UNITED NATIONS, Jul 21 (APP): Pakistan has welcomed as “bold and perhaps timely” UN Secretary-General’s new policy brief outlining his vision of a more robust multilateral framework to boost peace and security, for a world in flux.

Commenting on UN chief Antonio Guterres’ New Agenda for Peace, Ambassador Munir Akram said that his initiative comes at a time “when we may be at the dawn of a darker era of history.”

“The world faces complex and interlocking threats to peace arising from: the use and threat of use of force in violation of the UN Charter; the vertical and horizontal proliferation of weapons – conventional and non-conventional in new domains such as cyber and out space; festering conflicts and unresolved disputes; prolonged foreign occupation and interventions; spreading terrorism and extremist; rising intolerance and hate; environmental impacts, and poverty, inequality and injustice,” the Pakistani envoy said.

“In these direct circumstances, the Secretary-General’s attempt to outline a new peace agenda as a bold and perhaps timely initiative,” Ambassador Akram added.

The New Agenda for Peace presents twelve concrete sets of proposals for action, in five priority areas.

The Secretary-General called for strong measures to prevent conflicts at the global level and address geopolitical divisions, prioritizing diplomacy, and investments in regional security architectures.

Second, he highlighted a “paradigm for prevention that addresses all forms of violence”, focusing on mediation and social cohesion; ensuring respect for human rights and meaningful participation of women in decision-making; and prioritizing links between sustainable development, climate action, and peace.

The third area calls for updating peacekeeping operations to adapt to today’s conflicts, many of which remain unresolved for decades, driven by complex domestic, geopolitical and transnational factors.

Preventing weaponization of emerging domains and technologies and promoting responsible innovation, is highlighted as the fourth key area, noting the need for global governance to address threats posed by new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous weapons systems.

The fifth priority area calls for urgent reforms to the Security Council, General Assembly, the UN’s disarmament machinery, and the Peacebuilding Commission, to enhance collective security.

The Secretary-General also introduced other policy briefs on Transforming Education and UN 2.0, aimed at improving education systems and modernizing the UN to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In conclusion, all the Policy Briefs in the series aim to support Member States’ deliberations in preparation for the Summit of the Future, in 2024.

In his remarks Ambassador Akram, while underscoring the need for peace, called for :

— Strict adherence to the principles of the UN Charter; and international law;

— Consistent and universal implementation of the decisions of the Security Council and their enforcement;

— Elimination of the root causes of conflict – political, economic, environmental or social, and,

— A control of armaments and the regulation of their deployment and use.

“Pakistan, together with other like-minded countries, will seek to reflect these fundamental preconditions for peace in the outcome of next year’s Summit of the Future,” Ambassador Akram said.

“Yet,” he added, “despite our leaders’ decisions at this Summit, our desire for peace will come to naught unless we – the UN’s Member States – are able to prevent a new global clash between the major powers; unless we are able to avert another Cold War; unless we are able to prevent the division of the world into rival military, political and economic blocs.”