tasc platform
new momentum
new mindsets
new models
for multilateralism in transition
The Thinking Ahead on Societal Change (TASC) Platform brings together governments, international organizations, academia, business, civil society and youth, to foster constructive dialogue, sensemaking and collaboration on large-scale societal transitions. -
We connect policy engagement, applied research and collaboration to test, develop and deliver tools, insights and practical approaches that turn dialogue into action.
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We offer a trusted space for sensemaking and exchange, moving beyond institutional positions to spark transformative solutions.
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We support policymakers in governments and international organizations responsible for driving societal transitions in times of heightened uncertainty.
Thinking Ahead on Societal Change (TASC) Platform is an open platform briging togetehr governments, international organizations, academia, business, and civil society to manage uncertainty and steer human-centred transitions.
Thinking Ahead on Societal Change is an open platform supporting constructive dialogue and cooperation through uncertainty and transitions.
As we face rising social tension, disruption and conflict, we engage with uncertainty and empower change-makers with insights, tools and mindsets to collectively understand and drive peaceful, human-centered change.
Our EVents
Held alongside the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, this high-level working lunch explores how the decisions shaping AI safety, transparency, and trust are increasingly made during design and development—and what meaningful developer accountability looks like across organisations, regulation, and international AI governance.
As economic transitions accelerate, the challenge is not only how economies transform, but how these transformations are governed. This webinar explores emerging insights from the Trade and Labour Programme and introduces a forthcoming policy tool designed to help policymakers better align trade and labour strategies for more inclusive outcomes.
Ha-Joon Chang joins the UN Economist Network’s global book webinar series for a conversation on pluralism in economics, moderated by James K. Galbraith.
Beyond Tariffs: Reconnecting Economic Policy with Social Development is a CSocD64 side event co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations and the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, and co-organised by the TASC Platform, the Geneva Graduate Institute, and the Global Labor Institute (GLI), Cornell University. The event explores how evolving economic policy frameworks can better support social development, decent work, and inclusive transitions in the context of green and digital change.
Join the UN Economist Network for the opening webinar of its 2026 Global Book Talk series, featuring Diane Elson in conversation on The Diane Elson Reader: Gender, Development and Macroeconomic Policy. This session explores how feminist economics has reshaped macroeconomic thinking on development, care, labour, and social justice, and why these perspectives remain essential to advancing more human-centred and inclusive economic policy today.
Join the UN Economist Network for a special webinar with the authors of Decolonizing Economics: An Introduction, exploring how economics can move beyond its Eurocentric roots to address inequality, power, and global development more inclusively. This interactive discussion brings together economists, policymakers, and practitioners committed to reimagining economic thought for a fairer, more sustainable world.
Ready to imagine the future, not just predict it?
Join SolveCC, NACCE, and the TASC Platform at the AI for Good Summit 2025 for a dynamic workshop blending expert insight, community storytelling, and collaborative roadmapping to reimagine the future of learning and work by 2035.
Aligning Control and Accountability in the New AI Supply Chain
On the sidelines of the AI for Good Summit, this by-invitation workshop—hosted by the TASC Platform in collaboration with IASEAI and Cognizant—explores how governance must evolve as AI systems become more autonomous and responsibilities more diffuse.
Join Beyond Lab, IISD, and TASC Platform at Palais des Nations for an interactive workshop on moving beyond GDP towards inclusive and sustainable economies. Engage with policymakers, researchers, and young leaders to shape a future that prioritises social, environmental, and economic wellbeing.
The "Decent Work, Brighter Futures" Talk Series, hosted by YouthForesight in collaboration with the TASC Platform of the Graduate Institute, explores youth employment trends, aspirations, and challenges over the past 20 years through intergenerational dialogues. The 4th event will be in Spanish, focusing on the Latin America and Caribbean, with the series covering global and regional youth labor market transitions and generating ideas for multilateral action.
The "Decent Work, Brighter Futures" Talk Series, hosted by YouthForesight in collaboration with the TASC Platform of the Graduate Institute, explores youth employment trends, aspirations, and challenges over the past 20 years through intergenerational dialogues. The 3rd event focuses on Europe, with the series covering global and regional youth labor market transitions and generating ideas for multilateral action.
The "Decent Work, Brighter Futures" Talk Series, hosted by YouthForesight in collaboration with the TASC Platform of the Graduate Institute and Plan International Indonesia, explores youth employment trends, aspirations, and challenges over the past 20 years through intergenerational dialogues. The first event focuses on Asia and the Pacific, with the series covering global and regional youth labor market transitions and generating ideas for multilateral action.
Participate in our session at the Migration Summit, "Transforming the Future of Work: The Power of Systems Thinking for Collaborative Actions in AI and Migration." In this interactive session, the TASC Platform will share insights from the Future of Work Summit, introduce participants to the power of systems thinking as a tool for informing collaboration and silo-breaking, and discuss the challenges of working with the unknown.
The Future of Work Summit 2024
The Future of Work Summit 2024 engaged with the challenge of building trust for collaborative policy building and a renewed social contract - with a focus on two crucial unknowns at the forefront of domestic and international discourse: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Migration, in recognition of World Refugee Day.
Discover the cutting-edge discussions and hands-on workshops at the ITU AI for Good Global Summit, where leaders converge to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence. Join the movement towards ethical, innovative AI solutions that benefit society at large. Register here: https://aiforgood.itu.int/event/ai-futures/
Join International Labour Organization (ILO) and the TASC Platform for an enlightening discussion with Richard Samans, ILO's Director of Research, on "Human-Centered Economics: The Living Standards of Nations." Explore transformative economic paradigms and pathways toward global well-being.
Join our discussion to explore the role International Geneva has to play in the quest for #SocialJustice.
This celebratory event will launch the new book, “Social Justice and the World of Work: Possible Global Futures”, edited by Brian Langille and Anne Trebilcock in honour of Francis Maupin, Former ILO legal adviser and Special Adviser to the ILO Director-General.
Join us to explore the concept of social justice at work, re-imagine the trajectory for international organizations, and celebrate the contributions of Francis Maupain - an inspiration for those who, in a changing world, seize opportunities for creativity in the pursuit of global justice at work.
AI is advancing faster than even technology experts predicted, and the impact on the world of work is a central concern. As the capabilities of generative AI rise exponentially, human imagination is struggling to keep up. Can imagine a future of meaningful cooperation with advanced technology – or a world where goods and value could be created without human work? What would these different realities mean for our future lives and lifestyles, and for our collective welfare, wellbeing, and wealth – and what future would we want?
This panel will explore the pathways and challenges for integration for peoples of migratory and displacement backgrounds. It will highlight and explore the exclusionary dynamics of migratory regimes, and how these might be challenged. In particular, the panel will also focus on how migration, gender, and digital world(s) intersect in processes of migration, exclusion, and inclusion. The gathered activists will focus on their own lived experiences and share how all might intervene and construct their own advocacy agendas to construct truly inclusive societies in Switzerland, in particular, and globally, more broadly.
As the future of work faces multiple transitions in the context of poly-crises, we are convening diverse thinkers and actors, from International Geneva and beyond, to explore issues at the forefront of the international agenda through the lens of social justice.
Welcome to “Visions of the Future of Work”, a global AI storytelling and film competition dedicated to explore and depict the future of work to inspire positive change. As there is no doubt AI will completely transform the way we work, we believe that we can lead the way in imagining and shaping what that future of work will be through the power of storytelling, videos, films and AI.
The fabric of globalization has become frayed in recent years by domestic political factors, geo-economic shifts and post-pandemic concerns about supply-chain resilience.
What does the future of global integration look like, and who stands to gain and lose from the changes under way?
Fair Play is a documentary film by Jennifer Siebel Newsom in partnership with Hello Sunshine which aims to make the invisible care work historically held by women visible. It highlights how unfair dynamics in the home are linked to systemic issues affecting millions of families across the globe.
Recent news
These event highlights capture key governance insights from the TASC Platform's dialogue Use at Your Own Risk? Integrating Developers into AI Governance, convened alongside the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
Dr Maria Mexi examines the ILO's first international labour standard on platform work, explaining how Convention No. 193 establishes a global framework for rights, governance, and accountability, and what successful implementation will require at national level.
In this personal reflection, Katherine Kamedde of Uganda's Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (COFTU) explores how the adoption of the Platform Economy Convention and lessons from the International Labour Conference can help strengthen governance readiness for platform work and just transitions in Uganda.
In this commentary, Konstantinos Papadakis, Special Adviser at the ILO, explores why governance, institutional readiness, and social dialogue, not technology alone, determine whether green and digital transitions deliver fair and inclusive outcomes.
In this reflection, Yasmeen Chaudhry explores how the debate surrounding the next United Nations Secretary-General is prompting a broader conversation about leadership, governance, and institutional renewal at a time of profound change for the multilateral system.
How can just transitions be delivered in practice? This article presents TASC Platform’s new Policy Guide as a governance-readiness framework for identifying risks early, closing accountability gaps, and building more coherent, inclusive, and actionable transition planning.
A new paper by the UN Economist Network, led by Richard Samans and co-authored with Chafik Ben Rouin, Tasneem Mirza, Stuart Davies, Uma Rani, and Sara Castro de Hallgren, proposes moving beyond GDP through a Multidimensional Living Standards Index (MLSI) and a new headline measure, Gross National Sustainable Development (GNSD), integrating economic output with lived experience to better guide policy on inequality, AI, climate, and inclusive growth.
Maria Mexi examines whether the EU’s regulatory leadership can translate into real influence over how AI is designed—and who it ultimately benefits in the workplace.
In this reflection, Andreas Oeschger, Policy Advisor at SECO International Labour Affairs, synthesises the key takeaways from the CSocD64 side event on reconnecting economic policy with social development. His overview highlights how green and digital transition policies are reshaping economic governance and what it will take to ensure these shifts translate into decent work and inclusive growth.
Claudine Haenni, with support of the TASC Platform, GCSP, and the Asian Institute of Hospitality Management at Les Roches, explores how leadership development in uncertain times drives change. Highlighting how participative training and partnerships equip leaders in Myanmar to navigate complexity and contribute to global dialogue.
Oliver Hoehne, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York, reflects on how economic policy and social development have become increasingly intertwined in today’s global economy. Tracing the evolution of policy thinking from the Copenhagen Declaration to current debates, he highlights how tools such as tariffs, industrial policy, and sustainability standards are now shaping not only markets but also social outcomes—underscoring the need for economic strategies that deliberately support inclusive and resilient development.
Dr. Maria Mexi, Senior Advisor on Labour and Social Policy at the TASC Platform, explores how trade and economic policies intersect with labour outcomes in an era of digital and green transitions. Drawing on case studies from Kenya’s digital economy and Indonesia’s nickel value chain, she highlights the growing challenge of aligning economic transformation with labour governance, showing why policy coherence and effective implementation are essential to ensure that global transitions deliver decent work and inclusive development.
Jason Judd, Executive Director of the ILR Global Labor Institute at Cornell University, sets the scene for the dialogue by tracing how trade policy has evolved over three decades, from NAFTA’s loosely attached labour provisions to more integrated approaches such as USMCA and emerging due diligence frameworks. Framing this evolution as a long process of incubating, testing, and refining ideas, he asks a central question: are these new tools truly delivering better outcomes for workers and social development?
From Kenya’s digital economy, Kitrhona Cerri and Maria Mexi unpack how platforms, data, and algorithms are redefining industrial policy and the risks of falling into digital dependency.
On World Day of Social Justice, our Director, Marie-Laure Salles of the Geneva Graduate Institute, underscores the urgency of mobilising academia and the wider research community. She positions universities as catalysts for knowledge, connection, and concrete action within the Global Coalition for Social Justice.
Reporting from Strasbourg, Maria Mexi highlights the EU’s accelerating “Omnibus-isation” and its implications for governance, data rights, and the future of work.
Our Co-Chair, Professor Gudela Grote shares how uncertainty-as-enabling mindsets can equip leaders to navigate complex transitions and strengthen cooperation across institutions and the multilateral landscape.
Shruti Merin Lal shares insights from our Futures Balance work, exploring intergenerational equity in policymaking during Building Bridges Week.
Annika Erickson-Pearson brings three key takeaways from our Business & Conflict Community of Practice Annual Meeting, highlighting what responsible business in conflict demands today.
The Geneva Dialogue on Trade and Labour, hosted by the TASC Platform and the World Economic Forum Trade and Investment Team at the World Economic Forum headquarters on 27 October 2025, brought together country missions and institutional partners to reflect on how trade and labour policies can evolve together in times of transition.
Ms. Sally Bardayan Rivera, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Panama Mission to the WTO highlighted how deeply trade and labour are intertwined in Panama’s national story. From the transformative power of the Panama Canal to the role of skills, services, and logistics in sustaining global trade today, she underscored the need to design trade systems that invest in people and not just in markets.
Ambassador Valérie Berset Bircher, Deputy Head of International Labour Affairs at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), called for renewed multilateral cooperation to better connect trade and labour agendas, underscoring the importance of institutional coordination and policy coherence, particularly in a context of climate transition, automation, and shifting global competitiveness.
H.E. Ambassador James Ndirangu Waweru, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations Office in Geneva, spoke to the urgency of aligning trade and labour agendas in the context of Africa’s fast-evolving economic transitions.
H.E. Ambassador Ms. Nahida Sobhan, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, shared how Bangladesh’s own experience makes the case for formalising the trade and labour nexus through forward-looking policy reforms in which economic integration goes hand in hand with social inclusion.
Take-aways from the third in our series of AI Futures workshops at the ITU's AI for Good Global Summit, this year in collaboration with NACCE and SolveCC. We discuss best-practice solutions towards the realization of AI futures scenarios.
Highlights from our expert workshop in collaboration with Cognizant and IASEAI, examining human accountability and control in increasingly complex and autonomous AI supply chains. Can humans still have agency alongside agentic AI systems?
Marie-Laure Salles, Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute shares her highlights from convening the first meeting of academic partners of the Global Coalition for Social Justice and her perspective on the unique power of academia as a lever for social cohesion and legitimacy.
Mekhla Jha shares a teaser of insights from our joint case study with the World Economic Forum and Africa Practice, building on extensive interviews exploring the promise and precarity of Kenya's digital transition for trade and labour.
Keynotes from Miriam Caterina Roquel Chavez, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Guatemala and Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy for International Affairs, Bangladesh, ground aspirations for transnational labour standards in national realities and bring to life the power of values-driven transitions.
Richard Samans, Senior Fellow at the TASC Platform, outlines why global economic priorities must shift toward human well-being, resilience, and inclusion. His latest article connects this agenda to the Global Social Summit, calling for coordinated action to reshape growth and development models worldwide.
our projects
New Solutions Incubation
Partners: Centre for Trade and Economic Integration (CTEI) & Geneva Trade Platform
The "Business and Conflict: Community of Practice" is a network of professionals from diverse organizations focused on promoting responsible business practices in conflict-affected areas. Co-managed by the TASC Platform and the Geneva Trade Platform, it facilitates regular discussions, information exchange, and collaboration on business, human rights, and conflict issues through online workshops and briefings.
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Partners: World Economic Forum & Laudes Foundation
This joint project focuses on creating synergies between trade and labour policymaking, aiming to ensure that economic growth and sustainable development also translate into tangible improvements in worker well-being.
The multistakeholder work programme aims at identifying and sharing best practices from across the labour and trade policy spaces; building partnerships to align social commitments with inclusive supply chain practices; informing trade policy discussions; and providing a coordination platform.
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Partners: Centre for Trade and Economic Integration & Geneva Trade Platform
This research initiative engaged 25 organizations and 15 Swiss-based Ukrainian refugees to investigate how digital employment can offer new pathways to security and prosperity for refugees. Addressing barriers such as digital upskilling, legal frameworks, and recognition of qualifications, the research proposes eight targeted policy recommendations across key sectors—governmental, NGO, private, and international organizations to enhance the accessibility and sustainability of digital employment opportunities for refugees.
collaborative research & innovation
Partners: The Innovation Foundation powered by Adecco
This joint research series explores the challenges faced by women returning to work after the pandemic and asks whether flexibility at work is a universal solution for both employers and workers. Following on a first paper published in January 2022, “Women Returning to Work in a Post-Pandemic World: Busting the Myths of Flexibility and Choice”, this second paper digs deeper into the benefits and challenges of flexibility for medium-skilled women in a diverse set of labour markets: India, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, and the UK, focus on three industries that have been at the front-line during the pandemic: healthcare, hospitality and logistics.
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Partners: Colombia más Competitiva for the Colombian
The project focused on a newly important form of globalisation – the hiring of foreign freelancers via digital platforms. These platforms have created new ways of offshoring service tasks by making it easy for firms to find, hire, manage, and pay foreign-based freelancers.
From the hiring-firms’ perspective, these platforms have dramatically lowered the fixed cost of hiring foreign service- workers while at the same time dramatically raising the flexibility of such contracts. This project produced an understanding of occupations where Colombian service-sector workers and micro firms might most easily expand their export activity through telemigration, with the aim of informing better public policies and instruments.
NEW SOLUTIONS INCUBATION
Partner: The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva
The "Futures Balance" initiative is exploring the co-development of a forward-looking accountability and planning tool aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability and prosperity, grounded in the principle of intergenerational equity. It aims to guide policy and decision-makers towards making informed choices that do not just serve immediate needs but also consider the well-being of future generations, thereby minimizing our 'debt to the future' and fostering a shift towards sustainable, regenerative development.
new solutions incubation
Partners: Our Future Life, International Telecommunications Union
The Our Future Life collective seeks to generate the world's most inclusive brainstorm, inviting participants from all walks of life to share their visions through short videos and films. These contributions aim to inspire policymakers, decision-makers, creators, and future shapers, driving a direct line of communication between the imagination of the global community and those crafting our future, and addressing critical topics like AI, technological transformation, and human-centered work lives. The TASC Platform hosted a workshop exploring the potential to engage under-represented populations in global decision-making, and launched the “Visions of the Future of Work” short film competition, culminating in a workshop at the AI for Good Summit.
Our Partners
