“An independent policy watchdog that monitors the work of the United Nations and scrutinizes global policymaking”, the Global Policy Forum’s lofty aim is to “promote accountability and citizen participation in decisions on peace and security, social justice and international law by challenging mainstream thinking and questioning conventional wisdom” and “seeking egalitarian, cooperative, peaceful and sustainable solutions to the world’s great problems” (https://www.globalpolicy.org/about-gpf-mm.html).
Complemented by reports and newsletters, the mainstay of the Forum is its website, which serves as its primary public interface, affording access to all of its resources. Given its ambitious agenda, the site’s scope is all embracing and seemingly limitless. Indeed, the offerings are so extensive and varied it is easy to be overwhelmed by the plenitude.
The home page features the full text of its newest publications and provides a stepping stone to the prodigious and wide-ranging content. Navigation, however, is straightforward, as the site is conveniently compartmentalized into the areas of work the organization is involved in, including corporate influence, globalization, social and economic policy and United Nations reform. Special topics such as global hunger, natural resources and private military and security companies are also areas of concern.
With consultative status at the United Nations, the Forum is a leading advocacy organization for non-governmental organizations. The “holistic approach” it adopts covers a multitude of programmes including environmental and developmental issues, global governance and peace and security. Some 30,000 text files on a vast array of issues, although not peer reviewed, have considerable scholarly appeal. A search of Google Scholar reveals thousands of reports and policy papers written under its auspices, principally by one of its founders and current executive director James Paul, a prolific writer in the field of international relations.
This is an excellent site for anyone interested in global affairs and can serve as a useful catalyst for further exploration of a plethora of topics. The progressive approach to world affairs it espouses will appeal to internationalists. Given its prescriptive, policy-based orientation, students and practitioners alike will find it to be a useful complement to academic literature.
