CIRSD Board Meets in Istanbul

The eigth meeting of the Board of Advisors of the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD) took place Istanbul on 13-14 April 2015

During the meeting, CIRSD outlined its plan of activities for the remainder of 2015 and initiated several new projects which are expected to materialize in 2016.

Day one of the meeting covered recent international developments, emphasizing events in the Middle East, as well as the political situation in the U.S. and China. It was also agreed that, in the context of the forthcoming release of the third issue of CIRSD’s flagship English-language quarterly magazine Horizons, the Center will organize two high-level international debates in Belgrade and London, both of which are scheduled to take place in May.

The discussion also revolved around the ongoing UN negotiations on sustainable development goals and climate change—the talks that are predicted to be concluded by late 2015. The CIRSD Board decided to participate in a special event at Columbia University in September 2015 organized by UNSDSN and Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs. The event in New York will be held as part of efforts to promote the post-2015 development agenda.

On day two, the CIRSD Board developed a program for its international conference on the future of Europe—a project which will be organized in cooperation with Harvard University’s Center for European Studies. Furthermore, CIRSD decided to launch its own summer school program, offering a crash course in geopolitics to students from the Balkans and other parts of the world.

A special guest of the Istanbul CIRSD Board meeting was Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, who attended one of the sessions. The Board exchanged views with the minister on the economic situation in Turkey, global economic trends, and the ongoing Turkish chairmanship of the G20.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the future of the UN, and reforms the institution needs to undertake if it is to remain relevant and able to respond to global challenges in the 21st century.

The Board members in attendance included Spain’s former Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, former Foreign Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, former Foreign Minister of Indonesia Nur Hassan Wirajuda, former Cypriot Foreign Minister and EU Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, Morocco’s former Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa, former Foreign Minister of Portugal Luis Amado, and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs. The delegation accompanying CIRSD President Vuk Jeremić included Executive Director Zdravko Ponoš, Senior Fellow Damjan Krnjević Mišković, Program Director Nikola Jovanović, International Relations Advisor Suzana Grubješić, and Research Associate Stefan Antić.

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