Too little, too late global response prompts call for enhanced multilateralism

By Ihab Shaarawy

Throughout human history, a balance between co-operation and competition was vital for the development and protection of human civilisations.

As a more globalised and integrated world has created a new global context and more common challenges, reaching new international co-operation perspectives based on shared interests became more important.

However, according to a recent United Nations report, the balance is shifting in the opposite direction, as global responses to common challenges is becoming “too little and too late”.

The landmark new report released by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres under the title “Our Common Agenda,” warned against weak multilateral response in the face of major global challenges.

Guterres launched the report with a scathing overview of the parlous state of a world he described as being under enormous stress. He insisted, meanwhile, that continuing as up to now could cause the collapse of world order. However, he said that we can decide to change course, moving on to a greener, better and safer future for all.

The need for this enhanced multilateralism has been rising since the start of the twenty-first century, when profound changes such as economic globalisation and advanced science and technology began to make rapid progress, helping human society advance at an accelerated pace.

However, the world continues to do too little to address some of the most serious global challenges ranging from climate change to suicidal war on nature and the collapse of biodiversity.

The report proposed an approach that would usher in a new era for multilateralism, in which countries work together to solve global problems; the international system works fast to protect everyone in an emergency; and the United Nations is universally recognised as a reliable platform for collaboration.

In order to achieve these aims, the Secretary-General recommended a “Summit of the Future”, which would ‘forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like, and how we can secure it’.

By the time such a conference could take place, humanity may have missed many chances to address common challenges. We need to waste no time to reshape the foundations and reaffirm the core values that underpin collective action in the face of existential threats.