#multilateral cooperation

As the world gathers this coming 24 April 2024 not to only commemorate, but also to celebrate the achievements of multilateralism and diplomacy, which has its best representation in the United Nations, humanity, and particularly the peoples of the Global South, suffers from the consequences of a global crisis with multiple dimensions, including, among others, in the climate, food, energy and finance fields, which, coupled with the negative impacts of ongoing wars and protracted conflicts, such as the one in the Gaza Strip, is only keeping us off track from honoring our pledge of leaving no one behind and ensuring the attainment, by 2030, of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Objectives:

This commemorative Special Event aims to gather, among others, the Heads of the Principal Organs of the United Nations, as well as high-level representatives from Member States and Observers to the United Nations to engage in a frank and open discussion on how to strengthen and make truly more inclusive the multilateral system, on how to ensure strict compliance and adherence to the Charter of the United Nations, in both its letter and spirit, and on how to balance the participation of relevant stakeholders in some of the intergovernmental discussions within the framework of the three pillars of the United Nations, while ensuring that the intergovernmental nature of the Organization and the leading and central role of States is preserved.

Concept note -International Day for Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace 2024.

Watch The challenges of multilateralism and diplomacy for the fulfillment of the promise of the UN Charter in a polarized world.

In development through the Sustainable Development Goals and in conflict reduction through inclusive peace processes, the United Nations System has integrated this multi-actor approach to collective responses and is likely to continue to act as a hub for global cooperation networks. An effective multilateral platform remains indeed essential to address local and global challenges that only appear to grow in scale and complexity.

The upcoming Summit of the Future is an opportunity to turbocharge efforts toward a more peaceful, secure, and sustainable world. Discussions on revitalizing the work of the General Assembly and the Security Council reform can further serve as avenues toward a more relevant, coherent, efficient, democratic, and representative United Nations.

IPI, together with the Permanent Missions of Estonia, Guyana, Kenya, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN co-sponsored an event at UN Headquarters on April 4th, bringing together high-ranking UN officials, Permanent Representatives, experts, and representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society to discuss how to reinforce the multilateral world order with the UN and the UN Charter at its core. In particular, participants addressed the following key questions:

How do we overcome a situation when the Security Council falls short of fulfilling its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security?

How can the role of the General Assembly in matters pertinent to international peace and security further evolve when the Security Council is unable to act?

How can small- and medium-sized states reinforce the multilateral order with the UN and the UN Charter at its core?

The meeting highlighted the UNAOC’s progress made in 2021, namely, engagement with faith actors and religious leaders across the faith spectrum within the framework of its mandate to advance interreligious dialogue and combat all forms of discrimination based on religion and belief; progress made on the implementation of the UNAOC High Representative’s mandate as the United Nations focal point for monitoring antisemitism and enhancing a system- wide response; and coordination and implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites. The Group of Friends received updates on the UNAOC programming activities across 5 pillars and new crosscutting projects which were launched or completed within 2021. In 2022, the UNAOC’s priorities include strengthening and reinforcing the prevention portfolio both within and beyond the United Nations; bolstering engagement and interaction with Member States and regional organizations to maintain the momentum on multilateral cooperation; expansion of the UNAOC’s geographical presence and visibility, and contributing to the United Nations Secretary-General’s priorities outlined in his report “Our Common Agenda”.

Summary reports from UNAOC Group of Friends Meetings.

The E.U. and the United Nations signed an agreement to enhance cooperation on Peace Operations efforts.

The western interpretation of multilateralism is based on liberal internationalism. G. John Ikenberry argues that the logic of liberal internationalism is ‘captured in in a cluster of five conditions’: openness in terms of trade and exchange; commitment to a rules-based set of relations; some form of security cooperation; The idea that power politics can be " tamed'' by buildings stable relations in pursuit of mutual gains; And finally that Internationalism will foster the spread of liberal democracies.

The current Multilateralism System is the expression of the Western Ideals internationalism and the system will change for the worse if the world became more transactional. This is also holds true for the Organizations such as NATO. Other organization such the EUROPEAN UNION are threatened by Sovereignism and must adapt to the new geopolitical realities The three case studies attached to this report show that the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Security Council, and the U.N. human rights bodies are being undermined by major power rivalries.