State and government constituency
Ministries, agencies, subnational governments and public bodies take part in The Global Risks Forum (GRF) through the state and government constituency council, one of five constituency councils of the National Nexus Consortium (NNC). The council is designed for institutional dialogue among public authorities that share a risk, with operators, researchers and communities in the room. It carries no public authority of its own. GRF is a Swiss association, not a government body, an intergovernmental body or a diplomatic mission, and public authorities take part through their own authorised instruments.
- 01In briefThe short answer
- 02What the council is forPublic authorities working on risks no single mandate holds
- 03Levels of governmentFederal, national, provincial and local roles
- 04OfficialsOfficials take part within their own rules
- 05Authority stays where it isNo public authority passes to GRF or from it
- 06Taking partFrom first contact to a contribution plan
- 07Connected pagesRelated routes for public authorities
GRF · Institution · service level R0
The short answer.
The state and government constituency is the GRF council through which ministries, agencies, subnational governments and public bodies take part in the National Nexus Consortium, for dialogue among public authorities that share a risk. It carries no public authority of its own, and no public authority passes to or from GRF.
Jurisdictions in Africa.
The jurisdictions that hold authority over this question: countries, their first-level divisions and capitals, shown for Africa as an example geography for this subject.
Public authorities working on risks no single mandate holds.
Map responsibilities
Clarify who holds which authority on a shared risk, and where responsibilities fall between agencies, levels of government or borders.
Record cooperation
Structured dialogues whose records show what was agreed, what remains open and who committed to what.
Exercise arrangements
Propose arrangements for controlled exercises in Nexus Universe, so roles are tested before a crisis.
Federal, national, provincial and local roles.
Authority over risk is split differently in every constitution. In federal states, emergency management often sits with provinces or states, while borders, defence and international health notification sit with the federal level. In unitary states, municipalities may still hold land use and first response. A state and government council therefore includes subnational governments by design, because most risk decisions land there.
| Function | Often national | Often subnational |
|---|---|---|
| International health notification | Yes | Rarely |
| Land use and zoning | Framework law | Day-to-day decisions |
| Emergency response | Major emergencies | First response |
| Critical infrastructure regulation | Yes | Local utilities |
Officials take part within their own rules.
Public officials participate under their own civil service and ethics rules, including gift and hospitality limits and rules on speaking for their government. GRF asks officials to confirm the capacity in which they attend and records it.
From first contact to a contribution plan.
- 01
Enquiry
The authority writes to the Secretariat or its regional desk and receives a reference.
- 02
Authority and interests
The identity of the institution, the authority of its representatives and any relevant interests are confirmed.
- 03
Scope
A shared question and the institutions that need to be in the room, agreed in a scoping conversation.
- 04
Instrument
Participation is recorded in the authority's own instrument or in written terms with the correct parties and scope.
Financial regulators and financial institutions also have a cross-cutting pathway led with The Global Risks Alliance (GRA).
Related routes for public authorities.
Country priorities and local legal authority are set out on national and regional participation, and policy cooperation offers on GRF programmes. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) describes evidence and technical assistance for governments and public institutions. Other constituencies are research and universities, industry and standards and communities and Indigenous institutions.; the full model is on Leadership and councils.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Constituency | A group of institutions or people with a shared stake, such as governments, research, industry, media or Indigenous communities, represented in a council so that its perspective is heard. |
| Competent authority | The body that a law or regulation designates to exercise a given power or duty, such as a supervisor, a civil protection agency or a ministry; only it can take the decisions the law assigns to it. |
| Multi-level governance | Shared decision-making across local, regional, national and international levels of government. |
Where this page's references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Does taking part commit our government to anything?
Is GRF an intergovernmental organisation?
Do we need to pay a membership fee?
How do we start?
Around GRF.
Start with an enquiry.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.