Juan Manuel Santos is the former president of Colombia and recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. He now serves as chair of the Elders, a group of independent global leaders founded in 2007 to work toward peace, justice, human rights, and a sustainable planet. In this interview, President Santos shares his thoughts on the […]
Tag: multilateralism
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Governments worldwide have incorporated algorithmic decision-making into functions ranging from policing to welfare distribution, border control, and resource allocation. These political machines—AI systems used to support or automate government decision-making—are becoming central to contemporary governance while operating largely outside public scrutiny.
This transformation represents more than a technological upgrade to government operations; it marks a fundamental shift in the relationship between citizens and the state. As political machines increasingly make or inform decisions affecting people’s lives, questions of citizen participation will become an urgent concern for multilateral organizations, civil society, and institutional stakeholders.
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The new 2024 Multilateralism Index uses 45 indicators to assess changes in multilateral cooperation over the past decade (2013–2023) across five domains: What does it tell us about recent trends in multilateral cooperation, and how might these trends shift under a second Trump presidency?
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In this interview, Nudhara Yusuf discusses whether the Pact for the Future reflects the priorities of civil society and how to ensure the inclusion of civil society in the UN’s future work, particularly in emerging areas such as the governance of artificial intelligence.
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Youssef Mahmoud talks about the UN’s upcoming Summit of the Future and its Pact as it relates to people and the planet, the role of civil society, and the question of transformative action versus reform to sustain peace. Youssef also speaks to the ways the global majority is asserting its agency in the multilateral system, and the need to decolonize our thinking so as to make it work for everyone.
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While it may seem paradoxical for the UN to simultaneously have a record budget and face a liquidity crisis, this speaks to the long-standing complexities of UN funding dynamics. A closer look at UN financing provides insights into how UN multilateralism works, or fails to work.
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Even if the proposed intervention stops violence momentarily—and many Haitians are clamoring for any form of security—this can only be a temporary fix as long as the social contract between the Haitian state and the Haitian population remains broken.
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Centered on the theme of Lose-Lose?, this year’s conference focused on the vicious circle of zero-sum thinking, relative gains, and the unequal sharing of the proverbial pie. While many of the topics discussed this year were typical for the MSC, including the value of strengthened cooperation and the need to bolster international law and order, the mood was gloomier than a year ago. A consensus seemed to emerge among participants that international peace and security is likely to worsen before it gets better.
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The New Agenda for Peace provides an opening for continental actors to advance priorities at the global level. However, this requires the AU to deliver on revamping its own multilateral system as a springboard to reforming global multilateralism.
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The New Agenda for Peace sets a clear vision for reforms, but does not go into the details on how to achieve them. This cautious approach is a reflection of the secretary-general’s belief that it is the role of the UN to support—not make—the decisions of member states.
