The Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn), Department of Political Sciences University of Pretoria

In conjunction with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pretoria

invite you to a Webinar on:

Reinvigorating Multilateralism Amidst and Post the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic came as a wake-up call to multilateralism. In concerted efforts to control spread and cope with the immediate effects of the coronavirus disease, countries imposed unprecedented and strict measures such as border closures. But infectious diseases like the coronavirus disease know no borders, paradoxically drawing attention to the need for a global governance system that is grounded in international agreement and collaboration. However, multilateralism was itself apparently under threat just prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. This was because of a backlash on globalisation and the rise in populist regimes in developed countries. As countries reopen and ease down restrictions imposed earlier in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, there is talk of a ‘new normal’. That makes it necessary to look afresh at multilateralism, what it is, why it is important, where it ‘is’ at present and what seems to be its future trends. Also, given international events that occurred between March and June 2020, it is necessary to consider multilateralism and Covid-19 as well as multilateralism and (the fight against) racism. And what can be said about multilateralism and unilateralism and South Africa–Iran cooperation in multilateral organizations?

Date:                                        18 August 2020
Time:                                       14:00 – 16:00
RSVP:                                      Click here.

Queries:                                   kirsty.agnew@up.ac.za

Mohammad Marandi is a Professor of American studies, American history and literature, Colonial and postcolonial studies in the faculty of world studies, University of Tehran. He is one of the most invited university professor of Iran to international Seminars in Political issues. Marandi also has appeared as an eminent political and social commentator on international news networks such as PBS, RT, ABC, CGTN, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and Press TV.

Hamed Mousavi is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran. His research interests include Israeli foreign policy, US foreign policy, and Middle East politics. He is currently writing a book on the role of ideology in Israeli foreign policy. Dr. Mousavi regularly appears as a political analyst on various news channels including, PressTV, IRIB, CNN, BBC, Aljazeera and RT.

Amir Saed Vakil is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran. He is in close relationship with UN offices in Tehran. His research interests include human rights, dispute resolution, responsibility, and acts of states. Vakil has appeared as an International law commentator on international news networks such as Press TV, IRIB.

Yolanda Kemp Spies was trained as a diplomat at the South African Foreign Ministry and at Oxford University, UK. She practiced diplomacy for 19 years, and lived and worked on four continents before she joined academia. She completed her doctorate in International Relations in 2005, after which she designed a Master of Diplomatic Studies program for the University of Pretoria. She directed the programme until 2016. From 2016 to 2019 she lectured in Masters programmes at (the American) Webster University’s Ghana campus. Her academic specialization and publications include Diplomacy, Foreign Policy Analysis, International Organizations, International Law, Conflict Resolution, Changing Global Power Relations, African Politics and Ethics in International Relations. During 2019 she published two books on the theory and practice of diplomacy: ‘Global Diplomacy and International Society’; and ‘Global South Perspectives on Diplomacy’. She joined Zayed University during January 2020, as Associate Professor of International Studies.

Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba is Associate Professor at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa and Visiting Scholar, Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. He obtained PhD in Political Science with specialization in International Political Economy of Trade from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He was previously a Visiting Scholar at the Program of African Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston and a Fellow of Brown International Advanced Research Institute, Brown University, Rhode Island, United States of America. Oloruntoba is the author, editor and co-editor of several books including Regionalism and Integration in Africa: EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements and Euro-Nigeria Relations, published by Palgrave Macmillan, New York, USA, 2016 and co-editor with Toyin Falola, Palgrave Handbook of African Political Economy, 2020. Oloruntoba was the recipient of the National Research Foundation of South Africa Award in 2018 and Wangari Maathai Award for Innovative Research Leadership, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America, 2016. His research interests are in Political Economy of Development in Africa, Regional Integration, Democracy and Development, Global Governance of Trade and Finance, Civil Society Organisations and Politics of Natural Resources Governance.

Christopher Afoke Isike, PhD, is a Professor of African Politics and International Relations in the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa. He is an immediate past Vice President (2016 to 2018) of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS), and currently one of four Vice Presidents (2018 to 2020) of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). Professor Isike conducts research from an Africanist lens, and teaches international relations theory, strategic and security studies, and security theory at the University of Pretoria. His research interests include African soft power politics, peace and conflict studies, women and political representation in Africa, rethinking state formation in Africa, and politics in a digital era. A C2 rated researcher by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, Prof Isike has scores of publications in top national and international peer-reviewed journals including chapters in books published by reputable publishing houses globally. He is Editor-in-Chief of Africa’s foremost political science journal, Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies (2020 to 2024), and has been Editor of Ubuntu: Journal of Conflict and Social Transformation (2017 to 2020). He also serves on the editorial board of several reputable international journals, such as International Political Science Abstracts. Prof Isike consults for the UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government on gender equality and women empowerment issues in the South Africa. In 2015, Prof Isike had a 12-months sabbatical stint as Senior Research Advisor at the Shell Petroleum Development Company in Nigeria where he was a programme monitoring and evaluation specialist in the External Relations Department of the company.