Multilateralism Reimagined: NGIC’s Forum Becomes Eurasia’s Voice at UNGA

NEW YORK, October 1 — As the United Nations General Assembly convened world leaders in New York, attention also turned to the Harvard Club, where the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) convened presidents, prime ministers, Nobel laureates, and senior UN officials for “Multilateralism on a Crossroads: Challenges and Pathways to Peace.”

The high-level meeting, hosted by NGIC, was a powerful demonstration that Eurasia has become a central convening force for dialogue at a moment when the international system is struggling to adapt to conflict, inequality, and the accelerating climate crisis.

NGIC as a Convening Power

Founded to foster dialogue across cultures and borders, NGIC has emerged as one of the most important conveners of global leadership. In New York, its ability to bring together such a distinguished roster of participants, from sitting heads of state to former leaders and UN agency chiefs, reinforced its reputation as a bridge-builder between East and West.

The opening ceremony reflected this balance of experience and authority: Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of Latvia and NGIC Co-Chair, welcomed participants alongside Albanian President Bajram Begaj, North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović,  Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Chairman of the Presidency Željko Komšić, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as well as the Secretaries-General of UNCTAD and ITU. Their shared message was clear: at a time when trust in institutions is waning, Eurasia is stepping forward to revive multilateralism with pragmatism and purpose. Special addresses were also delivered by the former Prime Minister of the UK, Gordon Brown; the President Emeritus of the European Council; the former Prime Minister of Belgium; the Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia; the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon; and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

Addressing the Frontlines of Global Challenges

Across two days, the forum tackled pressing issues facing multilateralism:

• Bridging Global Inequality brought together leaders like Stefan Löfven, former Prime Minister of Sweden, and Kerry Kennedy of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, underscoring fairness as a prerequisite for lasting peace.
• Climate and Cooperation featured Azerbaijan’s COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev and UN Climate Champion Nigar Arpadarai,as well as Patricia Scotland, former Commonwealth Secretary-General and Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, symbolizing Eurasia’s central role in climate diplomacy.
• Pathways to Peace included contributions fromTzipi Livni, Viktor Yushchenko, Alfred Gusenbauer, and Amre Moussa, who offered lessons from navigating conflicts and transitions.

A Distinguished Eurasian Platform

The list of participants read like a roll call of statesmanship: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, UN Under-Secretaries-General past and present, Presidents of the 62nd, 66th, 67th, 72nd, 73rd, 75th, 77th Session of the UNGA, and leaders from across the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Europe. By assembling these voices in the margins of UNGA80, NGIC ensured that this was not just another side event, but the preeminent Eurasian leadership forum of High-Level Week.

From New York to Baku

As this special meeting concluded, attention naturally turned toward NGIC’s Global Baku Forum, its annual flagship convening held every March in Azerbaijan. Over the years, the Global Baku Forum has become the premier stage for world leaders across government, finance, and philanthropy to address shared challenges and forge partnerships in the heart of Eurasia.

This year’s gathering in New York underscored why NGIC’s model of dialogue matters. By creating space for leaders to reflect, debate, and collaborate, NGIC is not only strengthening Eurasia’s voice at the United Nations but also setting the stage for the Global Baku Forum to remain the region’s most influential platform for shaping the future of multilateralism.

At a moment when the world is searching for common ground, NGIC has positioned itself and Eurasia at the very center of the global conversation.

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