Trilateral Commission Launches the Trilateral Task Force on Global Capitalism in Transition

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2021 (Newswire.com) -  Today, the Trilateral Commission launches The Trilateral Task Force on Global Capitalism in Transition to examine the future of capitalism in the context of major global trends, such as climate change, digitization, and growing nationalism. With its diversity of views and global reach, the Trilateral Commission is ideally positioned to explore these dynamics.

Jean-Claude Trichet, the European chair of the Trilateral Commission, notes, "Capitalism is at a turning point. To consolidate their past successes in producing wealth, market economies must now take fully into account externalities that are putting into question sustainability in many domains - in particular climate change, health, economic and financial stability, and social inclusion."

The task force will consider how different varieties of capitalism in North America, Europe, and Asia have both contributed to these global challenges and shaped the ability of the countries in these regions to address them. The task force will make recommendations about how the economic system could be modified, if needed, to better ensure advanced economies and democracies can respond adequately to climate change, digitization, and surging nationalism. The work of the task force will culminate in the publication of a landmark report in 2022, but will be marked by smaller outputs along the way.

"Until now, the foreign policy community has been on the sidelines of the debate about the future of capitalism, when in fact the outcome of this debate has real implications for how the international community addresses climate change and other global risks," said Meghan L. O'Sullivan, North American Chair of the Trilateral Commission. "The three co-chairs of this task force and its members bring incredible intellectual capacity to this issue, promising new thinking that shapes the way policymakers approach our biggest challenges."

The Task Force will be co-chaired by Carl Bildt, WHO Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden; Kelly Grier, U.S. Chair and Managing Partner, Americas Managing Partner, Ernst &Young; and Takeshi Niinami, CEO of Suntory Holdings and senior economic advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan. Thirty distinguished business leaders, policymakers, and academics from North America, Europe and Asia are part of the group. A full list of task force members is provided here. The Task Force will meet roughly once a month through January 2022.

"As the world addresses global dynamics such as climate change, digitization and social inequality, it's imperative that leaders from all sectors and regions come together to shape the policies that will determine our shared future," said Kelly Grier, EY US Chair and Managing Partner and Americas Managing Partner. "The task force will explore our economic systems' potential to be a force for transformation and put forth recommendations that reflect a global collective wisdom."

"I am truly honored and excited to be a part of such a uniquely diverse task force to discuss important aspects of the future of capitalism," said Takeshi Niinami, one of the task force's co-chairs. "Asia has been underrepresented in many of these discussions, especially in the area of sustainability, and I look forward to strengthening the region's influence through this Task Force's initiatives."

Contact: Cassandra Favart,

Coordinator for the North America Trilateral Commission

[email protected]  

Source: Trilateral Commission