2020 RAUN Papers:
Partnership and Cooperation for the Future: 75 Years of UN Action
In 1945, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the United Nations (UN) were founded with the goal to preserve world peace and promote human rights. With 51 founding member states, the UN has grown to 193 member states and two observer states in 2011, reflecting the vast majority of the world’s sovereign states. Given the different interests, perspectives, and sociopolitical systems of its members, promoting partnership and cooperation has been a fundamental pillar of the work of the organization. Partnership here refers not only to international and multilateral cooperation, but also other forms of collaboration, such as the UN’s engagement with civil society, the private sector, and other major stakeholders. These have led to improvements in health, education, and wellbeing, among others.
Despite the progress, in 2020, the year of the 75th anniversary of the UN, the world is faced with pertinent challenges threatening the sustainability of previous achievements and peace. Addressing issues such as climate change, inequality, new patterns of violence, and uncertainties related to technological and population change will require cooperation across borders, sectors and generations. But just when we need collective action more than ever, support for global cooperation is flagging. In many countries, public trust in traditional institutions is in decline and relations between countries are under strain. Dialogue – and action – on global issues could not be more urgent.
“We live in a complex world. The United Nations cannot succeed alone.
Partnership must continue to be at the heart of our strategy.”
— António Guterres (2016)
It is only with partnership and cooperation that the collective challenges of our times can be addressed. The need for increased cooperation is reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, among others in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17, which calls for a revitalization of the global partnership for sustainable development. For the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the UN has also launched a global conversation on the role of global cooperation in building the future we want - UN75.
The 2020 Regional Academy on the United Nations (RAUN2020) will contribute to this timely conversation as an official participant of the initiative UN75 by engaging young academics in researching the role of partnership and cooperation in and beyond the UN system for creating a sustainable and peaceful future for all. A focus will be placed on different aspects of cooperation and collective action, including challenges that can hinder the effective collaboration between parties, such as challenges related to diverging interests or coordination failures. RAUN2020 will seek to answer the following questions:
What are the areas for which more collaboration is needed to achieve lasting progress?
How can partnerships be promoted at the institutional, local, regional, and global levels?
Which stakeholders need to be involved in different processes?
How can inclusiveness and participation be ensured?
How can barriers to effective cooperation be overcome?
Taking a holistic perspective, RAUN 2020 will consider partnership and cooperation in different domains and among different actors. These also include questions related to South-South and Triangular cooperation, the effective engagement of civil society in public decision processes, dialogue facilitation, and the role of public-private-partnership and multi-stakeholder initiatives. As one topic of particular interest, we will consider issues related to cooperation within the UN system, which is also being addressed in the ongoing UN reform process. The RAUN2020 will contribute to the global discussions on how to enhance partnership and collective actions and provide evidence and best practice cases that can inform policy and help address some of the key challenges faced today.
About UN75
To mark its 75th anniversary in 2020, the UN is igniting a people’s debate. Launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, it promises to be the largest and furthest-reaching global conversation ever on building the future we want. In a world of dramatic changes and complex challenges, from the climate crisis to population shifts to the unknown course of technology, we need collective action more than ever before. Through UN75, the United Nations will encourage people to put their heads together to define how enhanced international cooperation can help realize a better world by 2045, the UN’s 100th birthday. At this pivotal moment in history, UN75 asks three big questions: 1. What kind of future do we want to create? 2. Are we on track? 3. What action is needed to bridge the gap?