOn 15 May, senior policymakers and advisers joined Pascal Lamy in Brussels at the European Commission for an Oxford Martin Commission workshop. The workshop was held in collaboration with the European Forum on Forward Looking Activities, is a high-level advisory board to the European Commission chaired by Peter Piot, who also serves on the Oxford Martin Commission. Participants discussed impediments to progress and ingredients for action on long-term challenges, drawing on their broader experience and expertise. Specific pathways for action on job creation, climate change, non-communicable diseases, business frameworks and geopolitical cooperation were also a key focus of the workshop.

These activities follow similar outreach initiatives for the Oxford Martin Commission in Zurich, London, New Delhi and Beijing.

Participants at the workshop included:

  • Jean-Claude Burgelman, Head of Unit C2, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
  • Vasco Cal, Economic Adviser, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission
  • Denis Chaibi, Member of Kristalina Georgieva's Cabinet, European Commission
  • Karl Falkenberg, Director-General of the Environment, European Commission
  • Arancha González, Chief of Staff, World Trade Organization
  • Dr Riikka Heikinheimo, Executive Director, Tekes (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation)
  • Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization; Chair, Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations
  • Philippe Legrain, Principal Adviser and Head of the Analysis Team, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission.
  • Eric Peters, Adviser, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission
  • Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
  • Professor Dr Luc Soete, Rector Magnificus, Maastricht University; Chair, European Research and Innovation Area Board (ERIAB)
  • Jean-Claude Thébault, Director-General, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission
  • Professor Lena Tsipouri, Associate Professor, Department of Economic Sciences, University of Athens
  • Kristel Van Der Elst, Director, Head of Strategic Foresight, World Economic Forum
  • Professor Dr Reinhilde Veugelers, Senior Fellow, Bruegel; Professor, Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation, KULeuven

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