Dimitris Avramopoulos’s participation in the High-Level Meeting of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, 25/9/2025

 

 

In New York, at the High-Level Meeting of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, I took part in an open discussion on “The State of Multilateralism Today: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Participants included figures such as Gordon Brown, Kjell Magne Bondevik, Binali Yildirim, Sebastian Kurz, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Muhammad Yunus, Ana Palacio, Tzipi Livni, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Amre Moussa, Srgjan Kerim, Wu Hongbo, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Kerry Kennedy, and Benedikt Franke.

I emphasized that multilateral diplomacy—which for decades formed the foundation of the international order—is today being tested by unilateralism and a disregard for international law.

I proposed three main pillars for its renewal and strengthening:

1. Reform of the United Nations, especially the Security Council.
2. An enhanced role for regional organizations (the EU, the African Union, ASEAN).
3. The participation of civil society, the private sector, cities, and the scientific community.

Multilateralism must reconnect with its “moral compass”: the defense of human dignity, rights, and international law.

In a world of continuous crises, cooperation is not a choice. It is a necessity.