On June 23–26, 2016, the [6th BMW Foundation Global Table](http://www.bmw-stiftung.de/en/6th-bmw-foundation-global-table/) was organized by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, in partnership with The Hague Institute for Global Justice. The BMW Foundation Global Table program brings together decision-makers from across Europe and the emerging powers to hold strategic dialogues that raise awareness of the importance of shared leadership. The initiative works to examine and develop new perspectives on contemporary global challenges through dialogue that exists outside of the established international frameworks. Held in Santpoort, The Netherlands, the 6th Global Table event, titled “Rethinking Governance in Fragile Societies,” was dedicated to the examination of two objectives that have emerged as priorities in today’s global landscape. First, the meeting looked to examine the most effective ways of preventing future violence in States identified as fragile. Second, the event considered the best approaches and policies for fostering the development of effective governance in post-conflict environments. In order to accomplish these goals, the 6th edition of the Global Table event series brought together 26 participants from 17 countries to focus on three primary case studies through which the two guiding objectives would be examined. Participants examined the cases of international intervention in Macedonia (1992), Kosovo (1999), and Libya (2011) from a perspective that critically considered mainstream approaches to conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction. Using the results of these analytical discussions conducted during the event, participants will co-author a series of publications, such as “The Coalition of the Concerned,” “Opportunities and Pitfalls of Social Media in the Context of Conflict Prevention and Post-conflict Management,” and “How to Prevent the DR Congo from De-stabilizing the Region.” Participating on behalf of the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) was Ms. Andrea Gualde, Senior Adviser for Latin America with the Institute’s Buenos Aires office. Speaking on the importance of interfacing with local authorities and actors in the effort to identify emerging conflict situations, she said:
> As long as you can engage local government and relevant local actors in the discussion about prevention, you can achieve more easily the goal of developing best practices… One of the first issues to tackle is to identify potential conflict. In any society, conflict can emerge, because there are vulnerable groups and unsolved situations.
In addition to the development of working papers, the event's outputs will also help to form the basis for discussion at the next Global Table event. “[A New Social Contract: The Responsibility to Prevent Failure](http://www.bmw-stiftung.de/en/7th-global-table/)” will be held in Sibi Bou Said, Tunisia, beginning in late September. The Global Table series will then continue with an event in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina entitled “[Building Rule of Law in Southeast Europe](http://www.bmw-stiftung.de/en/8th-global-table/)” in November.
