Skepticism over Deteriorating Global Outlook
The global outlook in 2024 shows yet another year of turbulence ahead of us. In early January 2024, the World Economic Forum published the Global Risks Report (2024) that discloses a deteriorating global outlook that may continue over the next decade. The report identifies a long list of dwindling risks, including misinformation, disinformation and cyber insecurity, extreme weather and high pollution levels, societal polarization, interstate armed conflicts, lack of economic opportunity and involuntary migration, inflation, and economic downturn. The world must brace itself for the unexpected instability, uncertainty, volatility and other risks of global catastrophes, and even more turbulence may not be avoidable over the 10-year time horizon.
The competence of global leaders to take leadership by example is obviously fading. Against the backdrop of the deteriorating outlook, multilateral forums such as the United Nations and its agencies, G20 and other similar multilateral clubs seem to be caught up in a tremendous struggle to function effectively in navigating the world’s ark through ferocious storms. The Global Governance Survey (2023) underlines that the world today finds itself in the unavoidable condition of split, perilous, darkening, and worsening moods, while the world is obviously headed in the wrong direction, and worry is widespread. Particular concern about conflict, economics, and corruption is increasing, while widespread discontent with climate, rights, governance, resources, and cooperation rears its head. Many observers consider the world to be experiencing a worse situation than a decade ago in terms of responding to global issues.
The year 2024 is also regarded as a crucial year for steering the world into the right direction. The 2024 is the biggest election year when a quarter of the world population living in over 65 countries will elect new national leaders and this may bring new hope for the reestablishment of a new global order. However, skepticism remains. None can guarantee that the new leaders may share the same commitment to driving the world to a new stable and better global order.
Considering the fading global outlook and skeptical views towards the incompetence of existing institutions in addressing the global challenges, the Department of International Relations of Parahyangan Catholic University invites lecturers, researchers, analysts, policy makers and international organizations and NGO activists to share their insights into the recent global trends, discuss and identify plausible strategies to address the challenges at the 2024 International Conference on International Relations (ICON-IR). This Conference also encourages all participants to develop a community of scholars who share concern and commitment to working together in research and community development for a better world.