There are four ingredients to shaping future lives for the better, writes Tom Fletcher

Soft power will have changed in fundamental ways due to Covid-19

At this time of global crisis, we need fewer face-to-face meetings and literal handshakes – but diplomacy more than ever

Helen Clark, head of the UN Development Programme, tells us what needs to be done to create a more peaceful world in 2020

Real soft power flourishes when people are free to be creative and calls for nations to be magnetic

The United Nations needs to rise to the challenges posed by technology and speak to a younger generation

As a former ambassador, I know how important it is that diplomats do not resort to vanilla platitudes to err on the side of caution, writes Tom Fletcher

The world is becoming an increasingly divided place, but all around us valuable and courageous connections are still being made. Now we must all endeavour to do the same

While it may not have the most auspicious of beginnings, the coming year will present many opportunities to change the world for the better

Old models of academia have been overtaken by our fast-moving, networked world. It's time for radical change

The organisation might not be perfect but no one has come up with a better idea for global co-existence or the challenges facing humanity

The success or failure of talks in Singapore may depend on the unlikeliest of matters

Denmark's representative in Silicon Valley has met with scepticism since taking up his post, but he is convinced others must follow his country's lead

We cannot imagine our lives without social media but will it start to become part of our deaths too?

Ahead of The National's Future Forum tomorrow, Tom Fletcher asks how media outlets will stay ahead of the curve, retraining for the roles that robots cannot do