“The economic crisis has also thrown into stark relief what had already become painfully apparent: the multilateral institutions of the 20^th century are woefully unsuited to the 21^st century world, and are simply unable to deal with the multiple crises that are now upon us, whether related to finance, food, fuel, or climate. We are now faced with the greatest collective-action problems of human history, and a new age of scarcity that will have profound repercussions on the way we live. Our ability to take decisions as a human race and act on them in the next decade and beyond will literally determine whether or not we have a future.”

If Not Now, When? Oxfam Briefing Note, November 2008.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/debt_aid/downloads/bn_g20summit%20.pdf