Participants attend a panel discussion at an international symposium themed “Strengthen the Role of the United Nations and Promote Multilateralism,” hosted by China’s Foreign Ministry, on March 24, 2024. Photo: Zhao Juecheng/GT
An international symposium themed "Strengthen the Role of the United Nations and Promote Multilateralism," hosted by China's Foreign Ministry, was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Monday. Foreign envoys and representatives from international organizations called for strengthening the UN's role amid growing global challenges and praised China's commitment to multilateralism.
In today's world, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, geopolitical conflicts continue unabated, various challenges keep emerging, and factors of instability and uncertainty are clearly on the rise, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister of China, said in written remarks to the symposium.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the UN, a key moment in the history of humanity, Wang said. The international community hopes to see all countries work in solidarity and coordination to uphold what is right, steer the direction of our era, defend fairness and justice, safeguard world peace and stability and promote global development and prosperity, Wang noted.
As a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the Security Council, China will continue to work with all sides to practice true multilateralism, safeguard the central role of the UN, Wang said, noting that promote global governance that is based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefit.
Together, we will bring stability to a changing and turbulent world, inject positive energy in building a more just and equitable global governance system, work toward the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and embrace an even brighter future, Wang said.
More than 100 participants, including representatives from nearly 50 countries, international and regional organizations, UN officials, government ministries and academic experts, attended the symposium, according to China's Foreign Ministry.
Under-Secretary-General for Policy of UN Guy Ryder speaks at an international symposium themed "Strengthen the Role of the United Nations and Promote Multilateralism," which was hosted by China's Foreign Ministry, in Beijing on March 24, 2024. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT
"We're very encouraged that China remains very strongly committed to multilateralism," Under-Secretary-General for Policy of UN Guy Ryder told the Global Times on the sidelines of the symposium on Monday.
"We want China to continue to take that role of leadership in the world," he said, noting that "there's no doubt that on our 80th birthday, we do face challenges, we face unprecedented challenges, and we have to overcome them. And it is with the help of our member states, China, primary amongst them, that we will move forward. I'm quite confident of that," Ryder said.
Hodan Osman Abdi, Somalia's ambassador to China, spoke highly of China's role in advancing multilateralism and China's contribution to global peace and development.
"One is predictability. As long as we have a partner that is predictable in its actions and decisions, that means more stability for the world. And the second is actually the promotion of a model of development, a model of sustainability, a model of cooperation that is focused on the global and common good, rather than on selfish, personal, unilateral issues," she told the Global Times on the sidelines of the symposium.
"China is one of the absolutely most important powers in the world. It is a permanent member of the [UN] Security Council. It has a great deal to contribute," said Jurg Burri, Swiss ambassador to China, on Monday.
Burri told the Global Times that, as the world is facing growing challenges and the UN is undergoing very difficult times, the role of the UN needs to be amplified.
With geopolitical tensions rising, especially two major wars - the Ukraine crisis and the Palestine-Israel conflict - taking place in the world, the role of the UN has been questioned for whether it could effectively prevent the wars from happening at the first place, and whether the UN need a more effective mechanism in guarding peace, according to the symposium.
"First, I think it is clear that the UN is indispensable. It cannot be replaced," Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's Ambassador to China, told the Global Times on Monday. Hashmi pointed out that the UN can certainly be improved and reformed both at the governance level and at other principal organs as well as the operational capacity of the UN.
For example, the UN development system needs to be more responsive to developing countries, to create more opportunities, to access finance for their infrastructure development, to counter the effects of climate change and for their social development, Hashmi said.
As for the UN Security Council, by adding the reforming the UN Security Council does not mean, and it should not mean just adding new permanent members, the Pakistani envoy said.
"What we mean by reforming the UN Security Council is to enhance its efficiency, to enhance its effectiveness, and to enhance its accountability to the membership. I think only by doing this, we can have a more effective UN Security Council," Hashmi said.
The Pakistani envoy pointed out that in the last more than a decade, it has now become clear that the UN Security Council has not been able to fulfill its responsibilities. "We need a security, which is a very important component of the governance system of the UN, which is more responsive, which fosters peace, which fosters security for all countries, and prevents conflicts."
