UN chief unveils new vision for peace across a ‘multipolar world’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched a new policy brief called "The New Agenda for Peace," outlining his vision for a stronger multilateral framework to address global challenges in peace and security in a rapidly changing world. He emphasized that the post-Cold War era is over, and the world is moving towards a multipolar order.
The brief identifies several pressing issues, including geopolitical tensions, human rights violations, terrorism, and the weaponization of emerging technologies, leading to insecurity and a rising threat of nuclear war. Guterres emphasized the core principles of trust, solidarity, and universality as the foundation of the UN Charter and a stable world.
The brief presents twelve concrete proposals in five priority areas. First, it calls for measures to prevent global conflicts and address geopolitical divisions, emphasizing diplomacy and investments in regional security. Second, it advocates for a paradigm of prevention that addresses all forms of violence, focusing on mediation, human rights, women's participation, and the link between sustainable development, climate action, and peace.
The third area focuses on updating peacekeeping operations to adapt to complex and protracted conflicts. The fourth priority is preventing the weaponization of emerging technologies like AI and autonomous weapons systems through global governance.
Lastly, Guterres calls for urgent reforms to enhance collective security, including the Security Council, General Assembly, UN's disarmament machinery, and the Peacebuilding Commission. He also introduced other policy briefs on Transforming Education and UN 2.0 to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
All these briefs aim to support Member States' preparations for the 2024 Summit of the Future, which seeks to address global risks and opportunities and deliver on unmet commitments. Guterres emphasized the need to restore trust in multilateral action and update global systems and frameworks through a "Pact for the Future" to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.