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 (…)
Public Consultation on Terrorism
The ICM hosted a public consultation on November 18th on its discussion paper “Terrorism Including Issues Related to Ideology, Identity Politics, and Organized Crime.”
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Threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism continue to metastasize, stemming from a constellation of fault lines and imbalances caused by exclusionary, unaccountable, and ideologically based governance; identity politics; inequitable distribution of resources; and new and emerging forms of (…)
Public Consultation on Social Inclusion
The ICM hosted a public consultation on November 18th on its discussion paper “Social Inclusion, Political Participation, and Effective Governance in Challenging Environments.”
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Governance systems globally are facing a growing crisis of legitimacy vis-à-vis their constituents at state and multilateral levels. Local challenges confronting national leaders have become transnational in origin and effect. The multilateral system cannot be reformed if the foundation upon (…)
Eighth ICM Retreat Analyzes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Addressing Climate Change
By 2016, the UN will have the opportunity and the challenge to operate under the most comprehensive framework on sustainable development in the history of the organization. The process and substance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have ushered significant shifts. The agenda’s universal application, integrative nature, and strong reference to peace as indispensable for sustainable development all mark a paradigm shift for the UN and its member states.
However, the impacts of (…)
Public Consultation on Women, Peace, and Security
The ICM hosted its first public consultation on November 4th, focusing on the findings and recommendations of the Women, Peace, and Security Discussion Paper, and providing an opportunity to reflect on the recent fifteenth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
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Advancing the women, peace, and security agenda may require a fundamental rethinking of the traditional approach to peace and security in the multilateral system. There is compelling evidence that (…)
Seventh ICM Retreat Examines the Impact of New Technology on Peace, Security, and Development
As new technologies, tied together by the Internet, have spread around the world, the considerable governance and security challenges that they bring in their wake have also gained new prominence. Their potential remains relatively untapped, and its constraints are continuously pushed back to the benefit— and sometimes to the detriment—of development. Is there a role for the multilateral system in the management and implementation of new technologies? Should it learn to channel innovation (…)
Sixth ICM Retreat Discusses Forced Displacement, Refugees, and Migration
Among the major crises of today is the unprecedented rise of forced displacement, refugees and migration flows. By the end of 2014, approximately 60 million people have been forcibly displaced compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago. In every region of the world, the numbers of refugees and internally displaced people are on the rise, and the ripple effects have been global.
Can the multilateral system strengthen global solidarity and promote shared (…)