![]() In a world of sovereign States, international cooperation is predicated upon trust. As a result, collective security is fraying. They are neglecting principles that form the basis for friendly relations and cooperation among nations and within societies: trust, solidarity, and universality. Many UN member States are failing to effectively address the global and interlocking threats before them, manage their rivalries and respect the normative frameworks that both govern their relations with each other and set international parameters for the well-being of their societies. I am going to focus on four priority areas: (i) safeguarding the principles and norms underpinning the international peace and security architecture, (ii) conflict prevention, (iii) the challenges posed by new technologies to peace and security, and (iv) mechanisms to prevent conflict and sustain peace.įirst area – We must rebuild consensus on the meaning of - and adherence to - the normative frameworks that anchored the international system – and prevented a new global conflagration - for nearly 80 years. Today, I would like to share with you some of the discussions we have had with Member States and civil society during our consultations of the last six months. This Agenda for Peace is still in preparation, but our goal is to present a unifying vision and outline a series of actions that States could take to rebuild momentum for collective action for peace. The department I head is leading the drafting of this peace agenda in cooperation with our colleagues in the Department of Peace Operations, Office of Disarmament Affairs and Office of Counter-terrorism. The New Agenda for Peace is part of a broader plan, known as Our Common Agenda, to reinvigorate the UN’s work generally. This is what the Secretary-General’s upcoming New Agenda for Peace will seek to do. The issue is what we do about it.Īt the United Nations, we are condemned, or privileged, to attempt to answer a fundamental question: what would it take to ensure that in this emerging new era, fragmented and fractious as it is, Member States can find avenues for cooperation towards shared interests and to maintain peace? Advancing multilateral action for peace today is the hardest it’s been in at least 30 years. In short, just when we need urgent, united action to face multiple interlocking crises, the world is growing ever more dangerously divided.īut what I have laid out is hardly news to you. Russia’s invasion and purported annexation of Ukrainian land defy the UN Charter and the very tenets of the collective security system. Indeed, no other issue epitomizes the critical test the world community faces today as fully as the war in Ukraine. And we are increasingly confronted with the potential misuse of new technologies.Īnd, of course, a year and a half ago, interstate war made a catastrophic return, further fueling global turmoil. The repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic are still being felt. More and more people are fleeing strife and deprivation. Governments in some areas are rolling back human rights, many targeting women and minorities especially. Inequalities - within and between states – are growing. The climate emergency is intensifying competition for resources and exacerbating tensions. Close to half of all conflicts in 2021 were internationalized, which makes them harder to resolve. Instead, there is increasing competition among major powers and growing mistrust between the so-called Global North and the Global South.Ĭivil wars are increasingly enmeshed in global dynamics. International cooperation is becoming harder and harder to achieve. ![]() A few things are certain, though: global divisions are deepening, and geopolitical tensions are the highest they have been in decades. The post-Cold War period is clearly over, but the contours of what is to follow it are still unclear. Today we are once again at an inflection point. We were witnessing, no less, the advent of a new era of international cooperation. I vividly recall the sense of expectation I felt as a diplomat in the Russian capital as the Cold War was ending. I have just come back from a trip to Moscow, a place where I spent several years of my career as a U.S. It’s good to be back in Washington as well.Īt this time of uncertainty and unpredictability in global affairs, I welcome the very timely focus of this meeting on “Making, Keeping, and Sustaining Peace”. I am happy to be here to speak with many colleagues and friends. ![]() Thank you also to the United States Institute of Peace for hosting us. I would like to thank the Academic Council on the United Nations System for the invitation to address this year’s Annual Meeting. THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL ON THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM
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