The key role that science and technology play in our lives and our futures makes a wide range of non-state actors crucial players in this landscape.
For example, technology companies determine how we communicate and increasingly how these communications should be censored. Pharmaceutical companies decide which diseases to pursue for drug development, while grass-roots organisations such as pressure groups can have a powerful effect on public opinion. And regional and city actors play an increasingly important role in many negotiations.8 Bringing these non-state actors together in a way that gives them an effective voice will be a key part of the process for finding solutions.9 This new generation of actors will require training with the relevant diplomatic skills and with technical knowledge. They will also require forums that bring them together. This kind of capacity building will be a crucial part of next-generation diplomacy.10
