The Montreal International Forum (FIM) was established in 1998 as an international NGO think tank. FIM’s mission statement is as follows: FIM believes that the stated goals of the UN are beyond reasonable reproach and that the challenge of FIM is to assist meaningfully in bringing them to fruition. FIM believes that transparent and democratically accountable multilateralism offers the best hope for Global Governance. In order to best meet this challenge FIM endeavours to strengthen the influence of the voice of Southern civil society within civil society in all debates and activities affecting global governance.

The FIM Secretariat is located in Montréal, Québec, Canada. FIM is supervised by an international Board of Directors whose members are, by constitution, composed of a majority from developing countries. FIM believes that, through an informed and empowered civil society, it will be possible to better address the worst global problems like extreme poverty, wars, human rights violations, and environment degradation. Within the framework of its bias in favor of multilateralism, FIM provides a neutral and impartial setting for meetings that favour the expression of a plurality of views, participatory dialogue, reflection, and active learning. FIM’s activities are supported by Partners from many Canadian and international institutions.

FIM also undertakes specific Projects designed to strengthen the interaction between civil society and multilateral institutions. FIM convenes a Forum and organizes global Conferences bringing leading thinkers and civil society actors together to share their lessons learned and to reflect on the means for impacting the multilateral sphere. Case studies are FIM’s primary and preferred method for capturing and disseminating practitioner experiences and lessons learned.