Hira Bahadur Thapa

At a time of unprecedented array of interconnected global challenges, the need for renewal of multilateralism looks more urgent than ever. When the founding fathers of the United Nations visualised the establishment of an international organisation 76 years ago, the core objectives were to secure peace, security and development. Established in the wake of devastating Second World War, the obsession of the organisation was to save the succeeding generations from the scourge of war. While this fundamental purpose remains a key objective even today, new threats have emerged since then prompting the world leaders to seek wider cooperation to address them.

Despite criticism of the UN for failing to meet the expectations of the people, as a world organisation, it has justified its working judged from the perspective of preventing global war. One can imagine the horror of world war in the absence of the UN. Its membership is universal. It comprises the world’s most powerful countries as permanent members of its core organ, the Security Council, which has played crucial roles in reducing tensions and creating conducive environment for negotiations for settling the differences between the parties to the conflict. Various UN peacekeeping missions around the world attest to the world body’s consistent efforts to keep global peace. Nepal is proudly participating in such missions as one of the top-ranking troop contributors.

Global cooperation
Securing peace in the world today requires global cooperation on a very wide array of areas ranging from climate change to pandemics, from the militarisation of outer space to cyberattacks, most of which barely appeared as threats a few decades ago. Newer challenges make humanity’s future hinge on expanded international cooperation not only between nations but also from various philanthropic organisations and nongovernmental organisations. The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for cooperation of various health foundations, which have played a key role in ensuring equitable global vaccine. Though vaccine distribution has not been accessible to all as needed but the collaborative efforts of member nations and non-profit organisations have expedited the inventions of the vaccines in remarkably shorter timeframe saving enormous human lives.

Against this backdrop, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who got reelected for another five-year term recently has issued a comprehensive report entitled “Our Common Agenda”. Borrowing his words from the above report the world is at a historical inflection point. Interconnected threats, a relentless pandemic, runaway climate change, deepening inequalities, economic insecurity, massive digital vulnerabilities, and proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons are some of world’s present challenges. Paradoxically, international solidarity is eroded at precisely the moment global cooperation is most needed to effectively confront these challenges. Undisputedly, humanity’s collective future hinges on such cooperation.

The UN was founded in order to facilitate cooperation among its member states on core issues of peace, security and development. In the changed context of emerging threats not visualised before, the UN has come under increasing strain over the last few decades especially after the demise of Cold War. Disturbingly, the Security Council has sometimes been paralyzed failing to reach consensus for international peace and security.
The issuance of UN Secretary General’s latest report laying out the blueprint of measures to reboot multilateralism would hardly have occurred at a more opportune time. No less appropriate is the time when the US under new presidency, which lost interest in international cooperation and emphasised America First approach during the previous administration, has pledged to work for global cooperation as exemplified in Biden’s debut UN address last month. US role in revitalising multilateralism can never be underrated considering its preeminent status in managing global affairs.

Our Common Agenda is definitely one of the most far reaching and comprehensive strategies ever produced by the UN. It has been crafted on the basis of consultations involving over 1.5 million people from around the world. It lays out two possible futures for the humanity. One is ominous where there is breakdown and perpetual crises due to pandemics, hotter planet with its attendant catastrophe, possible unemployment and growing protests fueling civil unrest. In another world there will be breakthrough for a greener and safer future.

The UN Secretary-General is not oblivious of the current geopolitical contest between world’s two most powerful countries -- China and US --, which are also the permanent members of the Security Council, the lead organ to shoulder the responsibility of securing international peace and security. This is why he has offered a roadmap to achieve global consensus. In line with this approach, his proposal for organising “Summit for the Future” sounds nothing but propitious.

Civic engagement
Furthermore, Antonio Guterres has recommended that nations establish a new agenda for peace to revitalise conflict prevention, reduce the risk of cyberattacks, and nuclear confrontation and lay out rules for preventing the militarisation of outer space. He has urged the need for the utilisation of new technologies including artificial intelligence for positive transformation. The UN needs to be much more participatory and consultative. Being cognizant of this, there is a proposal in Our Common Agenda for strengthening the representation of and engagement with civil society, parliaments, the private sector, city and local governments and young people within the UN system.

While recognising the value of various proposals and recommendations contained in the above report, one should be mindful of the fact that the wide scope of the agenda is also a political liability. At a time of multiple overlapping crises and priorities, the Secretary-General is required to get UN member states to select and adopt a shortlist for deliverance of desirable results. After all, the UN can only become as effective and strong as its members want it and demonstrate their willingness to work cooperaratively to that end.

(Thapa was Foreign Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister from 2008-09. thapahira17@gmail.com)