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Centre for International Governance Innovation

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Entrance to CIGI

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is a Canadian not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank based in Waterloo, Ontario that conducts research, holds conferences, and publishes working papers and books, and makes policy recommendations on international governance issues.

CIGI's mandate states that "CIGI supports research, forms networks, advances policy debate, builds capacity, and generates ideas for multilateral governance improvements. Conducting an active agenda of research, events and publications, CIGI's interdisciplinary work includes collaboration with policy, business and academic communities around the world."[1]

CIGI is presently headquartered in the former Seagram Museum in Waterloo. Until December 2009, its executive director was Dr. John English (historian and former Liberal Party MP). CIGI's Distinguished Fellows include Paul Heinbecker, Canada's former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Louise Fréchette, former Deputy Secretary-General to the United Nations, and Andrew F. Cooper, leading global governance scholar.

History

CIGI building seen from the street level.

CIGI was founded by Jim Balsillie, who, together with Mike Lazaridis, his co-CEO at Research In Motion (RIM), made a donation in 2001 to establish the Centre in Waterloo. In 2003, the Government of Canada provided a matching grant.

The establishment of CIGI has been recognized as major contributor to the growth of a local 'knowledge economy' in Waterloo region.[2][3] In 2007 Waterloo was named the world's 'Top Intelligent Community.'[4]

In May 2009, it was announced that CIGI would lead the development of the Balsillie School of International Affairs — a graduate school being constructed alongside the Centre — following further charitable donations from Balsillie, and the governments of Canada and Ontario.[5]

Research

CIGI holds an annual conference to gather leading experts and policymakers from around the world to discuss possible solutions to the issues raised by CIGI's research. The latest event in the series was CIGI'10, which addressed the challenges and key issues of climate change and global environmental governance.[6][7]

In 2008, CIGI launched the Africa Initiative — a project that maintains the Africa Portal and examines the effects of climate change on health, migration, energy, food security; and conflict resolution.[8][9]

In 2010, CIGI launched the Security Sector Reform Resource Centre - a project designed to deconstruct the SSR model, analyze its practical application in different contexts and offer advice on how to increase its effectiveness.[10][11]

Partners

CIGI has partnered with over 150 organizations such as Chatham House, Princeton University, the University of Toronto's Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Oxford University and the Centre for Global Studies (CFGS) to ensure its work is internationally relevant and useful.

CIGI partners fall into four distinct categories: research and educational; information and communication technology; financial; and knowledge partners.

CIGI's research and educational partners include: Wilfrid Laurier University, World Health Organization (WHO), Stanford University, Council on Foreign Relations, United Nations Foundation - Better World Fund, OECD, World Bank - Compact Seminars on Development, Human Rights Watch and Overseas Development Institute.

CIGI has partnered with Brookings Institution, C.D. Howe Institute, Inter-American Dialogue, Ford Institute for Human Security and International Crisis Organization, a few of the growing number of information and communication technology partners.

CIGI's financial partners include the University of Waterloo, Princeton University and the Canadian International Council (CIC) is one of CIGI's knowledge partners.

Researchers and Fellows

Distinguished Fellows

Senior Visiting Fellows

  • Manmohan Agarwal
  • Paul Blustein

Research Chairs

  • Jennifer Clapp
  • William D. Coleman
  • Paul Freston
  • Eric Helleiner
  • Kathryn Hochstetler
  • Thomas Homer-Dixon
  • Sue Horton
  • Maurice Kugler
  • David Welch

Senior Fellows

  • Stephen Blank
  • Colin Bradford
  • Barry Carin
  • Gregory Chin
  • Stephen Clarkson
  • Trevor Findlay
  • Keith W. Hipel
  • Bessma Momani
  • Mark Sedra
  • Pierre Siklos
  • Debra Steger

References

  1. ^ http://www.cigionline.org/about/mandate
  2. ^ http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20050418_103887_103887
  3. ^ http://www.businessedge.ca/archives/article.cfm/waterloo-a-magnet-for-think-tank-synergy-12797
  4. ^ http://www.intelligentwaterloo.com/en/press.shtml
  5. ^ http://news.therecord.com/article/543951
  6. ^ http://jp.advfn.com/news__44419452.html
  7. ^ http://blogs.shell.com/climatechange/2010/10/what-to-do-with-sulphur/
  8. ^ http://news.therecord.com/article/379504
  9. ^ http://www.africaportal.org/about-us
  10. ^ http://www.cigionline.org/project/security-sector-governance
  11. ^ http://www.ssrresourcecentre.org/2010/04/28/the-security-sector-reform-resource-centre-overview/
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