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https://theconversation.com/as-the-united-nations-lays-off-staff-can-the-world-still-come-together-to-make-a-difference-262325>
"With United Nations bodies laying off staff following United States funding
cuts, it’s fair to ask if the multilateral system – where countries work
together towards common goals – is still functioning.
Many UN agencies – including the World Heath Organization, World Food
Programme, UNHCR and UNICEF are cutting more than 20% of staff. UNAids has let
go 85% of its head office staff.
The scale of the budget crisis has prompted headlines about the UN’s decline,
with some arguing multilateralism is dead. As one commentator puts it,
“multilateralism is shown to be dead or dying. The key institutions […] are no
longer functioning or are in sleep mode”.
Multilateralism encompasses global cooperation through organisations such as
the United Nations, World Trade Organization and INTERPOL, as well as
frameworks such as the Paris Agreement. The UN is its flagship: a place where
states, large and small, engage in joint decision-making, negotiate rules and
tackle issues that no one country can resolve alone.
Multilateralism is, by its nature, slow, complex and often messy. But in a
divided world, it remains one of the few means of fostering cooperation across
ideological, economic and geopolitical lines.
The good news is that even after the budget shortfall became a top-line issue,
the UN has continued its work. As well as concluding two new international
agreements on health and development, it has continued to progress two recent
conventions on cybercrime and the high seas.
They may not make the news, but each of these four agreements illustrates the
importance of quiet, persistent multilateral cooperation."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
