The third “Managing Global Governance” (MGG) Public Lecture this year featured Amb. H. H. S. Viswanathan, who as a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi represents India in the BRICS Think Tank Council. Before joining the Foundation in 2010, Amb. Viswanathan served in the Indian Foreign Service for 34 years: among other positions, he was Ambassador/High Commissioner in Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire as well as Consul General of India in 14 US States. Amb. Viswanathan also has experience in the area of multilateral diplomacy as he represented India in the African Development Bank, at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and in the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). 

The lecture focused on the role of BRICS in global governance. Are these countries ready to actively promote global policy making in a context of changing global power structures? Do existing international institutions reflect the increasing economic and political weight of BRICS countries, or is there a need for fundamental reforms? What characterizes the triangular relations between BRICS, developing countries and Western industrialised countries? 

These and other questions were discussed with Amb. Viswanathan and the audience, moderated by Thomas Fues, Head of the Training Department.

The event was part of the MGG Public Lecture series featuring eminent scholars as well as high-ranking officials from MGG partner institutions. MGG, which is now in its 11th round in 2013, engages highly qualified young professionals from eight emerging economies (Egypt, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa) in a global governance dialogue. The format starts off with a two-month academic module, the Global Governance School (GGS) at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE). Subsequently, participants move on to research-based practice projects at German or European host organisations. MGG is jointly implemented by DIE and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ).