Multilateral institutions have been critised for failing to deliver on the sustainable development goals. Whether it concerns eradicating poverty, fostering financial stability, promoting decent work or ensuring sustainable eco-systems, international organisations do not seem to live up to their mandate. What needs to be done? How can collaboration between IOs be strengthened? Do we need a complete overhaul of the multilateral system? Or are additional players required to be brought on board? Macroeconomist Loungani discusses key elements of ‘playing nice’. He is the co-author of Confronting Inequality: How Societies Can Choose Inclusive Growth, which was published 2019 by Columbia University Press with a foreword from Joe Stiglitz. LeClercq, Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Law, talks about ex-ante coordination in the UN system during the pandemic and beyond.