The Great Takeover

The report maps 103 multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs) to demonstrate how transnational corporations and mega-philanthropies are displacing traditional state-led multilateralism. It identifies a pattern where the World Economic Forum (WEF) and large foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation drive a 'stakeholder capitalism' agenda, often using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as legitimacy. The analysis reveals a significant democratic deficit, with affected communities and Global South governments largely excluded from decision-making, while the UN system often acts as a strategic partner that legitimises these corporate-led mechanisms.

• The report identifies a systemic trend of 'multistakeholderization' where the locus of global decision-making is shifted from the multilateral system to mixed mechanisms where the private sector dominates, supported by some states and big philanthropists.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is identified as a central actor driving the privatisation of global governance, promoting a model of 'stakeholder capitalism' and the 'Great Reset' to strengthen corporate power under the guise of building a better society.
• Many MSIs use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to justify their existence, but often 'cherry-pick' targets. For example, in internet governance, 33% of MSIs focus on cybersecurity and terrorism, ignoring issues like mass disinformation and hate speech.
• The report highlights a 'democratic governance deficit' where 'stakeholders' are designated by convenors, often excluding affected communities. Only ten organisations representing farmers, Indigenous peoples, women, and workers were identified across the mapped MSIs.
• In global health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) exerts disproportionate influence, funding over 15% of the surveyed MSIs and potentially becoming the single biggest donor to the WHO.
• The UN system is described as an active facilitator of multistakeholderism, often acting as a 'strategic partner' to provide political legitimacy to corporate-led initiatives, which paradoxically undermines democratic multilateralism.
• In environmental governance, the report argues that 'nature-based solutions' and 'natural capital' are used to commodify nature, treating it as an economic asset to foster capitalist growth rather than protecting biodiversity for its own sake.
• Internet governance is characterised as 'partially monarchic' (US-dominated) and 'partially oligarchic' (dominated by a few private corporations), with Big Tech companies setting the rules and standards for themselves.
• In the food and agriculture sector, MSIs often prioritise market interests and 'climate-smart' technologies over human rights and food sovereignty, with corporate actors like the WEF and WBCSD leading influential platforms.
• The report notes a geographic imbalance in power, with two-thirds of the 103 mapped MSIs headquartered in just five cities: Geneva, Washington DC, New York, Rome, and Paris.

APA

Brennan, B., Berrón, G., Drago, M., Paranhos, L., Manahan, M. A., & Kumar, M. (2021). The Great Takeover. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-great-takeover_mapping-of-multistakeholderism-in-global-governance_2021.pdf

Chicago

Brennan, Brid, Gonzalo Berrón, Martin Drago, Leticia Paranhos, Mary Ann Manahan, and Madhuresh Kumar. The Great Takeover. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-great-takeover_mapping-of-multistakeholderism-in-global-governance_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brennan |first1=Brid |last2=Berrón |first2=Gonzalo |last3=Drago |first3=Martin |last4=Paranhos |first4=Leticia |last5=Manahan |first5=Mary Ann |last6=Kumar |first6=Madhuresh |title=The Great Takeover |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-great-takeover_mapping-of-multistakeholderism-in-global-governance_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brennan2021great, author = {Brennan, Brid and Berrón, Gonzalo and Drago, Martin and Paranhos, Leticia and Manahan, Mary Ann and Kumar, Madhuresh}, title = {{The Great Takeover}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-great-takeover_mapping-of-multistakeholderism-in-global-governance_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }