Experts Urge To Promote Social Solidarity, Integration To Tackle Global Challenges

The global governance system of multilateralism failed to resolve the very social issues such as food security, inequality, migration, and climate change mainly due to lack of social solidarity and social integration

ISLAMABAD (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / NNI - 11th February, 2019) The global governance system of multilateralism failed to resolve the very social issues such as food security, inequality, migration, and climate change mainly due to lack of social solidarity and social integration.There is need to give priority to social issues over strategic issues, hence, promoting social solidarity and integration amid growing inequality to tackle global challenges is need of the hour.These views were expressed by Emeritus Professor of Political Sciences, Bertrand Badie, a renowned French political scientist and international relations thinker, during a distinguish lecture titled Toward New Global Governance organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), here at Islamabad.Bertrand Badie said that international institutions of global governance have been hardly able to reform and to adapt them to the changing social dimensions.

He said that multilateralism even now does not sufficiently take into account the social dimensions of the present globalization.The traditional multilateralism does not work anymore, as it was shaped in a quite different context, in a time of superpower competition, when development, environment, new social and transnational violence, and multiculturalism were not the main issues at stake, he added.

He said that minilateralism has emerged and more substituted to multilateralism, as we can observe through the diplomacy, contact groups and the comeback of bilateralism.

Bertrand Badie termed the rise of demonstrations around the world as protest diplomacy, where marginalized stakeholders were denied of all platforms of decision making.

The only options left to protesters are streets and roads. He said that it is social integration not power integration which is the real cornerstone of a progressive social system.Dr Vaqar Ahmed, Joint Executive Director, SDPI said that we need to have new research on what role developing countries can play in global governance.

This will remain important if these countries wish to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).He said the South-South dialogue required to reach a consensus on what role can be played by post-colonial countries in a post-bipolar world.

The developing countries also need to play a more proactive role in the reforms of multilateralism.He said the voice of youth and marginalized is still missing in the global governance discourse.

We also need a public-private dialogue to see what opportunities are coming towards Pakistan's way as a result of international developments such as US-China trade war and Brexit, he added. He further said South Asia as a region also needs to study the dividends of France-German cooperation, which is a lesson too for Pakistan-India cooperation as well. NNI