By Elena Kosolapova, Senior Policy Advisor, IISD Tracking Progress, and SDG Hub Content Editor

“We are now at an inflection point. The post-cold war period is over. A transition is under way to a new global order.” These words come from the UN Secretary-General’s policy brief outlining his vision for a New Agenda for Peace. Their urgency cannot be understated. In a world at a crossroads, peace is becoming ever more elusive. Yet, the Secretary-General notes, like war, peace is a choice, and this is where “our greatest prospect” lies.

In July, the UN Secretariat published a policy brief where the Secretary-General explains “how we can make that choice.” The publication is the ninth of 11 policy briefs that elaborate on the proposals contained in Our Common Agenda (OCA) by offering “concrete ideas” to advance work. Developed with input from Member States and intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder consultations, the policy briefs aim to contribute to preparations for the Summit of the Future in 2024, which is expected to “agree on multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow.”

OCA Policy Brief 9 titled, ‘A New Agenda for Peace,’ outlines a set of principles for an effective collective security system, lays out a vision for multilateralism in a world in transition, and offers action-oriented recommendations to achieve more effective multilateral action for peace.

A world at a crossroads

In 1992, An Agenda for Peace emerged against the backdrop of an “improvement in relations between States” at the end of the cold war between two “ideologically and politically antagonistic blocs.” According to the Secretary-General, today’s world is characterized by “multipolarity” and increasingly fragmented power dynamics, “as new poles of influence emerge, new economic blocs form and axes of contestation are redefined.” In his Policy Brief, he paints a picture of a world besieged with geostrategic competition, record military spending, geoeconomic fragmentation, and “a loss of trust between the global North and South.” This “fragmented and fractious” global environment makes cooperation critical, he argues, and “a majority of States remain deeply invested in the multilateral system as essential to secure their sovereignty and independence, as well as to moderate the behaviour of major powers.”

The Policy Brief identifies several “interlocking” threats to peace that, due to their mutually reinforcing effects, are “well beyond the ability of any single State to manage.” These include:

  • The changing nature of armed conflict;
  • Persistent violence outside of armed conflicts;
  • The perils of weaponizing new and emerging technologies;
  • Rising inequalities within and among nations;
  • Shrinking space for civic participation; and
  • The climate emergency.

In addition to these sources of instability and insecurity, the Policy Brief points to challenges to international law and human rights, which undermine normative frameworks such as the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Multilateralism in a world in transition

In pursuit of its goal of achieving a more peaceful and just world, the collective security system envisioned in the UN Charter has advanced decolonization, promoted nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, forestalled and mediated armed conflict, mounted large-scale humanitarian responses, and promoted international norms and justice. Today, the Policy Brief notes, it is undermined by Member States’ failure “to effectively address” the interlocking threats. This failure, it argues, stems from the neglect of trust, solidarity, and universality – the three principles that are at the core of friendly relations and cooperation.

In an effort to redress this state of affairs, the Secretary-General presents a vision for a collective security system that moves away from competition among Member States towards cooperation. Taking into consideration the recommendations of the High-level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB), he proposes a series of foundational steps, or “building blocks,” that could help “create opportunities and momentum currently lacking in collective action for peace.” These are:

  • The UN Charter and international law;
  • Diplomacy for peace;
  • Prevention as a political priority;
  • Mechanisms to manage disputes and improve trust;
  • Robust regional frameworks and organizations;
  • National action at the center;
  • People-centered approaches;
  • Eradication of violence in all its forms;
  • Prioritizing comprehensive approaches over securitized responses;
  • Dismantling patriarchal power structures;
  • Ensuring that young people have a say in their future;
  • Financing for peace;
  • Strengthening the toolbox for networked multilateralism; and
  • An effective and impartial UN Secretariat.

Based on these building blocks, the Secretary-General makes a series of detailed action-oriented recommendations for Member States to consider. To address strategic risks and geopolitical divisions at the global level, the Policy Brief recommends eliminating nuclear weapons and boosting preventive diplomacy.

To prevent conflict and violence and sustain peace, it calls for shifting the prevention and sustaining peace paradigm within countries, including by establishing or strengthening national infrastructures for peace. It recommends accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to address the underlying drivers of violence and insecurity. It further suggests: transforming gendered power dynamics in peace and security; addressing the interlinkages between climate, peace, and security; and reducing the human cost of weapons.

Recommended actions to strengthen peace operations include strengthening peace operations and partnerships, addressing peace enforcement, and supporting the African Union and subregional peace support operations.

The Policy Brief highlights the Secretary-General’s recommendation to prevent the weaponization of emerging domains and promote responsible innovation as novel approaches to peace and potential domains of conflict.

Finally, to strengthen international governance, the Policy Brief identifies the need to build a stronger collective security machinery.

A message of hope

In a world beleaguered by crises, each capable of causing global devastation, be it war, nuclear weapons, climate change, or “technology run amok,” it is imperative that countries overcome “the increasing mistrust that has permeated international relations” and find ways to work together. “What is at stake is not the future of the United Nations,” the Secretary-General underscores, “but of our nations and humanity.”

The Secretary-General’s vision is one of optimism and hope. Through all-of-society approaches at the national level and all-of-humanity approaches at the international level, he believes “networked multilateralism,” with the UN at its center, can help the world surmount its current challenges, no matter how grave.

As we look to the Summit of the Future to provide concrete answers about how to “reinforce the cooperative frameworks that are necessary to move us from the path to destruction to the path to prosperity,” trust, solidarity, and universality must prevail. Without the realization of these principles, global commitment to multilateral solutions will remain but a vision.

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In preparation for the 2023 SDG Summit and the Summit of the Future in 2024, the UN Secretary-General is launching eleven policy briefs between March and July 2023, offering “concrete ideas” on how to advance Our Common Agenda. Timed accordingly, the SDG Knowledge Hub is publishing a series of policy briefs of its own, offering insights on the issue areas covered in these publications.