On Thursday 10 June, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell made a renewed plea for multilateralism.
In a speech to the UN Security Council (UNSC), he said “we have to address this deficit of multilateralism and push back against selective and self-serving approaches to multilateralism”. According to the High Representative, the root cause of this multilateralism deficit is “the rise of power politics and ideological contests”, which lead to the erosion of trust.
Recalling the EU’s support for rules-based multilateralism and the United Nations, Borrell explained that the core of the EU’s strategy was “to protect, reform and build a multilateralism that is fit for purpose”.
The High Representative reiterated that the world needs a Security Council capable of taking necessary decisions, not one that is paralysed by vetoes and political wrangling. Serving on the UN Security Council at the UNSC is a “politically, even morally serious responsibility”.
“The price of inaction is unresolved conflicts, unprovided humanitarian aid and loss of life”, he warned.
Mr Borrell said the Security Council had an important role to play on climate, health and their links to peace and security, adding that the two major UN summits on climate and biodiversity were a “real test for the multilateral system“ and should lead to decisive action.
For the High Representative, the Security Council must also ensure rules on new technologies - artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing, genetic engineering, autonomous weapons - so that they reflect the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)