At the opening of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “the faultlines in our world are widening. Cracks have become canyons.” The pressures on international cooperation are clear. Conflict, and inequality increasingly intersect with climate change and technological disruption across borders. At the same time, trust in institutions and in the possibility of collective action is being tested.
Yet the need for cooperation has not diminished. If anything, it has become more fundamental.
Multilateralism is often discussed in terms of institutions, treaties and negotiations. But at its core is a simple recognition that global challenges can only be addressed when countries and institutions accept a measure of shared responsibility and work together towards common purposes. Its value therefore has to be demonstrated through practice.
As a research and training institute of the United Nations University, UNU-MERIT occupies a particular place within this effort. We produce knowledge, and place it in the service of society. Through research, education and capacity development, we seek to help institutions and individuals understand change and respond to complex challenges.
Across regions and areas of expertise, UNU-MERIT works with agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations System, as well as with governments, universities, civil society and other partners. These partnerships bring together together academic research with operational experience and global perspectives with local knowledge. Our collaborations create spaces in which ideas can be tested, challenge assumptions while bringing different experitse together. They also remind us that much of the work of multilateralism is not especially visible. It happens when researchers and practitioners develop questions together; when evidence helps improve a programme; when policymakers acquire new analytical tools; or when institutions with different mandates combine their strengths around a shared challenge.
This series offers a window into how UNU-MERIT works with partners across the United Nations System and beyond. It shows how research can inform policy and training and how academic knowledge can connect with the needs of practitioners and public institutions. In the lead-up to UN Day, we want to make that contribution more visible and reaffirm our commitment to upholding and advancing the value of the United Nations through the work we do every day.
