Tensions between China and the United States are not limited to trade, several analysts fear a Second Cold War. Do you share this preoccupation and what could the United Nations do to prevent a Second Cold War?
«On the one hand, we see a world that is more and more interconnected with positive benefits for millions of people. And on the other hand, we see greater risks of fractures: social, political, economic and technological. I am also concerned over the possibility of what I call a great fracture. If the two largest economies of the world move apart in areas such as trade and technology for example, we face the risk of creating two sub worlds. Each one would have its own trade and financial rules, its own internet, its artificial intelligence strategy, and its own geostrategic and military developments. This is something we must avoid. To guarantee peace and security, we need to work towards one world with a single set of global rules that everybody accepts and that keep everyone safe. We need a strong multipolar world with strong multilateral institutions».
Next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. Today some countries are not paying their dues to the UN. What is your reply to the critics of multilateralism, and what could Italy do to help strengthening the United Nations?
«The United Nations was founded in 1945 to support collective action to realize peace, development and human rights for all. As some challenges persist, others, like the climate crisis, are getting worse, and new issues are arising, such as how we harness technology as a force for good. We will mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations with a series of global conversations. I want the UN to hear the concerns, aspirations and ideas of people from every walk of life, from all around the world, about what the UN should look like by our 100th anniversary.
This initiative will reach out to all segments of society – from classrooms to boardrooms, parliaments to village halls – and will place special emphasis on youth and those whose voices are too often marginalized or not heard in global affairs. How do they see their world evolving? How can the United Nations better support them to build the future we want? Contrary to what is often said, we need greater international solidarity and more multilateralism. We need to work together to address issues of peace and security, to promote sustainable development, to advance human rights, to reduce inequalities and to avoid a climate catastrophe. We need a universal system that respects international law and is organized around strong multilateral institutions. But this multilateralism needs to adapt to the challenges of today and tomorrow. This vision is at the heart of the reflection that will take place next year, for the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. The results will be presented to world leaders at the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly and I look forward to building on the outcome of this conversation».
Do you think the Security Council should be reformed, to better represent the world, and how?
«I fully agree with Kofi Annan when he said that there will be no complete reform of the United Nations without reform of the Security Council. The present Council still reflects the world of 1945. That being said, the UN Charter is clear: it is up to Member States to determine how the Security Council will be reformed, and I hope that they will do so».
-By Paolo Mastrolilli – New York
