Can you think of a group of almost half of the countries in the world that delivers crucial commodities and does not have a real say in global governance? Well, it exists. And the group now wants to be heard.

The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) is exploring new relationships in order to claim its rightful position in global institutions and act as a spokesperson for the world’s poor and less powerful nations.

The Broker was present in Oslo for the ‘Emerging Powers in the 21st century’ seminar. The event was organized by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre (NOREF). Political and economic hegemony in today’s world is changing at full speed from a single polar situation to a multi-polar situation – and not one country or power is clearly sitting in the driver’s seat.

At the seminar ‘Emerging Powers in the 21st century’ in Oslo, specialists from Norway and participants from Turkey, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil discussed how political and economic hegemony in today’s world is changing to a situation of multi-polarity. Here I turn to what was said in Oslo about the international context of mediation, peacekeeping and UN engagement.

This post is the introduction speech of Mariano Aguirre at the Seminar “Emerging Powers in the 21st Century” that took place in Oslo, Norway, 4 April 2011. This seminar is focussed on analyzing aspects of the international system’s new configurations, in particular how the rising power of some of the so-called Southern countries are affecting the fields of global governance, multilateralism, South-South cooperation, humanitarianism, and how regional leaderships can play important roles in mediation, reconciliation and peacebuilding.

Who would have thought of comparing or matching Turkey and Brazil? Well, illustrious Brazilian author Jorge Amado did it when he wrote a great novel about a Turk, in fact an Ottoman Arab migrant, roaming the roads of Brazil in the early years of the 20th century. NOREF director Mariano Aguirre did it when he asked me to write two briefing notes on the ‘new foreign policy’ of these two countries. And finally Turkey and Brazil did it when last year they joined together to propose their mediation in the Iranian nuclear crisis.