During a day-long debate at the Security Council on the practice of multilateralism and the reform of global governance today, speakers stressed the urgent need to update the United Nations - founded 80 years ago - including reforms to the Council itself and the global economic order to better address the challenges of the twenty-first century.
"A direct line can be drawn between the creation of the UN and the prevention of World War III," said the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and recalled that the UN was 'born from the ashes' of the Second World War. The UN, he said, remains "an essential and unique meeting place for the promotion of peace, sustainable development and human rights". However, "eight decades is a long time", he said, stressing that while the "hardware" for international cooperation exists, "the software needs updating".
Shifting Power to the Global South
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the February President of the Council recalled that his country's representatives were the first to sign the UN Charter and "they wrote an important chapter of world history with the Chinese calligraphic brush". In the face of a turbulent and changing world, an international system with the UN at its centre provides important safeguards for the cause of human progress, and a vision of multilateralism, with coordination and cooperation as its cornerstones, is the best solution to global problems. At present, however, comprehensive peace and shared prosperity remain elusive. Pointing to the rise of the countries of the global South on the world stage, he stressed that "international affairs should no longer be monopolised by a small number of countries" China, as the world's largest developing country, has become a major trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions and is promoting high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative to contribute to global prosperity and development.
Russian Federation and China accused of being drivers of instability
Meanwhile, a representative of the United States said that "two of the biggest contributors to instability in the world today have veto power", pointing to the Russian Federation's bloody war in Ukraine and China's exploitation of its developing country status. "We need to take a closer look at where this institution is failing," She added. The United States is therefore currently reviewing its support for the UN and said that "we will consider whether the organization's actions serve U.S. interests and whether it can be reformed."
As to why the UN was not fulfilling its ambitions, the UK representative noted that "it's more than the oft-mentioned liquidity crisis". Although the organisation's membership has increased, it is not fully representative of today's "multipolar world", she said. Further, the Council is often characterised as "ineffective geopolitical theatre", she said, adding that - while reform is needed "this body has the tools to carry out its mandate in the field of peace and security".
"It is time to save multilateralism from a devastating mistrust," stressed the Panamanian representative, calling on States to ensure that the system thrives and prospers rather than flounders. Noting that his country has been reaping the fruits of multilateralism since independence, he said that diplomatic efforts are leading to the end of the colonial enclave and the restoration of "our canal".
BRICS surpasses G7 in gross domestic product
The representative of the Russian Federation noted that developed countries had siphoned off $62 trillion in resources from the Global South since 1960, and highlighted Moscow's efforts to push anti-colonial agendas at the UN. And "there have been tectonic shifts" in the global economy, with the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa) accounting for 37 % of global gross domestic product (GDP), surpassing the 29 % accounted for by the G7 countries, he added, stressing the need for a more equitable global financial architecture. He dismissed the West's domination of the Security Council as a "relic of the past" and said his country was promoting indivisible security in Eurasia without violating the interests of others.
"It is extraordinary that 193 member states - each of us at different stages of political and economic development, like-minded or even antagonistic - meet every day in this very building to discuss and address current and future issues," noted the representative of the Republic of Korea. "This should not be taken for granted," He stressed that the convening role of the UN is the 'engine of multilateralism'. Similarly, the representative of Slovenia noted that the UN 'has allowed the power of rules to replace the rule of power'. Referring to former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, he said: "It is not the great powers who need the UN to protect them. It's everyone else."
un.org/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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