In accordance with General Assembly resolution 73/127 of 12 December 2018, the President of the General Assembly convened an Interactive Dialogue to commemorate and promote the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace on Wednesday, 5 May 2021, in the General Assembly Hall, says a press release received here today from New York.
This event featured the Heads of the five principal organs of the United Nations – the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretary-General.
This meeting was convened under the theme of “Achievements of Multilateralism and the Future of the United Nations.” The meeting included an opening segment, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Heads of the five principal organs of the United Nations, intergovernmental bodies and the civil society, and a closing segment.
The interactive dialogue reflected on the achievements of the multilateral system, discuss the current challenges of multilateralism and how we can ensure an effective and inclusive multilateral system in the post-COVID era, especially at a time when the principles of multilateralism have never been more important and more in need of support.
Interactive Dialogue with the Heads of principal organs of the UN
- H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the UNGA
- H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General
- H.E. Mr. Munir Akram, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
- H.E. Mr. Zhang Jun, President of the Security Council for May 2021
- H.E. Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the International Court of Justice (virtual)
- Ms. Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO, United Nations Foundation (Moderator)
Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN participated in the High-level Event to mark the International Day of Multilateralism, Peace and Diplomacy in his capacity as the President of UN Economic and Social Council
New York, May 5, 2021
[Text of his interactive remarks]
Ms. Elizabeth Cousens (Moderator):
Let me turn next to the President of the Economic and Social Council, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan, Ambassador Munir Akram.
Ambassador, COVID-19 has shown us the necessity of strong multilateral cooperation. And we're also at the start of the decade of action and delivery for the Sustainable Development Goals 2030
1. How is the Economic and Social Council dealt with these challenges to multilateralism?
Ambassador Munir Akram:
Thank you, Elizabeth. I think this year the challenges which were facing the members of the Economic and Social Council were crystal clear. We faced an unprecedented pandemic, the most serious health, economic, and social crisis in the history of the United Nations. And I think that the ECOSOC has responded with clarity.
First of all, we have to address the pandemic. Science has succeeded, but solidarity has so far failed. And we need to ensure equitable and early access to the vaccine to all the peoples of the world. The ECOSOC has convened a special meeting, and we have listed several recommendations for action.
Secondly, finance, the Secretary General has led informal consultations on financing COVID recovery. The ECOSOC in its financing for development outcome document has captured the essence of the recommendations that are to be made and to be acted upon in Financing for Development.
Thirdly, we have to look at the structural changes in the world which will be required to have a green and sustainable economy and for that we need investment in sustainable infrastructure, changes in trade, changes in technology regimes, and this is what we are working for as we speak the STI forum is meeting, we will have the Development Cooperation forum later this week. And finally in July, we will have the high level political forum where we will try to capture the essence of the actions that the world community needs to take to respond to the challenges of the COVID crisis. The SDG achievements, and climate change. Thank you.
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGOwQsPkgrU
2. MULTILATERALISM
Ms. Elizabeth Cousens (Moderator):
Question from Ambassador Raz about how to better adapt the system to future challenges?
Ambassador Munir Akram:
First of all, let me say that, for me, multilateralism is the United Nations; the United Nations and its family.
Secondly, we should all imagine what the world would be like without the United Nations system on a daily basis the functioning of our telephones, telecommunications, aircrafts, everything in the world functions on the basis of the system that has been put in place by the United Nations primarily, we will just not be able to function as a global society without the United Nations.
The United Nations can be improved, certainly there are many things that can be done better and we should attempt to do that better.
Among other things, Of course, the ECOSOC is the most open, multi stakeholder organization and here, the Security Council is the most closed. There should be some consistency in the level of opening. But most important, the issue is that this is a member state driven organization, and the flaws of this organization, derived from the weaknesses in cooperation and policy by the member states, and that is where we need to focus on what is to be done that is by member states, the actions that we need to take, whether on arms control nonproliferation, controlling the pandemic on human rights, etc. all the actions have been stated.
The SDGs is a blueprint for our development, but the question is implementation by member states how do we get that. And here, of course, all I can say is that it is my hope that the Secretary General will lead the way and lead the way in the implementation of the agendas in the actions that we have all decided, and to answer my colleague from Switzerland on human rights.
Human rights are central. But what promotes human rights is human progress is development, is the ability to give every person in the world, a decent living standard, how do we achieve that, we have the blueprint. We have the SDGs, we should implement, that should be our focus, rather than politicizing issues in one way or the other that should be our common focus and if we can focus on that common cause. I think we can come together and realize the goals that have already been set, the targets that have already been made but what is lacking is cooperation between member states, and that is where we must focus. Thank you.
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8kTmxxt33E&t=7s
***
3. SDGs
Ms. Elizabeth Cousens (Moderator):
Ambassador Akram, you may also want to respond to this question of how we re energize our dedication to the SDGs and the Decade of Action?
Ambassador Munir Akram:
Thank you. I think, with regard to the SDGs, as the Secretary General has made clear. First of all, unless we are able to deal with this pandemic and able to concrete in the shortest possible time, we will be off track on the SDGs and seriously off track because the world is now diverging even more seriously, the richer countries are recovering and poorer countries are going down. So, if we are going to achieve the SDGs we have to conquer this pandemic, and we need to express the solidarity in order to conquer this pandemic. I think that's, that's the simplest answer I could give.
But I would also like to respond to what the distinguished colleague from the United States, talked about, of how to preserve the international order. And I think we all recognize that the order of the last 75 years, has been based on the principles of the UN Charter. There's a lot of talk about rules based societies and rule based order, but all the rules emerge from the principles of the charter, and we have built a whole international system of law, and the practice of justice, on the basis of the principles of the charter.
I think if we are going to promote peace and address the issues, the conflicts that are all over the world whether these are economic, political, human rights issues, all of these must be dealt with, on the basis of the laws of the inter of the charter and the laws that we have built together, but there is a big but we must apply those laws and principles consistently. And with equity to all to the big and the small to the powerful, and the weak, there must be only one system of justice. And unless we are able to prove that the weak can aspire to the same justice as the strong, we will not have a world order, which is based on justice, we will have a world order, as it is today, based on strength and power.
*
4. Improving Multilateralism:
Ms. Elizabeth Cousens (Moderator):
Civil society, Ms. Leena of the International Young Leaders Organization asks how can we rethink multilateralism in a way that better addresses current and future challenges and better response to the interest of the needs of the young people and future generations?
Ambassador Munir Akram:
I'll answer the one about multilateralism, improving multilateralism. I think there is a genuine desire for greater stakeholder participation in multilateral processes. I believe that inclusion or inclusivity, like charity starts at home. Inclusive societies have to build within states, and within those communities and societies, and then they can be represented here.
We have uneven stakeholder participation at the UN. Civil societies keen to be represented, and are welcome, and so are other organizations, but we have a deficit, when it comes to participation by the private sector, especially the corporations, which make policy on various investment in other decisions. I think we need greater participation from the private sector, in the work of the United Nation and lastly, I think in the work of the Security Council.
We talk about multi stakeholder entities in the Security Council, even the non members of the Security Council are often not able to participate and know what is happening. So I think there is a lot of improvement that is required in our processes on multilaterals.
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llBuQOtiiSI
***
5. Reflections
Ms. Elizabeth Cousens (Moderator):
Ambassador Akram, final reflection from you?
Ambassador Munir Akram:
Thank you. My two reflections.
First of all, I think we should all agree that we own the United Nations. We member states, we own the United Nations.
Secondly, I would use the quotation from President Kennedy about his own country. When he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country.”
I think all of us here should be able to say that we should not ask what the United Nations can do for us because that's clear. But what can we do for the United Nations. Thank you.
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZIEIHIxOwQ&t=4s
***
https://www.un.org/pga/75/international-day-of-multilateralism-and-diplomacy/
https://www.un.org/pga/75/2021/05/04/interactive-dialogue-to-commemorate-and-promote-the-international-day-of-multilateralism-and-diplomacy-for-peace/
Complete video of the event: http://webtv.un.org/search/interactive-dialogue-to-commemorate-and-promote-the-international-day-of-multilateralism-and-diplomacy-for-peace-general-assembly-75th-session/6252752093001/?term&lan=english&page=2
*-*-*-*-*
