Director-General's remarks at the Meeting with Asian Scholars

“The United Nations at a Crossroads”
Meeting with Asian Scholars

Tuesday, 7 July 2026, at 4.00 p.m.
Room S4, Palais des Nations

Dear colleagues,

It was a pleasure to host you at the Palais des Nations. I am particularly pleased to witness the revival of the Asian Scholars’ Dialogue. Bringing together scholars from across Asia with senior officials of the United Nations and other international organizations based in Geneva is both timely and valuable.

Let me thank Dr. Hasegawa for his initiative and for mobilizing various partners to enable this dialogue. Reconnecting academic communities from Asia with International Geneva is an investment in the future of multilateral cooperation.

Looking through your biographies, I was struck by the remarkable breadth of expertise represented in this room. Among you are former senior United Nations officials, specialists in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, experts on international law, development, artificial intelligence, and global governance, as well as a new generation of researchers exploring how international organizations continue to evolve. This diversity of experience is precisely what today’s multilateral system needs.

Many of you have dedicated your careers to studying - or serving - the United Nations. Some have helped shape its work from within, while others have analysed its achievements and shortcomings from academia.

So today, I do not intend to give you a lecture about multilateralism.

Instead, I would like to share a few reflections on where I believe the multilateral system stands today and then hear your perspectives.

State of multilateralism

Over the past decades, multilateral institutions have been the backbone of global efforts to maintain peace and security, advance sustainable development and uphold human rights. They have enabled collective responses to climate change, health crises, financial instability and now the digital revolution.

Multilateralism has delivered tangible results. Through international cooperation, humanity achieved the eradication of smallpox, protected ozone layer, significantly reduced extreme poverty and advanced women’s rights and gender equality around the world. These achievements remind us that, despite its imperfections, multilateralism works.

Yet, today, it is under significant strain. As the UN Secretary-General recently warned, we are living in a world where the “law of power is prevailing over the power of law”.

Geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts are provoking dangerous cycles of action and reaction. Economic fragmentation is growing. Climate change is accelerating. Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are transforming our societies faster than governance frameworks can keep pace.

These developments raise an important question: is multilateralism still fit for purpose? And my answer is yes, but only if it continues to evolve. The response to today’s challenges cannot be less cooperation, it must be better cooperation.

Why your presence matters?

This is where scholars have a particular important role to play. Universities and research institutions generate new ideas, challenge established thinking and provide the evidence that helps policymakers make informed decisions.

At a time when public debate is increasingly shaped by rapidly changing information and short political cycles, independent academic research provides something indispensable: long-term perspective.

Equally important, universities educate future leaders. Many of today’s diplomats, ministers and international civil servants first encountered the United Nations in a classroom before entering a conference room.

The future of multilateralism will therefore depend not only on governments and international organizations, but also on scholars, educators and students who understand the value of international cooperation. That is why initiatives such as this dialogue are so important.

Asia and the future of global governance

I am especially pleased that this initiative brings together scholars from across Asia, as its role in global governance continues to grow.

The region is home to nearly sixty per cent of the world’s population, some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and remarkable innovation in science and technology. Asian countries are increasingly shaping international discussions on sustainable development, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, disaster resilience and economic cooperation. 

A multilateral system that does not fully reflect Asian perspectives cannot effectively respond to today’s global challenges.

At the same time, Geneva has much to learn from Asia’s experience. Effective multilateralism depends on listening to diverse perspectives, learning from different development paths and building partnerships across regions.

Renewal, not retreat

The international community has already recognized that multilateralism must adapt. The Pact for the Future, adopted by Member States in 2024, represents a shared commitment to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that our institutions remain capable of addressing the challenges of the 21st century.

The same thinking guides the UN Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative. As the United Nations marked its 80th anniversary, we celebrated our achievements while also recognizing the need to become more effective, more efficient and better equipped to respond to today’s realities.  

Ultimately, both initiatives are about one thing: restoring credibility through delivery of concrete results for people.

The role of Geneva

Geneva has a unique role to play in that effort. It is one of the world’s leading hubs of diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. As you may have heard or noticed in the discussions over the past two days, Geneva brings together a diverse range of actors — from humanitarian action and human rights to disarmament, digital cooperation, trade, and health — with one common goal: solving global challenges through collective action. Some 40 UN entities, 187 UN Member States and hundreds of NGOs and academic partners make Geneva a unique ecosystem where global decisions are debated, shaped, and implemented.

As the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, my role is to keep the engine of multilateralism running – bringing together Member States, UN entities and partners. This means facilitating dialogue, supporting negotiations and ensuring that Geneva continues to serve as a platform for cooperation, even in times of division.

During your visit, you engaged with colleagues from several international organizations and as genuine dialogue is always a two-way process, I would be very interested to hear your impressions during our Q&A session.

Conclusion

Let me conclude with a simple observation: connectivity is a fact; cooperation is a choice. And multilateralism is how we make that choice.

Here in Geneva, we convene, connect and deliver. And through your teaching, research and engagement with students, this mission will continue to inspire the next generation.

Thank you.