Latest news with #multilateralism
Arab News
a day ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan, China discuss regional security, agree to strengthen multilateral institutions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Chinese delegations on Thursday discussed regional and international security, reiterating their commitment to strengthen multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the Pakistani foreign office said. These discussions took place during the fifth round of the Pakistan-China Consultations on Multilateral Issues in Beijing on Thursday. The Pakistani delegation was led by Special Secretary (UN) Ambassador Nabeel Munir while the Chinese side was headed by Shen Bo, director general of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences of the Chinese foreign ministry. The discussions took place amid regional tensions in South Asia and Middle East following India's conflict with Pakistan in May, and Iran's recent military confrontation with Israel. Though both conflicts resulted in a ceasefire, they triggered fears of a wider war breaking out in the region. 'During the consultations, the two sides exchanged views on a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to the United Nations, in particular matters related to regional and international peace and security on the agenda of the UN Security Council,' Pakistan's foreign office said. 'The two sides expressed satisfaction at the strong convergence of views on all issues of mutual concern, and reiterated their commitment to continue working together for strengthening multilateral institutions, especially the United Nations.' The foreign ministry said Munir separately met China's Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu on the sidelines of the consultations. The two sides expressed their desire to continue working together to take the 'historic relations' between Pakistan and China to new heights, the statement said. China enjoys cordial relations with Pakistan and is also a major ally and investor of Islamabad. Bejing has invested in a multi-billion-dollar project that connects China and Pakistan through a network of highways, railways and pipelines. Since its initiation in 2013, CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars funneled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan. But the undertaking has been hit by Islamabad struggling to keep up its financial obligations as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants. While Pakistan has a historic rivalry with nuclear-armed India, Beijing's border disputes with New Delhi also means that its ties with India are frosty. Pakistan and China enjoy military, defense and economic ties as Beijing remains wary of India's influence in the region.
Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
The UN at 80 must not be sidetracked by global hegemons
As humanity, we should be constructing a multilateral system that can respond effectively to global crises. The UN at 80 (UN80) initiative is a dangerous distraction, fuelled by threats from Washington to withhold and reduce its massive financing of the United Nations, a body created in 1945. An initiative that could weaken multilateralism is dangerous in the sense that it will further undermine the international system of collective security, which in reality leads to the bombing of children in hospitals, deprives refugees of shelter and food and sets back efforts to regulate climate change and protect the environment. The UN's budget is about $3.7 billion; by contrast New York City's annual budget is $5.9 billion. The paradox is evident for all to see. As humanity, we spend less than a city's budget on floundering efforts to address global crises such as geopolitical conflict, the climate catastrophe, refugee flows that are double those of World War II, food scarcity and attempts to regulate artificial intelligence, including robotic weapons. To put matters further in perspective, global humanity spends more than $2 trillion on military concerns, with a significant proportion of that transferred to corporations that indirectly influence political actors and systems around the world to spend more on death and destruction. As humanity, we should be constructing a multilateral system that can respond effectively to global crises. Such a system should be operating with at least 10% of the $2 trillion that we spend on the military, or roughly $200 billion a year — which can be achieved by the international taxation of global financial flows. This shows that humanity has its priorities dangerously skewed and self-defeatingly inverse. We spend more on the weapons of destruction and their production than we do on ensuring that the 3.5 billion people who go to sleep each night hungry have enough to eat. It is evident that Washington has an over-sized financial dominance of the UN system and now the 'America First' ideology dictates that multilateralism must die so that Washington can have free rein to trumpet its call of 'Make America Great Again'. This conveniently glosses over the fact that, for Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Latino-Americans, there was no point in the past when they were genuinely included in this bygone, mythical 'great' America. These so-called minorities were in fact the human fodder upon which mainstream America built its affluence and maintained its dominance of the state and, by extension, of the world. An opportunity has presented itself for the governments of the global majority to stand up to this misguided Washingtonian agenda that is hellbent on 'flooding the zone' with chaotic disruption to pursue its insular and mercantilist agenda. The genie of globalisation has long left the bottle. The wide array of global threats, including the existential wars in Middle East between Israel and Palestine, and now Israel and Iran; Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the civil war in Sudan; as well as the climate crisis; unprecedented refugee flows and the unregulated power of artificial intelligence, have to be addressed by effective global institutions that are legitimated by, and for, the people through, for example, a world parliament. The planet can no longer be governed by nation states that are unable to see beyond their own juvenile navel-gazing impulse expressed as 'national interests'. The tempestuous weather patterns that burn down the Palisades of California and sweep away the shacks of people in informal settlements do not discriminate between Californians and Nairobi's residents. Climate change is a global issue that has outgrown state-centric systems and exposes the failure of nation-states to act in the interests of humanity. The collapse of the international system of collective security, embodied in the decrepit and UN (In)Security Council, has paved the way for geopolitical conflagrations that threaten the lives of tens of millions of people around the world. If the governments of the global majority are serious about reviving multilateralism, then they need to commit to putting their money where their mouths are. Switzerland has already committed an additional $300 million to financing UN agencies in Geneva. Other governments around the world, particularly those in the Global North, should follow suit and plug the gaps that will be left behind by Washington's exodus from multilateralism. Beyond reinforcing multilateralism it is clear that humanity needs to convene a global conversation about the nature of the institutions that it aspires to build for the 21st century. It is likely that this conversation will need to take place without the imprimatur of Washington, Beijing and Moscow, which are focused on returning to an era of global authoritarianism in pursuit of their illusory 'national interests'. It is feasible, and preferable, for the proponents of multilateralism, including the erstwhile vassals of Washington such as London, Paris and Brussels, to participate in this conversation. A practical pathway to convening this global conversation is through the actions of a coalition of willing governments in the General Assembly invoking article 109 to convene a General Conference to Review the UN Charter. Such a conference will not be a once-off talk-fest but will span two to three years and will design a renewed system of international relations. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council will not be able to veto such a conference, which has not been convened to completion in the 80-year history of the UN. The UN80 initiative is a dangerous distraction, emanating from a fear-based response, which will undoubtedly cause tremendous hardship to UN personnel and their families. If it is allowed to succeed, it will enfeeble multilateralism, place it on a much weaker footing and provide a carte blanche to a self-appointed minority of global hegemons to run roughshod over the planet's global majority. The UN80 should be exposed for the unholy distraction that will weaken, rather than strengthen, multilateralism that it is. Professor Tim Murithi is a research associate at the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa at the University of Cape Town.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
India has shown zero tolerance for terrorism
India has demonstrated zero tolerance for terrorism and will not hesitate to target terrorists wherever they are, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. Singh, who is in Qingdao, China for a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers, called on all members of the group to 'unequivocally' condemn terrorism. 'India's zero tolerance for terrorism is manifest today through its actions. This includes our right to defend ourselves against terrorism,' he said. Regarding New Delhi's strikes on May 7 against suspected terrorist facilities in Pakistani-controlled territory, the Indian defense minister added: 'We have shown that epicenters of terrorism are no longer safe and we will not hesitate to target them.' Singh said SCO members should tackle common challenges 'related to peace, security, and [a] trust deficit.' He added, 'India believes that reformed multilateralism can help build cooperation to prevent conflict between countries by creating mechanisms for dialogue and collaboration. No country, however large and powerful, can manage alone.' These threats do not respect national boundaries, and they demand a unified response rooted in transparency, mutual trust, and collaboration. India reaffirms its resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations: RM The defense minister stressed that peace and prosperity are incompatible with terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors and terrorist groups. 'It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture, and utilize terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences,' Singh said in a veiled reference to Pakistan. 'Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists.' At the SCO meeting, India refused to sign a joint statement. 'On our side, India wanted concerns on terrorism reflected in the document which was not acceptable to one particular country and therefore the statement was not adopted,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. ❗️🇮🇳MEA Spox Randhir Jaiswal on NO Joint SCO Statement'On our side, India wanted concerns on terrorism reflected in the document which was not acceptable to one particular country and therefore the statement was not adopted." In an interview with RT this week, Indian MP Shashi Tharoor said Pakistan continues to provide safe haven for terrorists and allows them to freely operate training camps. Pakistan has denied allegations of involvement in terrorist activities in India.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
In China, ‘bridge-builder' Singapore champions a multilateral world
A marquee visit by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to China this week has underscored a push by Southeast Asian countries for multilateralism amid uncertainty over America's commitment to the region and free trade. Observers say Wong's comments during his five-day trip, particularly at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, or so-called Summer Davos, are aligned with the regional agenda of Asean members in recent years. But even as Chinese President Xi Jinping called for his country and Singapore to 'stand on the right side of history' and advocate for an equal multipolar world, analysts say it remains to be seen if Beijing will put its money where its mouth is. Wong's China visit marked his first such trip outside Southeast Asia since being sworn in as prime minister in May 2024. It also comes after the decisive win of his ruling party at the general election last month. At their meeting on Tuesday, Xi in his comments to Wong echoed his message to other Asean leaders earlier this year to stand up against 'unilateral bullying' and 'tariff abuse' in reference to US President Donald Trump 's trade policies. 'Hearing that straight from the senior-most leadership in China is somewhat reassuring, but of course the proof is in the pudding,' said Chin-Hao Huang, associate professor of political science at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
'Not something to celebrate': As it turns 80 and faces dwindling global clout, can the UN survive？
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations, a collaborative global dream built into reality out of the ashes of World War II, marks its 80th anniversary this month. There's little to celebrate. Its clout on the world stage is diminished. Facing major funding cuts from the United States and others, it has been forced to shed jobs and start tackling long-delayed reforms. Its longtime credo of 'multilateralism' is under siege. Its most powerful body, the Security Council, has been blocked from taking action to end the two major wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
