Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) Welcomes Bruce Knotts as New President
Today, August 1, 2023, Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) welcomes Bruce Knotts as its incoming President, succeeding Bob Flax, whom CGS congratulations on his retirement.
In his new capacity, Mr. Knotts will represent CGS as a pro bono and ex officio member of our Board of Directors, working closely with CGS Executive Director Rebecca Shoot, who continues in her leadership role and maintains responsibility for the organization’s daily functions and programs. CGS Education Fund Vice Chair and Action Network Chair Matt McDonough remarked of the transition:
“It is with profound gratitude that we say farewell to our current President. Bob Flax has guided this organization to a restructuring of or board, our Committees, and our staff. Bob is leaving us with a comprehensive road map called a Theory of Change. As a result of Bob’s skill and dedication we are poised to move to the next level of our mission.
And, in Bruce Knotts, we have just the leader to guide us through these steps. During his long career as a U S Department of State diplomat and his second career as an officer in large nonprofits, Bruce has developed both skills and contacts that he will put to good use as he helps to build toward the organization he sees us becoming. We all look forward to growing our organization under Bruce’s auspices.”
Mr. Knotts began his career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia, followed by deployments in Saudi Arabia and Somalia (the latter with the World Bank), before joining the Department of State as a U.S. diplomat in 1984. Over the course of his State Department career, he had diplomatic assignments in Greece, Zambia, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he served as Regional Refugee Coordinator for West Africa, and The Gambia, where he served as Deputy Chief of Mission. He also worked closely with several UN Special Representatives and observed UN peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone from 2000-2003. Upon his retirement from the Foreign Service, Mr. Knotts began directing the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) in 2008. He has founded faith-based advocacy initiatives for sexual orientation/gender identity human rights at the United Nations and continues to advocate for the rights of women, indigenous peoples, and sustainable development in moral terms of faith and values.
On the occasion of Mr. Knotts’ appointment, Ms. Shoot reflected, “Bruce embodies CGS’s vision, mission, and values. From his time in the Peace Corps through his diplomatic career, human rights advocacy, and representation at the United Nations, his life and work animate our organization’s commitment to global cooperation for the betterment of humanity and our planet. CGS will benefit greatly from his thought leadership and I look forward to our cooperation as our organization continues to flourish and grow.”
Concurrent with his role at CGS, Mr. Knotts will continue to serve as the chair of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security; as co-chair of the UN NGO Committee on Human Rights; as a member of steering committee of the NGO UN Security Council Working Group; and as the UN representative of the International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women.
Contact: Rebecca Shoot at outreach@globalsolutions.org
Book Club Session #6 | Governance & the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century
Session 6 of the book, Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century (2020) with all three authors, Augusto Lopez-Claros, Arthur Dahl, and Maja Groff we explore a blueprint for action. At Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS), we believe that good ideas merit corresponding action. In the spirit of finding solutions, we invite you to join us for a special follow-up strategy session with the authors to discuss concrete pathways toward reform, building on the concepts raised in their work.
Intergenerational Dialogue on How Global Governance Solutions Can Tackle Existential Threats
Washington, DC–Join the Virtual ‘Finding Hope in the Climate-Peace-Disarmament Nexus’ Panel
This Q&A panel discussion, co-hosted by Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS), Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND), Youth Fusion, and World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP), will consider how progress on environmental protection is hampered by armed conflict, nuclear threats, and the massive diversion of resources into weapons and war, and will invite collaborate strategizing on potential solutions.
Specifically, we will explore the potential of common security and global governance to foster cooperation to more effectively address climate, peace, and disarmament threats. This intergenerational dialogue will bring together youthful energy and innovation with seasoned expertise and experience, actively engaging our audience to build stronger pathways to a peaceful and sustainable future.
Session I: Americas/Europe/Africa/Middle East
Date: July 13, 2023
Time: 12:00-13:30 EST | 16:00 UTC | 17:00 GMT | 18:00 CET
Register: Zoom Registration for Session I
Session 1 Speakers:
- Kehkashan Basu (UAE/Canada): Founder-President, Green Hope Foundation; United Nations Human Rights Champion; Winner, 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize; Council Member, World Future Council; Former UNEP Global Coordinator for Children & Youth.
- Marie-Claire Graf (Switzerland): Co-Founder Youth Negotiators Academy and Climate Youth Negotiator Programme; UN Youth Climate Champion of Switzerland.
- Prof. Maja Groff (Netherlands): Convenor, Climate Governance Commission; Visiting Professor/Scholar at Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University; Lecturer, Hague Academy of International Law.
- William (Bill) R. Pace (USA): Founder and Inaugural Convenor, Coalition for an International Criminal Court; Former Executive Director, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP); Co-Founder, International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect.
- Prof Juergen Scheffran (Germany): Professor of Integrative Geography. Chair of the Research Group Climate Change, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg. Principal author, The Climate-Nuclear Nexus.
- Additional speakers to be confirmed
Session II: Asia/Pacific
Date: July 20, 2023 Time: 5:00 AM UTC | 10:30 AM Delhi | 2:00 PM Tokyo | 5:00 PM Wellington 7:00 PM Hawaii | 7:00 AM Eastern Europe | 1:00 AM EST
Register: Zoom Registration for Session II
Session 2 Speakers
- Augusto Lopez-Claros (Chile/Spain): Executive Director, Global Governance Forum. Senior Fellow at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Former Director of the Global Indicators Group in DEC of the World Bank.
- Tadashi Inuzuka (Japan): Co-President, World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy. Executive Director, 3+3 Coalition for a North-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. Former Senator from Nagasaki.
- Nicole Ponce (Philippines): Co-Founder and Coordinator, I am Climate Justice movement, Asia Front Coordinator, World’s Youth for Climate Justice.
- Disha Ravi (India): Co-founder, Fridays for Future India.
- Dr Justin Sobion LLM (Trinidad and Tobago): Legal Researcher and Teaching Assistant, NewZealand Centre for Environmental Law, University of Auckland. Coordinator, Earth Trusteeship Working Group. Co-editor, “Reflections on Earth Trusteeship: Mother Earth and a new 21st Century governance paradigm.”
- Additional speakers to be confirmed
About Citizens for Global Solutions
Citizens for Global Solutions is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-partisan membership-based organization that for more than 75 years has brought together a diverse collective of individuals and organizations with a common goal of a unified world predicated upon peace, human rights, and the rule of law. From championing ratification of the UN Charter upon our establishment in 1947 to supporting creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) 25 years ago to advocating for global instruments to confront today’s enduring challenges of war and climate degradation, CGS recognizes that true progress is a generational enterprise. We invite like-minded individuals and organizations to join us in this mission.
World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy
The World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM/IGP), established in 1947, is a non-profit organization registered in the USA and the Netherlands. Guided by its vision of a just, free, and peaceful world, WFM/IGP works to promote the rule of law and global governance of transnational issues including those related to peace, human rights, and the environment. Our vision is a just, free, and peaceful world, where humanity and nature flourish in harmony, while our mission is to create more effective, transparent, and accountable global governance leading to democratic world federation.
Youth Fusion is a world-wide networking platform for young individuals and organizations in the field of nuclear disarmament, risk-reduction and non-proliferation. We focus on youth action and intergenerational dialogue, building on the links between disarmament, peace, climate action, sustainable development and building back better from the pandemic. Our goals are clear: to inform, educate, connect and engage our fellow students, activists and enthusiasts. Through these activities, and as part of the Abolition 2000 Network, we are contributing to the total abolition of nuclear weapons.
Supporting Organizations
3+3 Coalition for a North-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Basel Peace Office, Citizens for Global Solutions, Chicago Area Peace Action (CAPA), Climate Governance Commission, Democracia Global, Global Minnesota, Green Hope Foundation, I Am Climate Justice, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, Peace Action, The Peace Alliance, Stimson, Upper Hudson Peace Action, World Federalist Movement Institute for Global Policy, World Future Council, World Service Authority, World’s Youth for Climate Justice, Young World Federalists and Youth Fusion.
Contact: outreach@globalsolutions.org
Advocating Toward Tomorrow’s Governed World: The First Exploratory Summit for CGS’s Action Network
(CGS) for a unique event to explore challenges, opportunities, and strategies for advocating for foundational principles of democratic world governance. The summit will inform concrete action to achieve the vision of tomorrow’s governed world and combat such critical global challenges as violations of international law and human rights, environmental degradation, and escalating armament.
Statement of Purpose
For more than 75 years, Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) has dedicated itself to the grand vision of a united planet, led by champions who represent some of the greatest minds of the last century. Despite this rich history, it is clear that the present moment demands new global solutions. The world has never been more interconnected: challenges of global health, environmental degradation, and illegal aggression do not respect borders. World federation provides the necessary framework for effective international cooperation but the question remains of the steps and pathway to this ultimate goal.
As CGS embarks on a new chapter, seeking innovative and ambitious solutions to current threats, we convene an “Exploratory Summit” to inform advocacy by our Action Network. At this summit, we invite subject matter experts and leading activists dedicated to our core causes and foundational values to share perspective on the contemporary means and methods for advocacy. The purpose of the summit is to help current and future CGS Action Network members identify priorities and strategies for our advocacy efforts. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussion with thought leaders and join CGS’s action efforts following the summit.
Topics will include:
- Supporting International Institutions through Informed Reform
- Promoting Treaty-Based International Law
- Advancing Climate Justice and Disarmament as Components of World Federation
- Mobilizing the Next Generation through Youth Outreach and Intergenerational Approaches
*CGS-Education Fund is a registered 501(c)(3). The CGS Action Fund is incorporated as a 501(c)(4).