About us
Together First is a growing movement of global citizens, experts, practitioners, civil society activists and business leaders from all regions of the world
About us
Together First is committed to making the best ideas for global governance a reality. We believe that by making the conversation on global governance accessible and inclusive, we will help create a more democratic, transparent and accountable system – one that is, ultimately, more effective too.
The UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020 must be the starting point of a global governance transformation. Together Firstis campaigning for the September 2020 world leaders’ summit to discuss, agree and initiate the reforms we urgently need, based on an inclusive action plan.
Through our call for ideas, we will bring new voices to the decision-making table, and work with them to push for concrete solutions and implementation. Our efforts will be closely coordinated with the UN’s 75th anniversary initiative, which will stimulate dialogues around the world on the future we need, and the UN2020 civil society coalition lobbying for meaningful public engagement with the leaders’ summit.
The UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020 must be the starting point of a global governance transformation. Together Firstis campaigning for the September 2020 world leaders’ summit to discuss, agree and initiate the reforms we urgently need, based on an inclusive action plan.
Through our call for ideas, we will bring new voices to the decision-making table, and work with them to push for concrete solutions and implementation. Our efforts will be closely coordinated with the UN’s 75th anniversary initiative, which will stimulate dialogues around the world on the future we need, and the UN2020 civil society coalition lobbying for meaningful public engagement with the leaders’ summit.
Our mission
At Together First our mission is clear, together with the global community we aim to:
Step 1
Identify
Identify workable ways to address global risks and enable the whole world to join the conversation
Step 2
Prioritise
Prioritise the leading ideas to produce a ‘to-do’ list for the international community
Step 3
Mobilise
Mobilise individuals, NGOs, states and businesses to make these solutions a reality
Organisational structure
UNA-UK provides the secretariat for Together First, a campaign formed from a coalition of over 150 NGOs, launched at the Paris Peace Forum alongside the Stimson Center, the Igarapé Institute, CIVICUS and the Chinese Initiative on International Law. Decision making within Together First is supported by a Coordination Team of representatives from each of these organisations. Click here for a list of the organisations supporting Together First.
The Global Challenges Foundation is providing core funding for UNA-UK. GCF and UNA-UK jointly provide formal management of the process.
A twelve person Focus Group provides Together First with its directional steer, and we are also pleased to be able to draw from a wider Advisory Council for guidance and expertise.
The Global Challenges Foundation is providing core funding for UNA-UK. GCF and UNA-UK jointly provide formal management of the process.
A twelve person Focus Group provides Together First with its directional steer, and we are also pleased to be able to draw from a wider Advisory Council for guidance and expertise.
Focus group
Our focus group consists of 12 individuals who are giving significant amounts of their time to help us steer the project and ensure that we are representative and fair in our decision-making.
Our focus group is gender balanced, contains at least one person from each of the UN’s geographic regions, and is roughly equally split between:
Our focus group is gender balanced, contains at least one person from each of the UN’s geographic regions, and is roughly equally split between:
- Coordination team members
- Experts on global governance
- Experts on global catastrophic risks
- Representatives of marginalised and less heard from groups
Adriana Erthal Abdenur is a Brazilian policy expert and co-founder and Executive Director of Plataforma CIPÓ, a think tank dedicated to climate, governance, and peacebuilding in Latin America and beyond. With a PhD from Princeton University, she publishes widely and serves on the UN ECOSOC Committee on Development Policy. Adriana lives in Rio de Janeiro with her children.
Adriana Erthal Abdenur
Focus Group
Maja Groff is an international lawyer based in The Hague, working on multilateral treaties, at international criminal tribunals and teaching at the Hague Academy of International Law. She serves on advisory boards of two ethical business organisations and was a winner of the 2018 New Shape Prize for governance innovation.
Maja Groff
Focus Group
Magnus Jiborn is Research & Analysis Advisor to the Global Challenges Foundation and a Researcher at Lund University School of Economics. With a PhD in Philosophy, Magnus currently researches trade and climate impact, and principles for carbon accounting. Previously, he was an opinion editor and columnist for a Swedish newspaper.
Magnus Jiborn
Focus Group
Angela Kane is a senior fellow at the Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and teaches at Sciences Po (Paris). She was the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and UN Under-Secretary-General for Management. She served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UNMEE peacekeeping mission.
Angela Kane
Focus Group
Rita Izsák-Ndiaye is a human rights expert working with civil society and multilateral organizations in Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovia, and with the Hungarian Government. A member and Rapporteur of the UN Commitee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), she was formerly UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues.
Rita Izsák-Ndiaye
Focus Group
Minh-Thu Pham the former Executive Director of Global Policy at the United Nations Foundation, where she led strategic initiatives to support the UN. She helped UN member states create, negotiate and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She served in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General as a policy adviser. She is now devoting her time to the 2020 elections in the U.S. and democracy promotion.
Minh-Thu Pham
Focus Group
Dr. Richard Ponzio is Director of Just Security 2020 at The Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., which seeks to maximize “UN 75” to advance the Albright-Gambari Commission global governance innovation recommendations. Previously, he served in senior positions at the U.S. State Department and the United Nations.Focus Group
Richard Ponzio
Focus Group
Darynell Rodriguez Torres is Executive Director at the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict Foundation. With over twenty years of experience in international affairs, he formerly worked as adviser to the Colombian Senate President, and in the office of the Secretariat for Ibero-American Cooperation in Madrid.
Darynell Rodriguez Torres
Focus Group
Abiodun Williams is Professor of the Practice of International Politics and Director of the Institute for Global Leadership at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He was Director of Strategic Planning for United Nations Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon.
Abiodun Williams
Focus Group
Ulad Vialichka is a founder and leader of the Adult education association in Belarus, and founding partner of IMACON Consulting Group. A manager, trainer, evaluator and consultant, he is experienced with CSO development, project monitoring, organizational development, international relations and development cooperation in Belarus, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
Ulad Vialichka
Focus Group
Lan Xue is a Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University. In addition to his teaching and research on S&T policy, he also advises various domestic and international organizations, including serving as the Chair of China’s Governance Committee for Next Generation AI.
Lan Xue
Focus Group