Keynote: Rebuilding Trust in a Fractured World

Trust is a foundational pillar of social cohesion and effective governance. Yet, in today’s increasingly polarized and unequal world, trust—both in institutions and between individuals—is in sharp decline. This keynote explores the dimensions, drivers, and consequences of this global ‘trust crisis,’ drawing on new cross-national evidence from the World Values Survey and regional barometers. The erosion of trust is most acute in fragile contexts and among younger generations, where economic insecurity, corruption, and inequality intersect with weak institutional capacity. These dynamics have profound implications for the legitimacy of governance structures, civic engagement, and the prospects for inclusive statebuilding. Restoring trust is therefore not only a matter of technical reform but of renewing the social contract through redistribution, participation, and institutional responsiveness—particularly for groups historically excluded from decision-making, including women and marginalized communities.

Patricia Justino

Deputy Director, UNu-wider