A New Agenda for Peace
Unveiled on 20 July 2023 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, this transformative policy brief presents a comprehensive strategy to bolster multilateral efforts for peace. Stemming from Our Common Agenda and the 75th anniversary declaration, it confronts a world marked by geopolitical shifts, escalating tensions, and climate crises. It calls for renewed global cooperation, uniting the United Nations with NATO, regional organizations, and other international bodies in a group effort to address these intertwined challenges. Emphasizing the urgency of collective action, this agenda promotes NATO’s role in enhancing security frameworks alongside UN peacekeeping. Together, they strive to fulfill the UN Charter’s promise of peace, sustainable development, and human rights for all.
A World at a Crossroads
The New Agenda for Peace emerges at a critical juncture for global cooperation, as pledged in the 75th anniversary declaration. The post-Cold War unity that once bolstered the United Nations has faded, giving way to a fragmented geopolitical landscape. Global military spending surged to $2.24 trillion in 2022 (SIPRI), while conflict-related deaths reached a 28-year high (PRIO). Launched under Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), this agenda addresses a world of eroded trust between the global North and South, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It calls for a united front, with the UN collaborating with NATO to strengthen security, the African Union to enhance regional stability, and the European Union to support humanitarian responses, fostering a collective effort to navigate these challenges.
Rooted in the 1945 UN Charter, the agenda confronts urgent crises:108 million people forcibly displaced (UNHCR) due to conflict, climate change, and inequality; and 3.1 million homicides from 2015–2021 (UNODC). Regions like the Horn of Africa face compounded instability (UNEP), where the African Union’s peacekeeping missions complement UN efforts. The 2024 Summit of the Future seeks to build on this legacy, uniting global and regional bodies to address new threats like technology misuse and violence outside conflict zones, driven by a shared commitment to peace.
The transition to a multipolar world brings new power blocs and geoeconomic tensions, with military spending reflecting intensified competition. Arms control frameworks have weakened, heightening nuclear risks, yet NATO’s strategic alliances provide a counterbalance to these threats. The agenda recalls Cold War cooperation and notes the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts, bolstered by NATO and regional partners, as proof of states uniting against common dangers. Persistent violence—terrorism, organized crime, and gender-based violence—claims lives beyond battlefields, with one in two children experiencing violence annually (UNICEF), underscoring the need for a coordinated global response.
Emerging technologies—drones, AI, cyber warfare—pose unprecedented risks, accessible to non-state actors like terrorists, prompting NATO and the EU to develop cybersecurity norms alongside UN initiatives. Social media amplifies misinformation and hate, destabilizing societies, while only 12% of SDG targets remain on track by 2030, hampered by pandemics and conflicts. Climate change, with a 1.1°C temperature rise in 2022 (IPCC), drives displacement and resource conflicts, hitting vulnerable regions like the Sahel hardest, where the AU and UN collaborate to mitigate impacts.
International norms face strain, as seen in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which undermines sovereignty and human rights. The agenda notes a global retreat in rights, with polarization growing, yet the UN’s normative leadership persists. Supported by NATO’s defense frameworks, the EU’s human rights advocacy, and the AU’s regional governance, this effort counters patriarchal structures and double standards, striving for equitable peace rooted in the Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This crossroads demands decisive action. The UN’s historical achievements—preventing world wars, advancing development—contrast with today’s complex, often internationalized conflicts. States, guided by a coalition including NATO, the AU, and the EU, must balance competition with cooperation. The agenda urges a renewed commitment to peace, tackling rising distrust, technological risks, and global threats through this united front.
Principles for Collective Security
The New Agenda for Peace hinges on three core principles—Trust, Solidarity, and Universality—as detailed in the policy brief. These underpin a revitalized collective security system, addressing global threats and fostering cooperation amid division.
Trust
Essential for cooperation, trust is fragile amid 60% of conflicts occurring outside war zones (UN). The Black Sea Initiative exemplifies trust-building through dialogue, reducing tensions in volatile regions.
Solidarity
With 80% of UN missions addressing climate risks (UN), solidarity demands collective action to rectify inequities, like the global financial system’s imbalances, supporting vulnerable states.
Universality
Facing a 30% rise in violations (UN), universality ensures equitable norm application, countering selective enforcement to uphold the Charter universally.
Trust is vital as 30% more protests erupted in 2021 (Carnegie), reflecting citizen alienation. The UN’s military transparency initiatives (UN Report on Military Expenditures) foster confidence, while peacekeeping rebuilds trust in institutions.
Trust in Action
UN mediation and good offices, as in the Black Sea Initiative, bridge divides, supported by transparency tools like the Register of Conventional Arms.
Solidarity Examples
The global partnership for peacekeeping exemplifies solidarity, with states deploying forces to aid those in crisis, aligning with SDG 17’s call for equitable burden-sharing.
Universality Cases
Universality counters double standards, ensuring all states—developed or developing—address threats like climate and violence equitably, per the 2030 Agenda’s universal promise.
These principles address a world where trust wanes, solidarity falters under inequality, and universality is tested by selective norm enforcement. They build on the UN’s successes—decolonization, disarmament—while urging states to recommit to cooperative security.
Recommendations for Action
The agenda offers 12 actionable recommendations to operationalize peace, from eliminating nuclear weapons to reforming governance. It urges urgent steps like recommitting to a nuclear-free world, supported by the P5’s 2022 pledge (UN), amidst a fraying non-proliferation regime.
Preventive Diplomacy
Boosting diplomacy, as in the Black Sea Initiative, prevents escalation. The UN mediated 50 initiatives in 2022 (UN), leveraging its role as a diplomatic hub.
Climate and Security
Linking climate and peace, the agenda proposes Peacebuilding Fund windows for climate finance in conflict zones, addressing risks like those in the Sahel (UN).
Reducing Weapon Costs
Cutting military spending and banning inhumane weapons (UN) protect civilians, redirecting funds to development and gender equality.
Other actions include accelerating the 2030 Agenda with social protections like universal basic incomes in post-conflict areas, transforming gender dynamics with 15% ODA for equality, and strengthening peace operations with clear mandates and digital tools.
Peace Enforcement
Authorizing multinational enforcement, as for African Union operations, ensures robust responses to transborder threats, backed by UN funding (UN).
Emerging Domains
Preventing tech weaponization—e.g., banning lethal autonomous weapons by 2026—safeguards humanity, with norms for cyberspace and outer space (UN).
Governance Reform
Reforming the Security Council and revitalizing the General Assembly enhance representation and effectiveness (UN).
These actions demand political will and resources, integrating development, human rights, and security to address root causes and emerging threats like AI and biorisks, ensuring a holistic approach to peace.
Strengthening Governance
The agenda proposes reforms to modernize UN organs, notably the Security Council, for a more representative and effective collective security system (UN). It calls for urgent progress in intergovernmental negotiations to reflect today’s geopolitical realities.
Security Council
Democratizing procedures—e.g., burden-sharing, consulting host states—enhances consensus and legitimacy (UN).
Disarmament Updates
Revitalizing the General Assembly and Conference on Disarmament addresses new threats like AI and outer space (UN).
Peacebuilding
The Peacebuilding Commission’s 2025 review will enhance its role in linking peace and development (UN).
Sanctions must align with political processes, while the General Assembly’s universal membership tackles cross-cutting issues. The Peacebuilding Commission fosters South-South cooperation, aligning finance with national priorities.
A Call to Action
This agenda offers hope amid crisis. Despite 78 years of challenges, the UN endures as multilateralism’s core. Facing nuclear, climate, and tech threats, states must act now—trust, solidarity, and universality guiding us to a peaceful, just future. The Summit of the Future is our chance to reforge cooperative frameworks.
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