Book Club Session 1 | A Second UN Charter: Modernizing the UN for a New Generation
When: Saturday, February 14, 2026
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm EDT | 1800 CET (Brussels time)
Where: Zoom | Cost: FREE and open to the public
80 years after the advent of the United Nations, A Second UN Charter: Modernizing the UN for a New Generation, published in 2024 by the Global Governance Forum, puts forward a comprehensive draft for a revised UN Charter -and thereby an upgraded UN- that is fit for the 21st Century. Drafted by a broad range of international experts and academics, the draft charter is accompanied by a running commentary explaining and justifying each of the proposed revisions to the Charter. This is an important contribution to international efforts to create an UN architecture fit for the 21st century and an authoritative commentary on the consideration and compromises that the revision of the UN Charter will require.
About the Guest Speaker
Augusto Lopez-Claros is an international economist and the Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum. He has published several books on global governance reform and is currently spearheading the Global Governance Forum’s drafting of a Second United Nations Charter. He brings more than 30 years of experience in international organizations, including most recently as director of the Global Indicators Group at the World Bank, one of the departments within the Bank’s research Vice Presidency. Previously he was chief economist at the World Economic Forum, where he directed the Global Competitiveness Program and edited the Global Competitiveness Report, the Forum’s flagship publication. Before joining the Forum, he worked for several years in the financial sector in London, with a special focus on emerging markets. He was the International Monetary Fund’s Resident Representative in Russia during the 1990s. He has also been a Senior Fellow at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Educated in England and the United States, he received a diploma in Mathematical Statistics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University. Recent publications include “Removing Impediments to Sustainable Economic Development: The Case of Corruption” (2015), Equality for Women = Prosperity for All (2018, St. Martin’s Press) and Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century (2020, Cambridge University Press). His book Global Governance and International Cooperation: Managing Global Catastrophic Risks in the 21st Century, coedited with Richard Falk, was published by Routledge in 2024. He has lectured at some of the world’s leading universities, think tanks and international organizations; a list of recent lectures can be found at: www.augustolopezclaros.com.
