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IPDS Event14Oct2026
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IPDS President Speaks at the European Parliament: The Future of Global Governance
Pakistan’s Voice at the European Parliament
Honoured to speak on “The Future of Global Governance” at the European Parliament in Brussels, hosted by MEPs Ondřej Dostál and Michael von der Schulenburg, in the distinguished presence of Members of the European Parliament, ambassadors, diplomats, and international experts.
Dr. Farhat Asif, President, Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies; Chairperson, Diplomatic Insight Group
On 14 October 2026, Dr. Farhat Asif, President of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS) and Chairperson of the Diplomatic Insight Group (DIG), addressed the session “The Future of Global Governance” at the European Parliament in Brussels. The session, hosted by MEPs Ondřej Dostál and Michael von der Schulenburg, drew ambassadors from China, Nepal, Tanzania, Pakistan, Nicaragua and Indonesia, together with diplomatic representatives from Malaysia and Kenya. Rahim Hayat, Ambassador of Pakistan to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, also addressed the session.
What she told the session
Dr. Asif said the world is not short of international institutions: “It suffers from a shortage of trust, equal representation, and collective responsibility.” Multilateralism, she said, is undermined when decisions are concentrated among a few powerful actors, and the challenge “is not simply to manage a multipolar world. It is to make multipolarity work for humanity.”
She described the European Union as living evidence that countries with different histories and interests can build institutions for collective progress, and suggested that Europe’s institutional experience and China’s development capabilities could complement each other on climate change, development finance, technology governance, trade and global health. Pakistan’s partnerships with the European Union, including the GSP+ trade framework, and with China, including the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, she said, are complementary rather than competing.
Drawing on her doctoral research on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, she called for a sustained Europe–Asia dialogue among parliamentarians, scholars, diplomatic institutions and emerging voices from the Global South, and for international law to be applied consistently.
She closed with three reflections: “Multipolarity without cooperation will produce greater divisions. Multilateralism without equality will lose legitimacy. And global governance without justice will lose the trust of humanity.” Pakistan, she said, stands ready to contribute “not merely as an observer of global change, but as a partner in shaping it.”
Also in Brussels
During the same visit, Dr. Asif and Muhammad Asif Noor, Chief Executive Officer of the Diplomatic Insight Group, with Abid Ali, representing Malik Group of Companies, met Member of the European Parliament Ľuboš Blaha of Slovakia at the European Parliament. They discussed Pakistan–European Union relations, regional connectivity, Eurasian cooperation including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and opportunities for policy dialogue, research collaboration and economic cooperation. The meeting formed part of the delegation’s wider engagement with European policymakers, institutions and business stakeholders.
Photographs
Dr. Farhat Asif addressing the session, European Parliament, Brussels.Dr. Farhat Asif, shown on the session screen.Dr. Farhat Asif speaking at the session.
Participants at the session, European Parliament, Brussels.
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