The “New Agenda for Peace” policy brief by UN Secretary-General António Guterres represents a comprehensive strategy to address the complexities of global peace and security in the current multipolar world. This initiative recognizes the changed geopolitical landscape since the Cold War and the emergence of new challenges and threats.
Key highlights of the policy brief include:
- Multilateral Framework Enhancement: The brief emphasizes the need for a robust multilateral framework to address current global challenges effectively.
- Addressing Geopolitical Tensions and Human Rights Violations: Guterres highlights the rising geopolitical tensions, grave human rights violations, and the increasing distrust in public institutions, which collectively threaten global peace.
- Preventing the Weaponization of Emerging Technologies: The policy identifies the weaponization of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous weapons systems, as a significant threat that needs to be addressed.
- Focus on Sustainable Development: The agenda connects sustainable development with peace, advocating for accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- Updating Peacekeeping Operations: It calls for an update in peacekeeping operations to adapt to the nature of modern conflicts, which often involve complex domestic and transnational factors.
- Reforming Key UN Bodies: The brief stresses the urgent need for reforms within the UN system, particularly in the Security Council, General Assembly, UN’s disarmament machinery, and the Peacebuilding Commission, to enhance collective security.
- Prioritizing Diplomacy and Conflict Prevention: The Secretary-General urges strong measures to prevent conflicts at a global level, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and investments in regional security architectures.
This policy brief presents a vision grounded in trust, solidarity, and universality – principles central to the UN Charter and a stable world. It’s part of a series of policy briefs leading up to the “Summit of the Future” in 2024, which aims to update global systems and frameworks to be more responsive to current and future challenges.
Source:UN chief unveils new vision for peace across a ‘multipolar world’ | UN News
