Good Governance and Multilateral Diplomacy
Abstract
Good governance is a crucial element of the global struggle for sustainable development and peace. The United Nations Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000 stipulates that success in meeting the key objectives of the current century depends, inter alia, on good governance within each country and at the international level. The article analyzes the specific contribution of multilateral diplomacy in promoting good governance as an attribute of democracy, as well as its correlation with global solidarity and partnership. The catalytic role of multilateral diplomacy in this field is closely connected with the very essence of universal values to which good governance is expected to give tangibility at national and global levels. The author shares the legitimate appeals made by the United Nations in favour of good governance, solidarity and global partnerships and comes to the conclusion that by their active advancement multilateral diplomacy can become more instrumental in meeting the central challenge of the contemporary world to ensure that the irreversible process of globalization becomes a positive force for all humankind.
One of the most important documents of the 21st century is the United Nations Millennium Declaration adopted by consensus by the UN Millennium Summit, in New York, on 8 September 2000. The Declaration contains a set of fundamental values which are considered to be essential to international relations in the current century. These include: freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility. In order to translate these values into action, the UN Summit has identified a number of key objectives to which special significance is assigned. The key objectives belong to topical fields, such as peace, security, disarmement, development, poverty eradication, protecting common environment, human rights, democracy and good governance.
The largest diplomatic gathering in human history, the UN Summit came to the conclusion that success in meeting the objectives in the field of development and poverty eradication depended, inter alia, on good governance within each country and at the international level.(1)
How can multilateral diplomacy contribute to the universal recognition of the fact that good governance grounded in democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights is the best foundation for sustainable development? The reflections submitted in this essay as an answer are focused on the present challenges for the future of good governance in the era of globalization during which the management of complexity is a fundamental prerequisite for the survival and evolution of an authentic diplomacy, truly instrumental in the service of the universal values of humanity.
