摘要：There is a compelling need to redefine our conceptions and institutions of multilateralism. Multilateralism needs to be reshaped to take into account the proliferation in the number, variety and diversity of stakeholders acting globally, the volume of international interactions and transactions taking place, and the interdependence and complexity of the engagements between people, organizations, communities, sectors and countries. Multilateralism needs to evolve to take into account changes in the sources and nature of conflict, insecurity and power arising from internal weaknesses within states in the form of political instability, ethnic or religious strife, administrative incapacity, economic breakdown, natural calamity or environmental degradation. It needs to reflect the shift from territorial issues to a wide range of non-material, cross-border factors, extra-territorial issues including information flows, financial flows, trade, intellectual property rights, technological dissemination, global social movements, the COVID-19 Pandemic, and climate change. It needs to respond to the interdependencies that render ineffective piecemeal strategies and policies implemented by specialized, sectoral institutions. A new form of multilateralism or plurilateralism is required that effectively engages a substantially larger number and wider range of stakeholders. National governments are too mired in domestic politics and competitive nationalism to act on their own. Essential changes in the global system can only be achieved with the active, vocal involvement of global civil society. The requisite energy and momentum can only be unleashed by a transformative global social movement. Multilateral institutions must devise new and more effective ways to bridge the vast distance and surmount the innumerable barriers that separate “we the people” from decision-making in international affairs. Building stable, democratic, prosperous, resilient societies is the antidote to human insecurity. A major paradigm shift is urgently needed for a more inclusive, representative, participative, multi-stakeholder system of global governance equipped to understand and respond to the speed and complexity of the issues we face, and committed to realize the comprehensive agenda of human security goals unanimously adopted by the world community.
