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The Future of Multilateralism
If history has taught us anything, it is that humanity is better, stronger and safer when people cooperate across borders.
A key advantage of multilateralism, or nations banding together to tackle common problems, is that it enables countries to solve problems that transcend national boundaries, such as terrorism and pandemics, through shared responsibility and burden-sharing. This was the part of the reasoning behind the establishment of the United Nations.
The core tenets of the United Nations Charter include “Territorial integrity, respect for human rights, international cooperation,” said United States Permanent Representative to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
“These are our values; the shared principles every single one of us agreed to uphold. And they have provided the basis of the United Nations’ greatest triumphs. Our shared principles have helped us forestall nuclear proliferation and prevent mass atrocities. They have helped us forge peace after years of strife and provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to those in need.”
“The United Nations isn’t perfect. It reflects a deeply imperfect world, one filled with conflict and contradiction,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“And yet, this institution endures — multilateralism endures — because we need it to endure. We need an effective United Nations to tackle the kind of borderless challenges that affect us all.”
“The United States is committed to modernizing and strengthening this institution, and the multilateral system more broadly, to better reflect the priorities of all Member States, including developing countries,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“Whether it’s working with shareholders of Multilateral Development Banks to address economic barriers to achieving the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]; or championing efforts to reform the Security Council itself; fostering accountability and transparency, and ensuring this body incorporates geographically diverse perspectives, including permanent representation from the Global South.”
“[T]his is our charge. This is the moment the United Nations was designed to meet. And so, we must rally behind the U.N. Charter, and its fundamental principles of sovereignty, of territorial integrity, of peace and security,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. “We must embrace multilateralism for what it is, not a politically expedient buzzword, but a means of achieving real progress on the issues that affect us all.”