Naturally, multilateralism has become a "breath", permeating every aspect of international life.
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| General Secretary and President To Lam speaks at the Future Summit, 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. (Source: VNA) |
The birth of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 reflected the common aspiration of peoples of all countries for a world of peace , security and development after the horrors of World War II.
In the nearly eight decades since the UN was founded, the great achievements of the multilateral system have been to lift more than a billion people out of poverty and, most notably, to prevent a third world war. Naturally, multilateralism has become the “breath” of the world, permeating every aspect of international life.
War and conflict are nurtured by hatred and lack of trust. Therefore, if there is no hatred and trust is strengthened, it is clear that conflict can be pushed back, war eliminated and peace created. The “sweet fruits” of multilateralism partly clearly demonstrate that simple argument. Southeast Asia was once covered by disagreement, confrontation and division until ASEAN was born and has stood firm as it is today. The two fierce wars in Europe from 1914 to 1945, which killed millions of people and left a devastated and exhausted continent, became a “thing of the past” when the European Economic Community (the predecessor of today’s EU) was born in 1957.
The profound changes in the world and regional situation have strongly impacted the vitality of multilateralism, replacing it with unilateralism, power politics, protectionism or selfish nationalism...
At an open debate of the UN Security Council in April 2023, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed that the world is facing many unprecedented and intertwined crises while the multilateral system is under pressure "greater than at any time" since the UN was founded.
While many people are still wondering about the effectiveness and efficiency of traditional multilateral institutions, they are immediately overwhelmed by a series of concerns about the purpose and mission of new multilateral mechanisms and the "micro-multilateral" cooperation mechanisms that are being formed... Although countries, including large countries and small and medium-sized countries, continue to take advantage of multilateral institutions and cooperation mechanisms to ensure national and ethnic interests and join hands to deal with global issues. However, it is still impossible to stop the "undercurrents" that are "distorting" the understanding and approach to multilateralism. Global leaders are saving the situation by taking action.
This effort can be seen clearly from the 2024 UN Future Summit to the APEC Summit, G20 or COP29. The Future Compact reached in September 2024 is a landmark agreement, which according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is a new beginning in multilateralism.
Suddenly, I thought that the “new beginning” is associated with a “renewed multilateralism” shared by General Secretary To Lam when attending the meeting “For a Renewed Multilateralism” (Paris, France on October 7) towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for all countries and people. It is also a multilateralism associated with major transformation processes, especially digital transformation and green transformation; ensuring inclusiveness, comprehensiveness, and people-centeredness, especially the young generation.
Thus, the role of multilateralism is irreversible and as General Secretary To Lam once emphasized, "it is in difficulties that multilateralism clearly demonstrates its irreplaceable role."
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