I came to Rockfeller foundation Bellagio center located besides Lake Como in Northern Italy. It is October 29 today and there was a snowfall several days ago. Regret to say that the weather is not too wonderful.
Photos 1-4: An overview of Lake Como seen from the meeting room in the center.
Early this year, our “Think Tank,” Health Policy Institute co-hosted “Global Health Summit” with World Bank to help draft agenda for the Toyako G8 Summit by a process independent from government. To see if the same kind of mechanism can work in Italy, we invited several people concerned to discuss on its possibility and find ways. Aside from the official transition from Japan to Italy as the host country of Summit, this is an independent action of our Think Tank for continuing the agenda which we helped in coordinating. Policymaking process that involves Multistakeholders is such a trend in this “flattening” world, that the attitude of government on how to handle this is apparently the target of evaluation in any government today. See, for example, “Transparency”.
Photo 5: Dr. Linda Dorment, delegate of the Rockefeller foundation, myself, Dr. Kondo and Mr. Banno of the Health Policy Institute at the meeting.
President Yamamoto of JCIE presented a report (Ref. 1) which JCIE prepared in collaboration with ministry of foreign affairs and other related ministries. He also joined in the discussion. In a global era like today, nation’s politics does not work effectively without taking into account the activities of Multistakeholders with global networks or related NGOs. I have already pointed this out in my keynote lecture of this year’s G8 Environment ministers’ meeting. I am planning to listen to various opinions in the course of exploring the possibilities of participating in the policymaking process of Italy. Tomorrow, I will be heading to Rome.