Najam talks on ‘Planetary Thinking’ at Swissnex Day
Prof. Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and President of WWF-International, was invited to present framing thoughts and ideas on ‘planetary thinking’ on Swissnex Day 2024, organized by Switzerland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Swissnex is the global network of Switzerland’s science consulates whose mission is to support outreach and active engagement in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talents. Managed by the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs, Swissnex brings together six global hubs in China, Japan, India, Brazil, USA and Switzerland with around 20 science offices and counselors based in Swiss embassies to strengthen Switzerland’s profile as a world-leading hotspot of innovation. Swissnex Day is the annual gathering of this network along with partners from business, academia, research and govenment.
Speaking virtually on the theme of the 2024 Swissnex Day, held on April 24, 2024, in Bern, Switzerland, Prof. Adil Najam stressed that the world is now tearing at the seams of ‘diplomacy as usual’ which is no longer fit for purpose as it confronts a confluence of technological, ecological, political and societal transformations. This, he argued, is the essential “logic of planetary thinking.” Najam called for innovation in how we think of and deal with planetary thinking in global diplomacy, but also for urgency and action.
Adil Najam is Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and also serves as the President of WWF-International. He served as the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies from 2014-2022. He is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Najam on his Pardee School faculty profile.