About
Organisation
The Institute for Global Negotiation (IGN) is a non-profit, politically neutral association established under Article 60 ff. of the Swiss Civil Code. The Chair of Political Philosophy and the Chair of International Relations and Political Economy at the University of Zurich both hold a seat on the Board and collaborate with the IGN in organising and hosting events at the university. The Institute is led by a Board with support from an Advisory Council. The Board has delegated the running of operations to the Management Team. The statutes of the association can be found here.
Aim
The IGN aims to improve the understanding of the nature and processes of global negotiation among students, academics and practitioners. In particular, the IGN promotes the use of negotiation and conflict resolution skills to address global challenges and foster cooperation. The IGN is also committed to seeking out exchange and collaboration between individuals and institutions engaged in the theoretical and practical fields of global negotiation. To achieve these aims, members of the IGN participate in research projects, organise events and courses, and develop teaching resources.
Structure
As a membership based organisation, the members of the association elect the Board of the IGN. The Board delegates operations to the Management Team and elects an Advisory Council. The Advisory Council supports the Board in strategic questions. The Management Team manages the daily operations of the Institute encompassing different portfolios: Operations, Communications, Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Matters. The Management Team also oversees all IGN projects and events. Fellowships are approved by the Board or the Management Team and are awarded for contributions to the Institute, e.g. to Project Team Members and Portfolio Officers. The type of fellowship varies depending on experience and the scope of contribution.
An overview of all IGN Team Members can be found here.
History
The association was originally founded in 2014 as the Global Negotiation Conference, an annual event that sought to advance the theoretical and practical study of negotiation among students across academic disciplines. The conference grew out of the ‘International Negotiations’ seminar at the University of Bern before being hosted by ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. To take into account its growing membership and increased activities, the association was renamed the Institute for Global Negotiation in February 2021. Since 2023, the board has delegated the running of daily operations to a Management Team.
Previous speakers at events have included: Micheline Calmy Rey (Former President of the Swiss Confederation), Catherine Asthon (Former High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy); Bertie Ahern (Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland); Dennis Ross (Former Special Assistant to President Barack Obama); Mircea Geoană (Deputy Security General, NATO) and Angela Kane (Former UN Deputy Secretary General).
The IGN owes an immense debt of gratitude to Tobias W. Langenegger who attended the first Global Negotiation Conference as a participant and later served as Co-President of the association from 2017 until he tragically passed away in 2019, following complications from elective surgery. Tobi was a talented scholar and lecturer who was pivotal in shaping the development of the association.