Has the United Nations system sufficiently adapted to the challenges of the 21st century world? If not, how does it need to change? These were the central questions addressed during the launch of the summary report of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM), entitled “Pulling Together: The Multilateral System and its Future," which was held in Vienna on December 14 at the (…)
Fifth ICM Retreat Examines Women, Peace and Security
How can the multilateral system embrace women’s participation in peace and security processes and implement the objectives of UN Security Council Resolution 1325? These were the key questions at the ICM’s fifth retreat held on June 19-20. Thirty UN ambassadors, experts, and practitioners representing governments and civil society organizations convened to examine some of the challenges in the multilateral system toward advancing women’s security and empowerment and opportunities to close the (…)
Fourth ICM Retreat Analyzes Fragile States and Fragile Cities
Fragile states and fragile cities was the topic of the ICM’s fourth retreat held on May 8-9. Experts, academics, and ambassadors representing governments and civil society organizations examined the question: how can the multilateral response to “fragility” be made more efficient and effective? With 1.4 billion people living in fragile states and more than half of the world’s population living in cities today, the complex challenges posed by fragility requires crucial consideration at the (…)
Third ICM Retreat Discusses Terrorism, Including Issues Related to Ideology, Identity Politics, and Organized Crime
How can the multilateral system’s response to terrorism become more efficient and effective? That was the key question at ICM’s third retreat on April 10-11, held at the Asia Society in New York. UN ambassadors, experts, and practitioners representing governments and civil society organizations convened to analyze the factors that drive and sustain terrorism today and the UN’s response to countering the threat. Participants discussed the links between insurgents, criminal groups, and (…)
Second ICM Retreat Examines Social Inclusion, Political Participation, and Effective Governance in Challenging Environments
ICM hosted its second retreat on March 13-14 with experts and participants representing governments and civil society organizations to examine the nexus between governance structures and the state, state-society relations, and the role of regional organizations in the multilateral system. The increase in non-state actors in today’s political area has challenged traditional understandings of power and legitimacy, straining state-society relations as government institutions grapple with (…)
First ICM Retreat Discusses Challenges and Opportunities of Multilateral System
This past weekend, the ICM hosted experts, members of civil society, and UN ambassadors during its inaugural retreat to discuss the state of a multilateral system that was started in the wake of the second World War and, while it has strengths, struggles to meet many of today’s challenges. The retreat, which took place February 19th-20th, was the first of 15 retreats that will be convened over the course of the year about the role of the multilateral system in addressing critical (…)