BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14, Small and medium-sized countries play an important role in demonstrating alternative development paths, the president of Iceland in 1996-2016, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson said during a panel discussion on “Middle Powers in the New World Order” at the XII Global Baku Forum, Trend reports.
Grimsson noted that in the 21st century, most states are small or medium-sized and these countries play a key role in global changes. He noted that countries such as Iceland have demonstrated that it is possible to move away from a fossil-based economy to renewable energy in just one generation.
“40 years ago many people thought it was impossible, but now we know it is possible. Small and medium-sized countries can show the world that alternatives exist,” he stated.
He also emphasized that in the future, most of the world's population will live in Asia and Africa, and countries in Europe and North America will become a minority.
The official emphasized that it is important to understand how quickly the world is changing and called for avoiding outdated classifications of countries as “upper” or “lower” powers because this can lead to underestimating the rapidly changing world order.
The XII Global Baku Forum is scheduled to take place from March 13 through 15, 2025.
The forum is organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and will be held under the theme "Rethinking World Order: Turning Challenges into Opportunities".
Discussions will focus on key global issues, including geopolitical shifts, multilateralism, the global health crisis, recovery and regional stability, COP29, and more.
The forum is expected to bring together over 300 world leaders from more than 60 countries, including more than 25 former presidents, over 15 former prime ministers, around 10 UN and international agency heads, and over 25 former ministers and deputy ministers.