Editor’s Note: Remo Gassmann runs the Global Development Policy Program at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Washington DC. Before joining the Foundation, Remo worked at the UN RCO in Bosnia and Herzegovina on socio-economic reform, at the UN OHCHR in Ukraine on conflict-related human rights violations, and with several non-governmental organizations in Geneva dealing with security sector governance and armed violence in Southeast Europe and Africa.
Over the last decades, civil society actors have become a crucial part in holding the UN and its member states accountable to the public. Simultaneously, rising authoritarianism increasingly threatens their participation. Thus, the SOTF and upcoming summits must set a firm baseline that ensures full participation of civil society. Gassmann brings an interesting analytical perspective to an age-old debate of inclusion and stability.
By Nudhara Yusuf, Executive Coordinator of the Global Governance Innovation Network, Global Governance Justice and Security Program
Calls for reform are not new to the multilateral system. Since its foundation almost 80 years ago, the United Nations (UN) is increasingly under scrutiny. Criticism often centers on UN leadership and an outsized emphasis on the Global North; its inability to prevent or resolve conflicts; and its failure to tackle global challenges like climate change, poverty, and inequality. The question is no longer if multilateralism needs reform but whether that reform can be inclusive, effective, and timely in addressing today’s daunting realities.
As the international community gears up for the Summit of the Future (SOTF) in September 2024 and other milestone events in 2025, it is clear: we are approaching a critical juncture. These gatherings are not just about fixing the system—they are about reshaping it for a post-2030 world, a world that will be defined by the climate crisis, deepening inequalities, and ongoing threats to peace and human rights. The UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi earlier this year demonstrated how a renewed, more inclusive multilateral system could look: Participants created several “ImPACT Coalitions” to advance key reform issues in an innovative manner. Simultaneously, growing authoritarianism around the world aims to thwart these ambitions and cut back on the established role that civil society has been playing in the UN for decades.
Status Quo: An Outdated System?
Critics argue the UN has become too bureaucratic, slow to respond, and disconnected from people’s needs. The failure to prevent or address major global crises has only heightened these concerns.
The 2023 SDG Summit intended to reignite momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, with many of the targets significantly off track, there is growing skepticism about that the current system can deliver on its promises. Leaders of the BRICS, G77 and other groups called for the Global South to assume a greater role in the UN, questioning the post-World War II order.
Particularly the UN Security Council, which wields significant power in global peace and security decisions and is traditionally exclusive, has been a focal point for criticism. The current configuration with five permanent members holding veto power no longer reflects the geopolitical realities of the 21st century. Reform advocates also call for a conceptual shift towards more holistic notions of security that go beyond military considerations and focus on the broader, often interconnected set of systemic risks facing individuals and communities. Together with an integration of local and regional peacebuilding practices and the meaningful inclusion of a wider range of diaspora and other relevant voices, these reforms aim to make the body more balanced, reflective, and responsive.
The Role of Civil Society in Multilateralism
An inclusive multilateral system cannot exist without the meaningful participation of civil society. Since their formal recognition as part of “Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS)” at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, civil society organizations (CSOs) have played a critical role in the UN system. Initially focused on environmental issues, their influence has expanded across a wide array of global concerns, from human rights to development and peacebuilding. Civil society has been instrumental in advocating for marginalized voices, shaping international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord, and monitoring state compliance with UN resolutions. Despite this growing influence, their participation has often been restricted to consultation, with limited direct involvement in decision-making.
Leading up to the Summit of the Future, civil society has called for involvement in a more meaningful and inclusive manner, going beyond the existing frameworks such as the MGoS. While the MGoS system allows for some level of civil society participation, critics argue that its structure is too rigid and often limits the scope of engagement, leaving many voices—especially from grassroots organizations, underrepresented communities, and smaller civil society groups—excluded or marginalized. The Summit’s Modalities Resolution calls for the inclusion of “other relevant non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector,” signaling a potential shift towards a more expansive and inclusive approach.
Meanwhile, the growing influence of authoritarian regimes and circles like the “Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations” pose significant threats to civil society involvement. Authoritarianism undermines civil society by imposing legal, financial, and physical constraints on NGOs, human rights defenders, and grassroots movements. This hostile approach extends to international settings where such states seek to limit civil society’s influence in global governance, pushing for reduced access and marginalizing independent voices in multilateral processes. These countries use the UN Charter’s principles of sovereignty and non-interference to justify repressive policies and limit international scrutiny of their domestic affairs – using the letter of the law to oppose its spirit.
Meaningful Inclusion as the Basis for a Stable Multilateralism
There is undeniable excitement about the potential for civil society involvement at the Summit of the Future. Yet for the multilateral system to truly evolve and respond to today’s pressing challenges, it must embrace a broader, more inclusive vision: a system that does not just consult but empower civil society to shape policy. However, the rise of authoritarianism poses a real and present danger to this vision, as repressive regimes seek to exclude and silence these critical voices under the guise of defending sovereignty.
The international community must set a firm baseline ensuring that every summit, resolution, or reform includes the full participation of civil society. Civil society’s role in defending human rights, promoting accountability, and advocating for the marginalized is indispensable. To build a future that truly serves all everyone, we must protect and expand their space within the multilateral system—worthy of a pact not only for the future, but mainly for its people.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German political Foundation, headquartered in Berlin with over 30 offices around the world. It fosters transatlantic and global dialogue on green policy issues and ideas. We work to strengthen democracy and human rights, promote gender equality and social justice, and preserve a habitable planet. The Washington, DC office, in line with the Foundation’s guiding principles and values, works to strengthen civil liberties, human rights, and democratic institutions. We promote gender equality, social justice, and equity. We strive to preserve a habitable planet for current and future generations.
A Pact for the People? Inclusive Multilateralism in a World of Change
By Remo Gassmann
International & Regional Organizations
Editor’s Note: Remo Gassmann runs the Global Development Policy Program at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Washington DC. Before joining the Foundation, Remo worked at the UN RCO in Bosnia and Herzegovina on socio-economic reform, at the UN OHCHR in Ukraine on conflict-related human rights violations, and with several non-governmental organizations in Geneva dealing with security sector governance and armed violence in Southeast Europe and Africa.
Over the last decades, civil society actors have become a crucial part in holding the UN and its member states accountable to the public. Simultaneously, rising authoritarianism increasingly threatens their participation. Thus, the SOTF and upcoming summits must set a firm baseline that ensures full participation of civil society. Gassmann brings an interesting analytical perspective to an age-old debate of inclusion and stability.
By Nudhara Yusuf, Executive Coordinator of the Global Governance Innovation Network, Global Governance Justice and Security Program
Calls for reform are not new to the multilateral system. Since its foundation almost 80 years ago, the United Nations (UN) is increasingly under scrutiny. Criticism often centers on UN leadership and an outsized emphasis on the Global North; its inability to prevent or resolve conflicts; and its failure to tackle global challenges like climate change, poverty, and inequality. The question is no longer if multilateralism needs reform but whether that reform can be inclusive, effective, and timely in addressing today’s daunting realities.
As the international community gears up for the Summit of the Future (SOTF) in September 2024 and other milestone events in 2025, it is clear: we are approaching a critical juncture. These gatherings are not just about fixing the system—they are about reshaping it for a post-2030 world, a world that will be defined by the climate crisis, deepening inequalities, and ongoing threats to peace and human rights. The UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi earlier this year demonstrated how a renewed, more inclusive multilateral system could look: Participants created several “ImPACT Coalitions” to advance key reform issues in an innovative manner. Simultaneously, growing authoritarianism around the world aims to thwart these ambitions and cut back on the established role that civil society has been playing in the UN for decades.
Status Quo: An Outdated System?
Critics argue the UN has become too bureaucratic, slow to respond, and disconnected from people’s needs. The failure to prevent or address major global crises has only heightened these concerns.
The 2023 SDG Summit intended to reignite momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, with many of the targets significantly off track, there is growing skepticism about that the current system can deliver on its promises. Leaders of the BRICS, G77 and other groups called for the Global South to assume a greater role in the UN, questioning the post-World War II order.
Particularly the UN Security Council, which wields significant power in global peace and security decisions and is traditionally exclusive, has been a focal point for criticism. The current configuration with five permanent members holding veto power no longer reflects the geopolitical realities of the 21st century. Reform advocates also call for a conceptual shift towards more holistic notions of security that go beyond military considerations and focus on the broader, often interconnected set of systemic risks facing individuals and communities. Together with an integration of local and regional peacebuilding practices and the meaningful inclusion of a wider range of diaspora and other relevant voices, these reforms aim to make the body more balanced, reflective, and responsive.
The Role of Civil Society in Multilateralism
An inclusive multilateral system cannot exist without the meaningful participation of civil society. Since their formal recognition as part of “Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS)” at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, civil society organizations (CSOs) have played a critical role in the UN system. Initially focused on environmental issues, their influence has expanded across a wide array of global concerns, from human rights to development and peacebuilding. Civil society has been instrumental in advocating for marginalized voices, shaping international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord, and monitoring state compliance with UN resolutions. Despite this growing influence, their participation has often been restricted to consultation, with limited direct involvement in decision-making.
Leading up to the Summit of the Future, civil society has called for involvement in a more meaningful and inclusive manner, going beyond the existing frameworks such as the MGoS. While the MGoS system allows for some level of civil society participation, critics argue that its structure is too rigid and often limits the scope of engagement, leaving many voices—especially from grassroots organizations, underrepresented communities, and smaller civil society groups—excluded or marginalized. The Summit’s Modalities Resolution calls for the inclusion of “other relevant non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector,” signaling a potential shift towards a more expansive and inclusive approach.
Meanwhile, the growing influence of authoritarian regimes and circles like the “Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations” pose significant threats to civil society involvement. Authoritarianism undermines civil society by imposing legal, financial, and physical constraints on NGOs, human rights defenders, and grassroots movements. This hostile approach extends to international settings where such states seek to limit civil society’s influence in global governance, pushing for reduced access and marginalizing independent voices in multilateral processes. These countries use the UN Charter’s principles of sovereignty and non-interference to justify repressive policies and limit international scrutiny of their domestic affairs – using the letter of the law to oppose its spirit.
Meaningful Inclusion as the Basis for a Stable Multilateralism
There is undeniable excitement about the potential for civil society involvement at the Summit of the Future. Yet for the multilateral system to truly evolve and respond to today’s pressing challenges, it must embrace a broader, more inclusive vision: a system that does not just consult but empower civil society to shape policy. However, the rise of authoritarianism poses a real and present danger to this vision, as repressive regimes seek to exclude and silence these critical voices under the guise of defending sovereignty.
The international community must set a firm baseline ensuring that every summit, resolution, or reform includes the full participation of civil society. Civil society’s role in defending human rights, promoting accountability, and advocating for the marginalized is indispensable. To build a future that truly serves all everyone, we must protect and expand their space within the multilateral system—worthy of a pact not only for the future, but mainly for its people.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German political Foundation, headquartered in Berlin with over 30 offices around the world. It fosters transatlantic and global dialogue on green policy issues and ideas. We work to strengthen democracy and human rights, promote gender equality and social justice, and preserve a habitable planet. The Washington, DC office, in line with the Foundation’s guiding principles and values, works to strengthen civil liberties, human rights, and democratic institutions. We promote gender equality, social justice, and equity. We strive to preserve a habitable planet for current and future generations.
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