Editor's note: Yao Kun is the deputy director of the Institute of World Political Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
The 75th-session United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opened at the UN headquarters in New York on September 15, with the High-level General Debate taking place from 22 to 26. Under the theme "The future we want, the United Nations we need: Reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism," the session, for the first time, gathered more than 100 heads of state and government leaders on a virtual platform.
The theme of multilateralism comes at the right time. Chinese President Xi Jinping remarked at the high-level meeting on Monday, "China will stay committed to practicing multilateralism and actively take part in the reform and development of the global governance system."
The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. As COVID-19 rages on, the world has entered an age of turbulence and change. The contest between unilateralism and multilateralism is getting more intense.
On the one hand, the UN is committed to promoting international cooperation and multilateral agendas. At present, multilateral processes such as global health governance, climate governance, and financing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development are in crisis. During this session of the UNGA, a high-level meeting will be held to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN and the 25th anniversary of the adoption of Beijing Declaration on women's rights.
The newly elected president of the UNGA Volkan Bozkir said that his work focuses on "overcoming the challenges currently facing multilateralism and the UN." It is expected that the 75th session of the UNGA will focus on global issues such as pandemic response, climate change, sustainable development and conflict prevention.
On the other hand, unilateralism favored by some countries has seriously disrupted the multilateral agendas. Protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise, and some countries are keen on "shifting blame," "decoupling" and "withdrawing from international organizations," which undermines international cooperation.
As the International Criminal Court continues to investigate war crimes committed by the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, threatened to impose sanctions on two senior judges of the court. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said the sanctions are a "grave attack" on the international criminal justice system and the rule of law.
On September 13, the UN adopted the omnibus pandemic resolution with an overwhelming majority of 169 votes in favor and 2 votes against. Only the United States and its ally Israel voted against it.
A screenshot of the news showing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo impose sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor.
In addition, many global governance and international development agendas are at "turning points" and their prospects look grim.
Firstly, the global response to COVID-19 has drawn much attention, as the World Health Organization faces a huge gap in funding. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator program which is set up for the development of vaccines, treatment and diagnosis of the COVID-19 still needs an additional 35 billion U.S. dollars, and the world will "lose the window of opportunity".
Secondly, the task of tackling climate change is daunting. Since the beginning of this year, climate security threats have been increasing. The accelerated melting of ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctic, more frequent super hurricanes, and bush fires raging on the west coast of the United States, all of which shows that the global response to climate change is inadequate.
The World Meteorological Organization released a report on September 9, warning that climate change has continued unabated during the pandemic. On September 30, the UN Summit on Biodiversity will be convened. With the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity being postponed to next year, everyone is watching if this session of the UNGA can revive the international collective commitment.
Flames consume a home and car as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, U.S., September 9, 2020. /AP
Thirdly, the implementation of the sustainable development agenda has been met with challenges. A recent report released by the World Food and Agriculture Organization warns that the sustainable development of food and agriculture in the world is facing major challenges. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequality between countries and may set the sustainable development process back by years or even decades.
As a charter UN member and one of five permanent members of the Security Council, China firmly upholds multilateralism, defends the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, safeguards the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law, resolutely rejects unilateralism, hegemonism and power politics, and opposes any act of reversing the wheels of history.
As the 75-year-old UN stands at a new starting point in history and carries the faith and hope of mankind, we have reason to believe that it can live up to expectations in the future. It will continue to regard maintaining world peace and promoting universal development as its mission. Through pragmatic and gradual reforms, it will enhance its ability to respond to new challenges and play a greater role in the new historical process. China will always be an important participant and staunch advocate of this process.
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