Multilateralism May 2025-

2025 G7 Kananaskis Summit

Spring Meetings 2025 Preamble: geopolitical turmoil further muddies path of BWI reform and multilateral cooperation
A US executive order reviewing membership in global institutions casts doubt over future US policies at the World Bank and IMF
Despite ongoing reviews and reforms, civil society expects little transformative change at the BWIs
With economic and geopolitical uncertainty rising, civil society looks to FfD4 to chart a new path for multilateralism —Bretton Woods Project 17 April 2025

6-7 July
17th BRICS Summit
As the Chair of BRICS, Brazil is focusing on the theme, ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance’.
(AI Overview) The 17th BRICS Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6-7, 2025. Brazil assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2025, with a focus on global governance reform and cooperation among Global South countries. The summit will address key areas like global health, trade, climate change, and AI governance

30 June-3 July
4th International Conference on Financing for Development
Sevilla, Spain
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) provides a unique opportunity to reform financing at all levels, including to support reform of the international financial architecture and addressing financing challenges preventing the urgently needed investment push for the SDGs. FFD4 Conference will be held in FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre.
The International Conferences on Financing for Development are the only space where leaders from all governments, along with international and regional organizations, financial and trade institutions, businesses, civil society and the UN System unite at the highest levels, fostering stronger international cooperation.

31 October-1 November
The APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025 will be held in Gyeongju, Korea.
As one of the most prestigious multilateral gatherings, the Summit will bring together global CEOs, distinguished experts,and senior economic leaders under the theme “Bridge, Business, Beyond.”
This year’s Summit will highlight innovative industries and emerging trends, including energy transition, digital innovation, AI,
and healthcare, which are transforming the global economic landscape.
Additionally, lively discussions on ways to bring prosperity to SMEs and future generations await us.
21 October
Bilateral meetings overshadow host South Korea’s APEC agenda
(Brookings) World leaders, including Trump and Xi, will soon convene in South Korea for APEC. As a middle power, South Korea relishes hosting high-profile international summits. However, as with other recent multilateral gatherings, such as the Group of Seven meeting in Canada, bilateral meetings like the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting are overshadowing the main event.
For sure, Trump’s and Xi’s expected attendance is boosting interest in APEC 2025. But other than the actual attendees, most people are unaware of this year’s core theme—“Building a Sustainable Tomorrow”—and its three related priorities: strengthening connectivity, fostering innovation, and sustaining inclusive growth and prosperity. As the host country, South Korea will also lead conversations on two challenges relevant to its own society: the artificial intelligence transition and demographic change.

27-28 October
Is ASEAN back?
(International Intrigue) Four reasons why this week’s ASEAN summit in Malaysia has made a few more headlines than normal:
1.A new member: Timor-Leste finally got a seat at the ASEAN table, and it’s a big deal for all involved
2.A missing member! Myanmar’s leader (Hlaing) was again absent, for the simple reason he wasn’t invited. He and his fellow putschist generals have been barred since they signed then shrugged off ASEAN’s ‘Five Point Consensus’ on ending Myanmar’s civil war (basically calling on them to end the violence and start a political dialogue).
3.A new peace? Donald Trump made an increasingly rare US presidential appearance at ASEAN, mostly to witness the new Thailand-Cambodia peace accord calling for troop withdrawals, prisoner releases, and joint de-mining operations along their contested frontier.
4. A bold summit host!
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim is not your average leader: he’s been on the scene for decades, knows the key players personally, and has happily thrown Malaysia’s weight around much more since finally taking his country’s top job in 2022.It was Anwar who started pushing ASEAN harder on Myanmar, and it was even Anwar who brokered July’s initial Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire. Why? Any ego aside, he wants an ASEAN that moves past ‘non-interference’ towards a new mantra of accountability.
And so now, having just hosted possibly ASEAN’s largest-ever summit (with Australia’s Albanese, Brazil’s Lula, Canada’s Carney, South Africa’s Ramaphosa and others there), he hands the bloc’s revitalised reins to its 2026 hosts, the Philippines.

28th ASEAN-China Summit Discusses Progress and Future Cooperation
The 28th ASEAN-China Summit convened today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was attended by the ASEAN Leaders or their representatives, the Premier of the State Council of China, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn.
The Leaders reviewed the progress of ASEAN-China cooperation and discussed its future direction, with a view to advancing the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Leaders noted the adoption of the new ASEAN-China Plan of Action 2026-2030. The Leaders also welcomed the signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest and concern.

20th East Asia Summit Reviews Cooperation and Future Direction at its 20th Anniversary
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today attended the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Summit was attended by Heads of State/Government and High Representatives of the EAS participating countries. The President of BRICS and the President of G20 [South Africa] also attended the Open Session, as guests of the Chair, and briefed the Meeting on their respective cooperation with the EAS to advance economic resilience and boost sustainable growth.
In the momentous 20th EAS anniversary, the Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the EAS as the premier Leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on strategic, political, and economic issues of mutual interest and concern in the region. The Leaders also adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Twentieth Anniversary of the EAS and thematic statements on relevant issues.

15 September
China, climate crisis and Cop31: five takeaways from the Pacific Islands Forum
A key climate crisis funding treaty struck as Pacific leaders backed Australia’s bid for Cop31 despite some criticism of its environmental credentials
(The Guardian) The week-long Pacific Islands Forum (Pif) in the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, brought together Australia, New Zealand and 16 Pacific countries and territories at a time of fraught geopolitical tensions, and with accusations of outside interference in the region never far from the headlines
1. China’s role in the region remains contentious
Solomon Islands is China’s biggest security ally in the region and prime minister Jeremiah Manele’s decision to block all external partners from attending this year’s summit fuelled speculation that the move was aimed at keeping Taiwan out of the meeting.
2. Australia’s commitment to environment questioned as climate crisis funding green lit
3. … but Canberra confirms support for Cop31 bid
4. Leaders declare Pacific an ‘Ocean of Peace’
Leaders formally adopted the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration, an initiative to promote a peaceful and secure region amid rising geopolitical tensions.
5. Australia leaves Vanuatu empty-handed, turns to Fiji

1 July
Denmark is stepping into the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, inheriting a dense legislative agenda and high political expectations for the second half of 2025.
The Danish EU Presidency will work for a strong and resolute EU that takes responsibility for its own security and for strengthening its competitiveness. This calls for the EU to match words with action and deliver on the challenges it faces. The green transition is essential to building a more secure and competitive Europe.

24-25 June
2025 NATO Summit in The Hague
Key topics on the agenda
At the summit, NATO Leaders will address a variety of issues facing the Alliance. They will focus on deterrence and defence, ensuring that NATO has the resources, forces and capabilities to face any threat.
NATO clinches defense spending deal in big win for Trump
Leaders signed off on a new 5 percent of GDP defense spending target by 2035.
(Politico) NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to unleash an avalanche of new defense spending in a show of unity aimed at keeping U.S. President Donald Trump on board and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at bay.
The trick to getting there? Handing Trump what he called “a great victory.”
In a carefully stage-managed summit built around brevity and predictability, leaders signed off on a new 5 percent of gross domestic product defense spending target by 2035. That will be made up of 3.5 percent of GDP for “hard” capabilities like weapons and troops, and 1.5 percent for defense-adjacent investments such as cyber and mobility.
[Secretary-General Mark] Rutte made a point of flattering Trump, praising him for pressing other countries to boost their defense spending and underscoring his commitment to the alliance.
Rutte even called Trump the “daddy” for intervening in the fighting between Israel and Iran.
NATO Confronts Its Doomsday Scenario
The last thing the world wants to contemplate in the wake of the US-Iran military showdown is a Russian attack on NATO.
(Bloomberg) A Russian assault remains unlikely in the near term. The Kremlin doesn’t want to fight on two fronts, and more than three years into its war on Ukraine it lacks the capacity to take on the bloc. That doesn’t mean it’s beyond Moscow’s vision for the future.
President Vladimir Putin denies he has any such plans, though he said the same before Russia invaded Ukraine. He has made clear he seeks to reclaim what he views as historically Russian territory.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — NATO frontline members — were once directly administered by the Soviet Union and are home to large Russian minority populations.

How Canada Can Help Shape the NATO of Tomorrow
by Kerry Buck
(Policy) The upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague June 24-25 will be [Prime Minister Mark Carney’s] first. And it will be one of the most consequential and fraught meetings of the Alliance since NATO began in 1949.
… Trump 2.0 is much higher-risk for NATO than Trump’s first term. All is not ‘doom and gloom’: after a series of worrisome messages from the American Vice President and Secretary of Defence that Europe should not rely on the US backstop, the administration has recently signaled it will not abandon NATO.
But there are still high-risk scenarios that could unfold: Trump could once again change his position on NATO. … Or, the summit could see a weakening of American support for Ukraine: there is a risk that Trump might be swayed in this direction by a tactically-timed gesture from Vladimir Putin just before the NATO Summit. There is also a likelihood that President Trump’s pointed support for Putin before his early departure from the Kananaskis G7 will have an impact on the NATO Summit decisions on support for Ukraine. Or, the review of US global troop posture later this year could result in a significant reduction of US presence in Europe at a time when European forces could not lead a sustained defence on land, air or sea. …

23 June
Canada-EU Summit 2025: A Next-Level Strategic Partnership
By Mark Camilleri
On June 23rd, leaders from Canada and the European Union will meet in Brussels. This meeting, wedged between the higher-profile G7 and NATO summits taking place only a week apart, is unlikely to be the routine, stock-taking exercise that has defined many bilateral summits in recent years. In fact, it is shaping up to be the most consequential Canada-EU leaders’ meeting since the 2009 Prague Summit, when negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) were launched.

18-21 June
Angola to Host ATIDI’s 25th Annual General Meeting as Africa’s Multilateral Insurer Marks 25 years of Impact
The African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI) is set to hold its 25th Annual General Meeting (AGM) from 18–21 June 2025 in Luanda, Angola, under the theme “Turning Risk into Opportunity, Securing a Sustainable Future.”

26-27 May
46th ASEAN Summit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Chairman’s Statement of the 46th ASEAN Summit
(AI Overview) The 46th ASEAN Summit took place…under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”. The summit focused on ASEAN’s centrality and economic integration, with leaders adopting a 20-year roadmap called the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future. Key discussions included strengthening intra-ASEAN trade, exploring new growth areas like the digital and green economies, and expanding ASEAN’s engagement with external partners, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China.