The topical challenge of multilateralism

"Multilateralism is not an option but a necessity," António Guterres, Nobel Peace Prize-winner and United Nations leader.

This quote succinctly captures the urgency of strengthening multilateral cooperation in today's world.

The month of February 2025 will enter into the history of the United Nations multilateral diplomacy as marking exceptional events generating unpredictable and may be dramatic consequences for the future.

On 18 February the Security Council, under the monthly presidency of Wang Yi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, had an official plenary meeting on the item "Practicing multilateralism, reforming and improving global governance", a subject proposed by China which generated an impressive interest at the level of the world organization as a whole.

The list of speakers is very long and the level is high in many cases, as the countries were represented by the heads of diplomacy.

The first speaker was the UN Secretary- General António Guterres who said at the beginning of his speech. :"Global solidarity and solutions are needed more than ever. The climate crisis is raging, inequalities are growing, and poverty is on the rise. As this Council knows well, peace is getting pushed further out of reach - from the Occupied Palestinian Territory to Ukraine to Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond. Terrorism and violent extremism remain persistent scourges." He closed his statement by affirming :" Multilateral cooperation is the beating heart of the United Nations. Guided by the solutions provided in the Pact for the Future, multilateralism can become an even more powerful instrument of peace. But the strength of multilateralism depends directly on the level of commitment of each country. In view of the challenges of the world around us, I urge all Member States to continue to strengthen and update our global problem-solving mechanisms. Let us make them fit for purpose, fit for people and fit for peace."

Constructive criticism

The limited space of this chronique allows only selective references to the national statements' content,on the basis of verbatim records, giving priority to the declarations delivered by the representatives of the P5 and of Asian-Pacific countries.

China considered that a critical part of global governance is to ensure that justice prevails. Since the end of the Second World War, a large number of countries in the Global South have emerged on the world stage, which has revealed a growing incompatibility and irrationality in the global governance structure. "Under the new circumstances, international affairs should no longer be monopolized by a small number of countries. Countries in the Global South have the right to speak up for and defend their legitimate rights and interests. And the fruits of development should no longer be enjoyed by just a few countries. People of all countries have the right to a happy life. The reform of the Security Council should continue to emphasize democratic consultation, increase the representation and say of developing countries, especially African countries, and effectively address historical injustice."

In the opinion of France "At a time when global governance is being challenged by the proliferation of crises, we must not give in to the temptation of unilateralism. That would lead to a generalized confrontation of all against all to the detriment of everyone, even those who believe themselves to be the strongest. France reaffirms its support for multilateralism, respect for international law and the values of cooperation and solidarity."

The British representative reminded inter alia that "The United Kingdom remains deeply committed to the United Nations. But 80 years since its creation, with more countries engaged in conflict than ever before, we are falling short of its founding mission - to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. And despite progress on health and education, significant global challenges remain: the climate crisis is accelerating, and the Sustainable Development Goals are off-track."

The US delegate informed that "The United States is currently conducting a review of its support for the United Nations. We will consider whether the actions of the Organization are serving American interests and whether it can be reformed" and concluded by declaring expressis verbis that "the United States supports the return of the United Nations to its founding mission of promoting peace and security around the world. As President Trump has stated, we will be taking a hard look over the next few months at the reforms that the United Nations needs to undertake to get us to that point."

Russia declared that "the United Nations has generally fulfilled its primary task of preventing another world war. However, the world has never been closer than it is now to that dangerous threshold. It is teetering on the brink of a direct military confrontation between nuclear Powers. The West, acting based on its "rules-based order", is circumventing the United Nations through agreements on decisions on matters of importance to most countries that it subsequently portrays as universal solutions, imposing them on others and thereby deliberately undermining the authority of the United Nations and the primacy of international law in international relations."