ANSD : The importance of local governance to global peace

FRI 22 - 11 - 2024

Date: Nov 16, 2018
Source: The Daily Star

The importance of local governance to global peace

Hiba Huneini

Leaders from around the world gathered in Paris Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month.

The Armistice was followed by the Paris Peace Conference, which was organized at the beginning of 1919 and produced the Treaty of Versailles, and hence, the establishment of the League of Nations in 1920, which is considered the first international attempt at installing a global governance mechanism.

This period put an end to theocracy and led to the emergence of the nation-state, which shaped the nature of the global geostrategic reality leading to World War II, which was followed by the establishment of the United Nations and the issuance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The world after this period entered into the Cold War phase.

Now, after 100 years of political movement, we are entering into a new era, during which the world is traversing turbulent times due to the rise and fall of populism and multilateralism, amid other complex and interconnected challenges.

The commemoration of the Armistice was followed by French President Emmanuel Macron’s launching of the Paris Peace Forum which took place Nov. 11-13.

Sixty-five heads of state and governments participated in the forum; and more than 100 projects were presented from around the world.

This forum has regenerated debate and discussion around the idea of peace as an existential necessity to the evolution of humanity.

By taking this approach, the forum has given clear focus to the founding documents of the current global governance institutions such as the United Nations charter, Bretten Woods system, and the different global and regional treaties.

The Paris Peace Forum was initiated by Macron in 2017 as an association with founding members including the French Foreign Ministry, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the Ko?rber Foundation, the Fondation nationale des sciences politiques, the Institut franc?ais des relations internationales, and the Institut Montaigne.

This annual event is intended to be a “hybrid” gathering, where, with various conventional tools and methodologies, actors of global governance are brought together to come up with concrete solutions for today’s trans-border challenges.

The common denominator in the speeches of Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Gutteres last Sunday was the threat of nationalism and the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation.

Macron stated in his speech that: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism.”

“Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. Old demons are resurfacing. History sometimes threatens to take its tragic course again and compromise our hope of peace.

“Let us vow to prioritize peace over everything.”

Merkel also asked in her speech: “If isolation wasn’t the solution 100 years ago, how can it be today, in such an interconnected world?”

Gutteres declared that he is working on reformed multilateralism, and the reform of U.N. has been a key priority for him.

The Paris Peace Forum has been proposing new norms and models of international cooperation and global governance, which will be reviewed and evaluated in the next Paris Peace Forum in 2019.

The Paris Peace Forum came at the right time.

Today the world is clearly suffering from the weakness of international institutions.

This weakness has resulted in the state of gridlock which has hurt our global governance system due to the high degree of geopolitical polarization.

The environmental, economic, developmental, social and security challenges of humanity are in a clear state of stagnation and initiatives like the Paris Peace Forum are urgently needed.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri attended the Paris Peace Forum Sunday and conducted a series of bilateral meetings with several heads of state. Such commemoration and forums like the Paris Peace initative are important to Lebanon, where the country is not only a regular participating member, but also as a direct outcome of the post-World War I era.

The state of Great Lebanon was declared on Sept. 1, 1920, as a direct result of the Treaty of Versailles.

With all its complexities and emerging challenges, Lebanon, since its inception in 1920, has been on a mission for peace to the entire region due to its strategic location and role throughout the years.

Reviving and revisiting the concept of peace, and highlighting its relationship with global governance at the international level, increases the need at a local level to work on governance and multilateralism, and find innovative solutions to our structured problems.

Lebanon ought to make use of these new international mechanisms and show active engagement in the new approaches in tackling global governance, as it is the main ingredient for “Peace,” a necessity for sustainable development after what the country has been through in terms of war and hardship.

Lebanon now has a chance to participate in the rewriting of the new international order just as it participated in the writing of the very first one.

_{Hiba Huneini is the manager of the Youth and Civic Engagement Program at the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development. Email her at hiba.h@hariri-foundation.org

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on November 14, 2018, on page 3.}

The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Arab Network for the Study of Democracy

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