Calls grow for stronger multilateralism
UN session sees world leaders make fresh pitches for bolstering cooperation and dialogue
World leaders called for efforts to uphold multilateralism to tackle global challenges, in deliberations during the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Multilateralism is alive and well, Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, said on Sept 27.
“However much we may disagree on tactics, our end goal is very much the same,” he said at the closing of the General Debate at the UN headquarters in New York.
The world continues to believe in dialogue and diplomacy, and in the United Nations that is able and ready, said Shahid, who is the foreign minister of Maldives.
Over the last week, the General Assembly heard from 194 speakers, including 100 heads of state, 52 heads of government, three vice presidents, and 34 ministers, Shahid noted.
A lot of issues were discussed, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of climate change, as well as peace, security, and the risks of instability.
“It is now for us, and that of the United Nations system, to address these demands and to do so in a manner that turns every challenge into an opportunity — an opportunity to strengthen multilateralism and deliver results on the ground,” he said.
Shahid hailed as a success this year’s hybrid model of the UN session, which allowed leaders to either deliver speeches in person in the General Assembly Hall or send in pre-recorded statements.
It was a tremendous task to organize a high-level week of this magnitude amid a global pandemic, he said.
The success of the UN General Assembly in the past week demonstrates that mitigation measures, combined with high vaccination rates, do indeed work, he said.
In a pre-recorded speech on Sept 25, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob stressed the importance of peaceful coexistence and multilateralism. “Multilateralism and peaceful coexistence are mutually reinforcing. We need to realize that as we progress further, we should be far more integrated and stronger as a family of nations,” he said.
“The (COVID-19) pandemic has shown that we need to improve our resolve to strengthen international cooperation and multilateralism, and consider ourselves as a family of nations,” Ismail Sabri said. “At the same time, the world family must be made a more peaceful, prosperous, sustainable and equitable one. We must close ranks and enhance our unity and cohesion. We must live in peaceful coexistence. Only then will we have a chance to succeed.”
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who delivered a speech in person, said the most important lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that multilateral cooperation is essential to overcome global challenges.
“Only coordinated international action can lead us to a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient recovery. This is why the role of the United Nations is so crucial, especially for small and developing countries,” he said.
Balakrishnan said the world also needs a sustained and ambitious global response to address climate change. “The fight against climate change will be a stark litmus test of our ability to manage the global commons through multilateral action. No country acting alone can move the needle,” he said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen warned against foreign interference. “History has told us time and again that interference, and worse, military options, to impose different systems of governance are not the solutions. Far from it, they have only led to many more deaths, human suffering and misery, social and economic strife,” he said in a pre-recorded speech.
If the recent events in Afghanistan and many more before it are lessons to be learned, there is great merit to respect the wishes of each nation and their people’s rights to self-determination, Hun Sen said. That is why there is now a compelling reason to strengthen multilateralism and rules-based international cooperation.
Climate change is another impending challenge that requires urgent and concrete global actions, he said.
Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh said the key lesson from COVID-19 is to uphold genuine cooperation in the local and international community. “Lessons from the pandemic have taught us that where there is unity, mutual cooperation and support, there the success of containing COVID-19 prevails,” he said.
“I have firm confidence that the upholding of multilateralism, conflict resolution through peaceful means and development cooperation under the UN Charter, remain true and relevant mechanism for us to address and battle against the global crises we are facing.”
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the crises and challenges that the world faces today provide an opportunity to learn from past lessons, to reorient our approach and to better prepare for the future.
“With this in mind, I would like to encourage everyone to turn crisis into opportunity. This demands a reaffirmation of faith in multilateralism since no national capabilities, however large, can on their own be adequate to effect meaningful change or transition,” Prayut said.
He expressed confidence that multilateral cooperation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to great advances in medical science.
Equally, the strength of the international community in tackling global warming will serve as a catalyst for breakthroughs in advanced technology and innovation, Prayut said.
“Resilient adaptation and swift response to challenges will be an asset for us to address the problems of today, to be better prepared for challenges of tomorrow, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and ultimately to build back a better world,” said the Thai prime minister.