MacMillan Center Launches New Initiative to Rethink Global Problem-Solving, Starting with Climate
“Why do some multilateral agreements fail, even when there is agreement that the challenge is urgent?,” is the framing Sunil Amrith, Director of the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, used to set the stage at a set of events designed to inform a bold new initiative aimed at reshaping how the world tackles its most urgent global challenges, starting with climate change.
MacMillan’s program rethinks global problem-solving by moving beyond traditional international cooperation. Multilateralism – large-scale agreements among several nations – have often been slow, mired in bureaucracy, and difficult to enforce. In contrast, regional partnerships can be more nimble and locally responsive, driving measurable progress on issues like environmental degradation, public health, and security.
In April, the Center hosted a two-part event to examine this concept in the context of climate change: a closed-door faculty workshop and a public fireside chat. Both featured Carlos Alvarado, the former president of Costa Rica, and Maria Ivanova, a Yale alumna (‘99 M.E.M., ‘99 M.A., ‘06 Ph.D.) and expert on international environmental policy. Ivanova is also director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University.
“International cooperation is under strain, but this initiative is grounded in the belief that we can still make progress by thinking regionally, acting locally, and sharing knowledge globally,” said Amrith. “It’s about creating more nimble and inclusive frameworks that reflect the realities of today’s world.”
The initiative will roll out over the coming year through workshops, programs, and collaborative research, with a special focus on flexible, regional partnerships that can bypass the gridlock of global negotiations. The MacMillan Center’s seven regional councils will help connect scholars with practitioners working on the ground.
Building a New Framework for Action
During the workshop, Yale faculty from the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, the Environment, Global Affairs, Management, Law, Public Health, joined Alvarado and Ivanova to discuss the reasons behind the failure of many past international agreements, emphasizing the importance of political will, accountability, and practical enforcement for successful cooperation.
Ivanova, who co-created the Environmental Conventions Index to track global environmental commitments, argued that multilateral agreements need to be actionable. “We need to stop treating multilateralism as purely aspirational,” she said. “It can work, but it has to be restructured.”
Fireside Chat Highlights Regional Innovation
MacMillan’s annual George Herbert Walker, Jr. Lecture featured a dynamic fireside chat held on the eve of Earth Day. In conversation with Amrith, Alvarado and Ivanova challenged the idea that only major powers can drive climate solutions, offering a candid critique of the current state of multilateralism.
“Multilateralism is not working. Why? Because of fragmentation,” said Alvarado, explaining that fragmentation occurs when parties fail to agree on terms or don’t collaborate fully to implement global rules.
However, he pointed to his own presidency as an example of the potential for multilateral approaches to achieve solutions to critical issues. “The agreement to create the largest oceanic protected area in the Pacific in 2021 was an output of multilateralism. It proves that it can yield concrete, possible results.”
Ivanova offered a more optimistic take, emphasizing the need to refocus multilateralism –not just on setting global targets, but on empowering local actions. “Multilateralism was always seen as the tool of agreeing on a common direction and then doing the right thing locally,” she said.
The conversation also highlighted the potential of smaller nations to lead by example. Alvarado pointed to Costa Rica’s creation of the world’s largest marine protected area and a pioneering national decarbonization plan as evidence that small countries can drive ambitious change.
Ivanova echoed this sentiment, citing that countries like Malta, Rwanda, and Peru have shifted global policy debates through targeted, audacious actions. “It’s not about size,” she said. “It’s about courage and focus.”
From Talk to Transformation
With this initiative, the MacMillan Center is embracing a proactive academic role. “There’s a lot going on in the world, and it feels like there is an urgent need to respond,” said MacMillan deputy director Melissa Brown. “But we are not just reacting – we are supporting innovation and new ideas that can lead to real change.”
As the world looks ahead to COP30 in Brazil in November, both Alvarado and Ivanova emphasized the need for global gatherings to become platforms for implementation—not just symbolic agreement. “We need to ask: What has each country actually done? Where are the gaps? What comes next?” said Alvarado.
In the coming months, the MacMillan Center will look to stake out a leadership role in reimagining how universities contribute to global problem-solving – by linking academic research with regional expertise and real-world action, including with sessions at Climate Week in September.