The Alliance for Multilateralism: for a renovated form of international cooperation [fr]

Partners in the Alliance for Multilateralism during the UN’s high level week event - 2 April 2019

© FranceONU / Martin Loper

In the face of a weakened multilateral order based on international law, France, Germany and a number of other partners launched a novel initiative: the Alliance for Multilateralism, an aggregator of goodwill aiming at developing and putting into practice a novel method for multilateralism.

The Alliance for Multilateralism follows a dual objective:

→ showing that a majority of states support multilateralism and value the United Nations;

→ create an adaptable and agile network of states ready to support initiatives that reinforce international cooperation, to form coalitions of support, to reach a consensus, doing this in a constructive and open spirit.

Launched on April 2, 2019 in New York, which is home to the world’s principal international organization’s headquarters, the Alliance for Multilateralism is an informal organization of countries convinced that a multilateral order based on the respect for international law is the only reliable guarantee of international peace and stability and that the challenges we face can only be resolved through cooperation. In just a few months, a growing number of partner states rallied themselves to this effort and developed a variety of projects which add to the work done by existing international organizations.

The initiative revolves around three ambitions:

1/ Protect, preserve and advance international law;

2/ Conduct powerful initiatives where there is a need for further development and thereby reinforcing the multilateral system, in particular where governance is absent or insufficient;

3/ Reform and modernize existing international organizationsin order to render them more inclusive, representative, democratic, transparent, responsible and efficient in their functioning and in their ability to produce concrete results for citizens.

The first tangible results of this Alliance were presented in September 2019 during an event co-chaired by France, Germany, Canada, Chili, Ghana, Mexico and Singapore, which brought together around 50 Ministers during the 74th United Nations’ General Assembly high level week.

The event, entitled “Building the Network and Presenting Results” was an opportunity to promote “multilateralism through proof”, as framed by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, earning broad support for the following concrete projects:

• Call for Action to strengthen respect for international humanitarian law and principled humanitarian action, endorsed by 43 states

• The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, signed by 17 states

• The Information and Democracy Partnership, signed by 34 states

• The Gender at the Center Initiative, signed by 13 states

• The Climate and Security Initiative, endorsed by 48 states

• 11 Principles on Lethal and Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), endorsed by 82 signatories

The Alliance for Multilateralism event also enabled to establish a program of work for the upcoming months.