Time for the Vision and Commitment Necessary for Deeper Global Cooperation
By Daniel Perell
The Governance Befitting statement notes that global realities require expanded integration and coordination among the nations—that “The only viable way forward lies in a system of deepening global cooperation.”
History suggests that such cooperation will not arise simply of its own accord. Rather, it will have to be summoned through an act of collective will. The prospect of formulating policy on a shared recognition of the interdependence and, indeed, oneness of humankind, rather than the logic of country-first national interest, might seem out of reach to some. Yet efforts in this direction have clear historical experience on which to draw.
The smallpox virus was eradicated by a coordinated World Health Organization campaign, not by a patchwork of national responses split by borders and jurisdictions. Similarly, the technical standards maintained by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union have benefited the world far beyond what a host of conflicting claims to the radio spectrum, broadband internet, and satellite orbits ever could.
In at least a few important areas, then, there is clear recognition that unity and cooperation already serve the international community better than division and competition. Expanding the number of such areas, in which the power of the oneness of humanity has been released to advance the common good, is a project that will need to continue for years to come.
It is also a project rich with lessons from past accomplishments. Take the adoption of the UN Charter. In April of 1945 when the conference in San Francisco opened, hostilities in the ongoing war had not yet concluded. Delegates from 50 countries clashed repeatedly over a range of issues. And the inability of the League of Nations to prevent conflict was fresh in the collective memory.
That the international community was able to overcome such obstacles was a notable step forward. The UN is not perfect, of course. Its structures and systems continue to reflect the power relations and compromises of an age now past. But shortcomings notwithstanding, its creation stands as humanity’s most ambitious attempt yet to secure the peace and prosperity of the world’s people.
What would a corresponding feat of vision, collaboration, and statesmanship look like today? What might be this generation’s “charter moment” to advance a system of deepening global cooperation?
Reforms of various kinds are unquestionably required in the international order. Yet the needs of the moment call for advances more profound than technical adjustments alone. From global supply chains, digital interconnection, and the operation of multinational corporations, to global financial flows, the spread of infectious disease, and the multiplying effects of climate change, nation states are far more interdependent than they were decades ago.
These ties of interconnection have opened possibilities for collaboration on scales never before possible. Needed now more than ever is a deep reassessment of global arrangements—an accounting that gives rise to practical, achievable steps to build a more fitting order.
Operational details would be determined according to relevant circumstances, but characteristics necessary in such a system as a whole have become clear enough through experience already accrued. It would need to situate healthy patriotism within the context of our global interdependence. It would need to be built on a recognition of the inherent dignity of all individuals—present and future—regardless of the happenstance of birth. It would need to ensure fidelity to the process of scientific inquiry and alignment of policy with its findings. And it would need to be advanced by governments and leaders reflecting the highest standards of personal and collective integrity.
This is not a fantasy beyond reach; leaders of past eras were able to come together to imagine and then enact more fitting global arrangements. Let leaders and diplomats today channel that same spirit of common endeavor. Let contemporary challenges be addressed within a framework that recognizes the multitude of ways in which humanity already functions as one common people in one global homeland.
Daniel Perell has served as a Representative of the Baha’i International Community’s United Nations Office in New York for over a decade. He currently focuses on issues of international governance, humanitarian response, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Cover Image Credit: Lindsey Lugsch-Tehle