Multilateralism at the heart of international life: The United Nations.



 Multilateralism at the heart of international life: The United Nations The multilateral system that emerged after the Second World War has been constantly evolving. In 1945, 51 governments signed the UN Charter at San Francisco. Today, 193 states are members of the United Nations. For over 75 years, the multifaceted global cooperation has increased in light of the growing number of participating states. Multilateralism is at the heart of the United Nations. Since its foundation, the UN has contributed to the development of global cooperation by providing a multilateral framework for international action. It has also been the catalyst for negotiation and the adoption of a number of international agreements which are essential elements of the multilateral system we live in today.



The UN aims to allow states to cooperate and coordinate their actions in order to maintain peace, advance and defend fundamental human rights, promote social progress and provide better living standards. The UN Charter is the constitutional treaty of the United Nations. It is composed of 111 articles, which define the obligations of the member states as well as the structure, mission and functioning of the organization. It also contains the core principles on which the functioning of the international system is based. The UN Charter is the bedrock of multilateralism. As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres declared, “the United Nations Charter provides a moral compass to promote peace, advance human dignity, prosperity and uphold human rights and the rule of law.”


The UN is a place for harmonizing the actions of countries: security, arms control, human rights, trade, economic development, health, codification of international law and much more. The UN Charter established six principal organs of the United Nations: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. The UN family, however, is much larger, encompassing several funds, programmes, specialized agencies, and other bodies. All of them work together but in their own mandates and areas of expertise to achieve the objectives enshrined in the Charter and to facilitate global cooperation.



But is multilateralism just a matter of governments? The United Nations allows a multitude of actors to meet and share their views on global responses. Gradually, new stakeholders got involved in the multilateral processes. Today, diplomats from the 193 member states, and also delegates from observer states and international organizations, representatives of NGOs, international experts, private actors and academics come to meet regularly to discuss a broad range of international questions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reinvigorate multilateralism for a Better Tomorrow.

Image
“ Reinvigorate multilateralism for a Better Tomorrow. ” is the theme chosen to cele  International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace 2024 . As the world gathers 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) . In many cases, the lack of progress in effectively and comprehensively redressing such challenges and threats, despite being common, although with different levels of intensity, is derived from either of the fol...
Read more

The Impact of Unilateralism and Bullying Practices on International Relations - Security Council Arria-formula meeting.

Image
Objectives: The meeting will provide a platform for Security Council members and the broader UN membership to:Deepen understanding of the dangers posed by unilateralism and bullying practices. Reaffirm commitment to multilateralism and the principles of the UN Charter. Amplify calls to oppose all forms of unilateralism and bullying while upholding international fairness and justice. Strengthen multilateral institutions, including the UN, to fulfill their essential roles. Briefers:Jeffrey David Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Wang Huiyao, founder and president of Center for China and Globalization. Related Documents:  Organizer's Concept Note . The Impact of Unilateralism and Bullying Practices on International Relations - Security Council Arria-formula meeting
Read more

The Future of Multilateralism.

Image
  Multilateralism and the global issues that it acts as a tool to solve have continued to change and evolve towards becoming more visible and relevant to people across the world. The League of Nations brought much of what had been backroom Multilateral diplomacy into the open with accessible discussions, and multilateralism has become only more open since then with the UN opening a window into its processes through streaming discussions and decision making . Part of this has been the UN’s 75th anniversary initiative to understand the issues and priorities of its ultimate stakeholders, the people of the world. This came through a combination of over a million online survey results, and in-depth discussions. Across the world, people identified climate change as the most overwhelming long-term issue to be dealt with, closely followed by healthcare, human rights, and conflict resolution. The challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of an international problem-...
Read more