Author: Silke Weinlich

UN General Assembly voting on Ukraine – What does it tell us about African states’ relations with external partners?

Photo: Logo of the UN on blue ground

Picture by Chickenonline on Pixabay

On 2 March 2022, the UN General Assembly voted in a special emergency session on a resolution condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine. The General Assembly dealt with the issue on the basis of a referral from the Security Council, which was paralysed by a Russian veto. The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire and clearly names Russia as the aggressor.…

The Review of the Resident Coordinator System: Give UNDS reform a chance!

Image: Picture of the UNO General Assembly Hall

Photo by hibino on Flickr (altered), https://www.flickr.com/photos/hibino/51544029/

These days, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly is tasked with fine-tuning a centrepiece of the reform: the strengthened Resident Coordinator system – key driver of a more cohesive UN Development System (UNDS) working towards a common agenda. Negotiations have yet to reach a break-through.…

Multilateralism – the status quo is not enough

Header: Flags in Front of United Nations

Source: https://www.needpix.com/photo/786825/

These are difficult times for multilateral action. Many are looking full of hope to Germany, whose Alliance for Multilateralism provides a key counterpoint to the “My country first” maxim. As such, it is all the more important for the German Government to set out a clear and substantive position in its new white paper on multilateralism. It must communicate clearly to the German people and other states why working with other nations, while often difficult and requiring constant compromise, is just as much in Germany’s own interest as strong, independent international organisations and global, universally applicable norms and rules. The Federal Government also needs to outline the specific changes for which it intends to advocate.

UN reform and the COVID-19 pandemic – what role for the UN to better serve the world?

Photo: Construction Site, as a symbol for “UN reform and the COVID-19 pandemic”

By Artodidact on Pixabay

The Covid-19 pandemic not only threatens to undo development gains and reverse progress in achieving the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda. It also presents an early and serious test for the reform of the UN development system (UNDS), where major reform decisions were taken in 2018 to reposition the UNDS for improved, integrated and strategic support in line with the 2030 Agenda’s interlinked nature.

Multilateralism without future – or the future of multilateralism?

Photo: Header Picture of the article "Multilateralism without future - or the future of multilateralism?", Puzzle on a table in progress

https://pixabay.com/de/photos/puzzle-legen-sie-sie-spiel-spa%C3%9F-663279/

At the beginning of a new decade, we suggest to look at the longer-term. Let’s consider the world of multilateralism two decade from now, i.e. well beyond the timeline of the 2030 Agenda. The setting in 2040 is likely to differ substantially from today. Things change, and the job of scenario-building is to imagine different futures without merely projecting existing trends or historic examples. Scenario-Building also provides us with ideas about what we need to do to land in the space we see as most preferable.