Commission Overview

The proposal for an international, cross-sectoral Commission on Globalization grew out of Forum 2000, convened September 4-10, 2000 in New York by the State of the World Forum in partnership with over one hundred organizations worldwide. Entitled “Shaping Globalization: Convening the Community of Stakeholders,” the purpose of the conference purpose was to conduct a “post-Seattle” multi-stakeholder dialogue on globalization, and was timed to coincide with the United Nations Millennium Summit of Heads of State.

Over 2,100 individuals attended the seven-day event, including Heads of State, leaders and representatives from government, civil society, corporations, trade unions, international finance institutions, science and technology sectors, academia, religious communities and the media. The event was unprecedented in scope and diversity, and covered the major aspects of globalization including globalization’s social implications, the growing impact of science and technology, biotechnology and genetic engineering, global finance and capital flows, core economic productivity and sustainability issues, the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity, and the need for an ethical foundation for the emerging global society and the reform of global governance systems.

Forum 2000 concluded with a commitment to continue substantive dialogue in light of the growing public and political debate on globalization and global governance, now heightened by more frequent protests worldwide since Seattle 1999. State of the World Forum undertook the challenge to create a functional entity, the Commission on Globalization, which will accommodate the many diverse voices in the globalization debate, and deepen the processes of transforming dialogue into constructive action on matters of global concern.