Multilateralism does not sustain itself. It requires informed advocates, critical analysts, and engaged citizens who hold international institutions accountable to their founding principles. Karsten Weitzenegger supports Global Policy Forum Europe (GPF Europe) — one of Germany’s most respected independent think tanks for UN policy analysis and multilateral governance.
What is GPF Europe?
Founded in September 2004 in Bonn and registered as a non-profit association under German law, GPF Europe is an independent policy think tank that critically analyses and reports on the activities of the United Nations and multilateral processes . Its core conviction is that active civil society participation is essential to strengthen intergovernmental organisations and to advance a solidarity-based multilateralism rooted in international law and the UN Charter.
GPF Europe pursues four interconnected work programmes :
- Sustainable development and human rights, linking social, economic, and ecological issues in a coherent policy framework
- Development finance and tax justice, examining how global financial systems advance or undermine development goals
- UN reform and multilateralism, monitoring negotiations and advocating for stronger, more accountable international institutions
- Corporate influence and regulation, scrutinising the growing role of private actors in shaping global governance
A Think Tank Embedded in Global Civil Society
What sets GPF Europe apart is its dual role as both a rigorous analytical institution and an active participant in the global civil society ecosystem . Its publications — spanning reports, briefings, policy papers, and social media content — are used by activists, researchers, diplomats, and policymakers who want independent, evidence-based perspectives on UN and multilateral dynamics .
GPF Europe is embedded in an impressive network of civil society alliances, including Social Watch, the Women’s Major Group, the Global Alliance for Tax Justice, the Civil Society Financing for Development Group, and the Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) . Its working partnerships extend to organisations such as the Society for International Development (SID), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Misereor, Brot für die Welt, and the Third World Network — partners that collectively represent some of the most credible voices in international development and global governance.
Karsten Weitzenegger’s Engagement
Karsten Weitzenegger’s support for GPF Europe reflects a career shaped by both field-level development work and high-level policy engagement. After 30+ years advising on governance, economic reform, and sustainability across four continents, he knows that strong multilateral frameworks are not abstract ideals, they are the structural conditions on which effective development cooperation depends. Supporting GPF Europe’s independent analysis of the UN system and global governance is, for him, a natural extension of that conviction.
His engagement also connects GPF Europe’s policy work to the on-the-ground realities of development programming — a perspective that enriches civil society advocacy with practitioner credibility.
Why This Work Matters — and How You Can Support It
GPF Europe’s work is financed through contributions from partner organisations, public institutions, foundations, member contributions, and individual donations . Supporting GPF Europe means:
- Funding independent, non-partisan analysis of UN negotiations and global governance at a time when multilateralism faces unprecedented pressure
- Strengthening civil society voices in international policy spaces where corporate and state actors often dominate
- Contributing to a solidarity-based multilateralism grounded in human rights, gender justice, and the rule of international law
- Gaining access to high-quality publications, briefings, and events that keep you at the frontier of global policy debates
- Joining a network of individuals and organisations who believe that global agreements built on human rights and social justice are the most effective tools against xenophobia, authoritarianism, and nationalist unilateralism
At a moment when the international rules-based order is under strain from multiple directions, independent think tanks like GPF Europe are not a luxury. They are a necessity.
👉 Learn more and support GPF Europe: globalpolicy.org/de/gpf
Karsten Weitzenegger Consulting — Independent Expert and Evaluator since 2003. Based in Hamburg, Germany. Available globally.