21st Century Trust
Bringing together policy-makers, thought leaders, people from across government, civil society and the private sector, to develop their thinking on global issues with a view to shaping a better 21st century
Our Mission
The 21st Century Trust brings together policy-makers, thought leaders, people from across government, civil society and the private sector, to develop their thinking on global issues with a view to shaping a better 21st century.
Our People
The Trust was founded in 1986 by Sir David Wills, who also founded the Ditchley Foundation.
Our Events
Since 2009 the Trust has worked in close partnership with Salzburg Global in undertaking its work internationally, and it also runs a series of events in London and at Klingenthal, near Strasbourg, in association with Fondation Goethe.
Upcoming Event: Palliser Lecture
A Multipolar Solution to a Fractured World Order – A View from a Rising Power
Delivered by H.E. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside St, London N1C 4DN | Wednesday, 22 April 2026 | Reception 5.30 pm; Lecture and Discussion 6.30–8.00 pm
Two years ago, the Palliser Lecture embarked on a series focusing on how the system of global governance from 1945 onwards—always fragile and increasingly subject to challenge—could be reformulated and reinvigorated.
Today, the post-Second World War order is rapidly disintegrating. This has been brought into stark relief by the invasion of Ukraine, the Israel–Gaza war, the ‘Donroe’ doctrine and the intervention in Venezuela, as well as developments in the Middle East as a result of President Trump’s war on Iran.
Unilateralism dominates the international scene, and the UN Charter—indeed even the very concept of international law—is now viewed by powerful actors as an unnecessary constraint on national self-interest.
While there is little nostalgia for unipolarity or bipolarity in the Global South, nor for the self-serving ‘Western’ aspects of the post-war system, international collaboration based on the rule of law in a multipolar context still has strong support.
As one of the key emerging powers, Brazil is a critical player. Next month, H.E. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Brazil's former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2011–2013) and now Ambassador to the United Kingdom, will deliver the Palliser Lecture on this topic.
There are several questions to explore, including:
- How can international collaboration best be sustained in the face of present disruptions?
- What might a more cooperative multipolarity look like in the longer term?
- As the costs of disruption to the world order become ever more apparent, will ‘coalitions of the responsible’ emerge?
- Can multipolarity be a pathway to a more secure future for coming generations?
This event is being held in collaboration with Salzburg Global and the Aga Khan Foundation UK.