Lowy Institute hosts conference of leading global think tanks

Today the Lowy Institute will host a meeting of the Council of Councils, a grouping of the world's leading think tanks.

The Conference will be co-chaired by Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, and Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Council of Councils is an international initiative led by the Council on Foreign Relations connecting leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a common conversation on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation.

“I am delighted to be hosting the first ever meeting of the Council of Councils in Australia. The conference will bring together some of the world's leading thinkers to discuss key topics such as the future of the G20, the challenge of Iran's nuclear program, and maritime security in Asia”, said Dr Michael Fullilove.

The Council of Councils’ membership is drawn from more than 20 countries and includes Chatham House and the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United Kingdom, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, the Observer Research Foundation in India, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies in China, and the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel. For more information on the Council, visit http://www.cfr.org/councilofcouncils.

A number of leading Australian political figures and officials will address the conference, including former prime minister John Howard, Assistant Treasurer Senator Arthur Sinodinos, the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Varghese, and the Chancellor of the Australian National University, Gareth Evans.

At the conclusion of the conference the Lowy Institute will host a public lecture by Council on Foreign Relations’ president Richard Haass on the new challenges to the global order a quarter-century after the end of the Cold War. Dr Haass is a former senior official in the George W. Bush administration and one of America’s leading foreign policy thinkers.

The lecture will take place on Tuesday 25 February from 5:30 to 7pm at the Lowy Institute’s headquarters at 31 Bligh Street. Media are warmly invited to attend. Please register with: sdunstan@lowyinstitute.org