Advancing Global Leadership on Complexity Science, Tipping Points, and Global Governance
As part of New York Climate Week, the Climate Governance Commission and the United Nations Foundation co-hosted a high-level closed-door workshop on “Implementation Pathways for Advancing Global Leadership on Complexity Science, Tipping Points, and Global Governance” on 22 September 2025 at the UN Foundation Office in New York.
Building on an earlier online brainstorming session held in August, this meeting gathered leading experts, strategists, and members of Brazil’s COP30 Team to explore how the latest insights from complexity science and systems thinking can inform global governance reform and strengthen responses to Earth system risks.
Key participants included CGC Co-Chairs Mary Robinson, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and Johan Rockström, leading Earth system scientists Professor Tim Lenton, and other distinguished leaders from academia, policy, and international institutions. The dialogue focused on refining actionable insights, identifying strategic opportunities for leadership, and mapping pathways for governance innovation to enhance coordination, resilience, and transformative capacity across the international system.
The session laid the groundwork for a forward-looking agenda on governance innovation, aimed at equipping policymakers with the tools to manage tipping points and drive systemic transformation toward a resilient and sustainable global future.
