connecting
ideas, people, & politics for a
multilateral
system that works for all.
Climate reckoning. Global norms eroding. Democracy in crisis. General AI on the horizon.
To address the challenges we face, we must find better ways to work together.
Project Starling’s vision is a multilateral system that works for all. We are a think and do tank that develops ideas and solutions to collective action challenges. We connect and build coalitions and help them navigate political processes to renew multilateral cooperation together.
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WHITE PAPER: Lessons from the Creation of UN Women for the UN 80 Reform Effort
November 2025 | The Starling Institute’s Senior Advisor John Norris looks at some of the key implications from the creation of UN Women in 2010 and how they should inform ongoing discussions about UN reform as part of the UN 80 process.
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NEWSETTER: UNGA and Everything After
October 2025 | In the latest issue of Starling’s Call, we discuss a Fall in full swing after UN High Level Week and a fundamental question on everyone’s mind: what should the future of the UN look like? We also cover must reads, including on the selection of the next Secretary-General, and recent events. Subscribe to receive it as soon as it comes out.
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WHITE PAPER: Priorities for the Next UN Secretary-General
October 2025 | The Starling Institute’s Senior Adviser John Norris and Policy and Research Analyst Joshua Wells explore some of the key issues that the next Secretary-General should place front and center at a pivotal moment.
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MEDIA: Foreign Policy Analytics Q&A on Global Governance with Minh-Thu Pham
October 2025 | In an interview with Foreign Policy Magazine, Minh-Thu talks about a shift in global governance where coalitions of actors are taking ownership of the issues that matter to them—such as climate change, pandemic protocols, and development goals—and moving forward with reform even if the full consensus of a multilateral group isn’t behind them.
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REMARKS to the UN's Informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the UN80 Reform Initiative
On Monday, October 13, the Starling Institute CEO and co-Founder Minh-Thu Pham spoke at a briefing on UN mandate creation to a meeting of the Informal ad hoc Working Group on the UN80 Initiative.
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NEWSLETTER: Back to School Edition
September 2025 | The Back to School edition of Starling’s Call newsletter is out, covering the UN80 initiative which will be the talk of the town during UNGA high level week, our views on the Plastics Treaty, the ICJ advisory opinion, what we’re reading, key dates coming up, and more.
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PULSE UPDATE: Analysis of Emerging Member State Positions on UN80
September 2025 | This Pulse Update presents an initial analysis of Member State positions on the UN80 initiative based on insight from our informal networks and statements delivered up to August 2025.
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PULSE UPDATE: Bridging Financing for Development and the 2nd Africa Climate Summit
September 5, 2025 | Pulse Update is new series providing the latest insight on issues that are of interest to select subgroups in the multilateral community.
In our first Pulse, we analyze the Compromiso de Sevilla’s climate finance outcomes to inform the 2nd Africa Climate Summit’s Addis Declaration in September. -
COMMENTARY: "The Compromiso de Sevilla Marks a New Path for Development Finance"
July 19, 2025 | In her latest article, Minh-Thu Pham breaks down why the Compromiso de Sevilla matters, what it signals for the future of international cooperation, and how it fits into a broader pattern of international cooperation adapting to a very different global landscape.
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NEW REPORT: "UN80 – An Explainer"
July 2025 | The UN80 initiative represents a major reform and restructuring effort spearheaded by the Secretary-General at the UN’s 80 anniversary. In this July 2025 explainer, Senior Advisor John Norris spells out the basic contours of the UN80 initiative and their potential implications for the United Nations and multilateralism. It may come with major implications across the entire UN family.
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NEWSLETTER: "A Midsummer's Night Dream" Edition of the Starling's Call is out
July/August 2025 issue No. 5 of Starling’s Call newsletter is out. Subscribe to receive it without delay in your inbox.
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PRESS RELEASE: A People-Led Accountability Framework for Sevilla Commitments
June 30, 2025 | At the Financing for Development (FfD4) Conference in Seville, the Starling Institute, Centre for Policy Dialogue (Bangladesh), and NYU’s Center on International Cooperation launched a new civil society-led effort designed to help ensure that the promises made at FfD4 are tracked and translated into tangible improvements for developing countries.
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COMMENTARY: "Taking Payout Strategy a Step Further"
June 17, 2025 | In a time of political flux, many foundations are rethinking how -- and when -- they spend their money. In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Starling Institute co-founder Jacob Harold argues for a new framework for determining foundation payout based on the unique characteristics of each social issue.
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COMMENTARY: The Return of Landmines: A Symbol of Eroding Global Norms
April 16, 2025 | The announced withdrawal of several states from the Ottawa Convention to ban landmines represents an alarming retreat from an agreement that has prevented untold suffering. Deputy Director Elena Bertozzi examines a troubling pattern: the accelerating unraveling of many of the international norms we once took for granted.
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COMMENTARY: A Decade After Addis Abeba Pledges, Africa Faces Debt Strain, Dwindling Aid
September 2025 | Writing in the Addis Fortune, Starling Institute Policy Advisor Gabriel Mekbib reflects on the implementation challenges of the 2015 Financing for Development Addis Ababa Action Agenda and emphasizes the importance of deliberate, sustained implementation to ensure the 2025 Compromiso de Sevilla delivers.
“It’s uncanny how well you time these gatherings. That was so valuable at a time when we are running out of time. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
–Senior level participant of a Starling Institute dialogue