Opening the discussion, Hon. Glenn Nye, President & CEO, Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, noted that we are seeing a nadir of trust in institutions just as we need them the most. Turning to the panel, Dr. Kristin Lord, President & CEO of IREX, explained that research shows that trust develops because of performance and stability. We must invest in institutions and ethical leadership. H.E. Luca Beccari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Economic Cooperation and Telecommunications for the Republic of San Marino, highlighted the high levels of trust in his country, thanks in part to well-balanced power within the government and high levels of transparency.
Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda, Attorney General of the Republic of Malawi, concurred, saying that trust cannot exist without rules and policies that serve the public interest and limit corruption. Nye asked the panel to describe how we might strengthen future institutions. Beccari explained that transparency is the main pillar but communications between institutions and citizens is also crucial. Dr. Lord noted that institutions have to be effective and deliver for people. Institutions have to earn the trust of their stakeholders.
“In San Marino we have an unwritten rule where each power is fully balanced.”
H.E. Luca Beccari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Economic Cooperation and Telecommunications, Republic of San Marino
“You cannot have trust if you don’t have a set of rules and policies.”
Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda, Attorney General, Republic of Malawi
“Institutions have to deliver for people.”
Dr. Kristin Lord, President & CEO, IREX
“We’re in challenging times, to say the least.”
Hon. Glenn Nye, President & CEO, Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress