Multilateralism UNpacked

UNU-CPR Senior Fellow and RMIT Professor of Global Security Charles Hunt unpacks the Secretary-General’s review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations, requested by Member States in the Pact for the Future.Hunt discusses the review’s main recommendations: more political missions, a renewed emphasis on peacemaking, more networked, agile and adaptive operations, and greater attention to consent and cooperation from host countries. He argues that consent is not a binary condition but must be continually maintained across an “ecosystem” of actors, including civil society and local communities, and that compacts should be a process rather than a product.Looking ahead, Hunt considers whether the era of large multidimensional missions has passed, while cautioning against treating it as a definitive end point. He calls on Member States and the next Secretary-General to treat the review as a floor, not a ceiling.For more:At the Challenges Annual Forum 2026, Charles Hunt presented his research on host country consent in UN peace operations. Watch the recording on UN WebTV [starting at 1:25:19].Listen to Multilateralism Unpacked, Episode 12: The Future of UN Peace Operations, Part 1 – Peace Operations at an Inflection Point, which examines the financial and geopolitical pressures challenging the current model.Listen to Multilateralism Unpacked, Episode 14: The Future of UN Peace Operations, Part 2 – Peace Operations Under Pressure in South Sudan, which explores how financial cuts are affecting UN peace operations on the ground.Listen to Multilateralism UNpacked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Podcast Index.

In this episode of Multilateralism Unpacked, UNU-CPR Research Officer Catharina Nickel discusses how financial cuts are affecting UN peace operations on the ground, drawing on recent field research in South Sudan.The conversation explores how funding reductions are translating into the closure of field sites, reduced personnel and patrols, and a smaller operational presence. Nickel considers what these changes mean for civilian protection and local communities, as well as for engagement with political and security actors.The episode also examines the cross-border dimensions of conflict in South Sudan, including the spillover effects of the war in Sudan. Nickel discusses how displacement, the movement of armed actors and the flow of arms across the Sudan-South Sudan border are compounding existing political and security challenges.The conversation considers how UN peace operations can respond to these challenges through political engagement, regional coordination and maintaining a physical presence on the ground, as well as what continued financial pressures could mean for their future effectiveness and credibility. UNU-CPR’s research in South Sudan is made possible through the UK-funded Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) programme,For more:Learn more about UNU-CPR’s XCEPT-funded research, which examines how sanctions and peace operations can more effectively address violence in borderlands and cross-border conflict.For a broader perspective on the pressures facing UN peace operations, listen to Multilateralism Unpacked, Episode 12: The Future of UN Peace Operations, Part 1 – Peace Operations at an Inflection Point, which examines financial strain, geopolitical fragmentation and the changing global role of UN peace operations.Read Conflict Economies and Peace Operations, which examines conflict economies in eastern DRC – another region impacted by cross-border conflict drivers. Read Defaulting into Transition: How Financial Cuts are Affecting Peacekeeping Realities, which examines how financial cuts are reducing UNMISS’ presence and operational capacity in South Sudan, and the implications for civilian protection and peacekeeping transitions.Read Essential Peacekeeping for a Divided World, which explores how more focused, limited peace operations could offer a viable model as geopolitical tensions rise and political and financial support declines.

In this episode of Multilateralism UNpacked, UNU-CPR Senior Fellow and Professor of Fiscal Law at the University of Nairobi, Attiya Waris, discusses the ongoing negotiations on a United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation. Recorded in August during the negotiations, the conversation explores what a new international tax framework could mean for inequality, fiscal space and development finance.Drawing on her role as United Nations Independent Expert on foreign debt, international financial obligations and human rights, Professor Waris discusses taxing rights, transfer pricing and access to tax information, as well as the links between taxation, sovereign debt and development finance.Professor Waris also discusses how conventional measures of countries’ economic strength can overlook assets such as renewable energy potential and productive populations, and why these should be considered alongside GDP when assessing fiscal space.Further reading: Hidden Debts, Missing Assets: What the Spring Meetings ForgotAction for a Healthier Global Tax SystemA Human Rights Approach as the Basis for a Global Fiscal Architecturewww.attiyawaris.org

In this episode, UNU-CPR’s Head of Geneva Office Dr. Adam Day joins Dr. Jack Durrell to discuss the future of UN peace operations at a moment of financial strain, geopolitical fragmentation and declining confidence in peacekeeping effectiveness. The conversation explores how a worsening liquidity crisis is already driving cuts to missions on the ground, and what this means for civilian protection and operational capacity. It also examines how states are increasingly turning to bilateral and alternative arrangements outside the UN system. Looking ahead, Dr. Day reflects on whether current reforms such as UN80 represent genuine strategic change or primarily an effort to manage financial contraction, and considers what emerging “lighter” and more bespoke models of peace operations could mean for the UN’s role in conflict settings. The episode also highlights key missions to watch, including the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the absence of a robust UN presence in Sudan.

In this episode, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Pasarelli speaks with Dr. Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost and David Marshall Professor at the National University of Singapore, about misinformation and disinformation in a world of information abundance.The conversation explores why greater access to information has not translated into greater trust or understanding, and why false content often spreads more widely than factual information. It also distinguishes between misinformation, disinformation and malformation, with attention to intent.They discuss the implications for the United Nations and multilateral cooperation, including how misinformation can erode trust in international institutions and complicate collective responses to global challenges, and the UN’s role in supporting information integrity across States and platforms.The discussion further examines how algorithmic systems shape information flows, and why responses must involve States, platforms and individuals, alongside reflections on information overload and generative AI.For more information:Simon Chesterman, The Oxford Handbook of Misinformation and Disinformation (forthcoming)Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Eduardo Albrecht and Rebecca Brubaker, Disinformation and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa: https://unu.edu/publication/disinformation-and-peacebuilding-sub-saharan-africaWatch this episode of Multilateralism UNpacked on Youtube: https://youtu.be/PZhxXBVFEJY

In this episode, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Pasarelli is joined by Professor Inken von Borzyskowski about her award-winning book, Exit from International Organizations (co-authored with Professor Felicity Vabulas, Cambridge University Press, 2025). Winner of the Chadwick Alger Prize and shortlisted by the British International Studies Association, the book explores why states leave or are suspended from international organizations – a phenomenon often misunderstood as a recent surge driven by nationalism or populism.The discussion highlights that, despite headlines, exit is rarely terminal. About half of withdrawing states and 80% of suspended states eventually return, demonstrating the resilience of international institutions and the enduring investment of states in multilateralism.For more information:Access Professor von Borzyskowski's research on state exit from international organizations: https://unu.edu/cpr/brief/why-do-countries-walk-away-international-organizations-and-what-do-current-breakups-mean

In this episode of Multilateralism UNpacked, UNU-CPR’s Daouia Chalali welcomes Professor Edith Brown Weiss of Georgetown University, one of the leading architects of the concept of intergenerational equity in international environmental law.Their conversation revisits the ideas behind her landmark book In Fairness to Future Generations and explores how the principle of intergenerational equity has evolved over the past decades, and why considering the rights and wellbeing of future generations is increasingly urgent.Drawing on legal cases, international agreements and national policies, Professor Brown Weiss reflects on how courts, governments and international institutions are beginning to translate this principle into practice and what more can be done to ensure that today’s decisions do not undermine the world inherited by future generations.Together, they discuss how the UN system, policymakers and civil society can help build an “ecosystem for future generations,” embedding long-term thinking into global governance at a critical moment for people and the planet.For more information:Access new research on future generationsAccess the Future Generations Platform

Episode 8 of Multilateralism UNpacked examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping global governance at a moment when the technology is advancing faster than multilateral systems can adapt. AI is reshaping information environments, influencing conflict dynamics, transforming labour markets, and accelerating both opportunities and risks for sustainable development.For the United Nations – an institution mandated to maintain peace and security, protect human rights and advance global development – AI presents both a major governance challenge and an important test of international cooperation.To examine these issues, Dr. Jack Durrell, Head of Communications at UNU-CPR, speaks with Dr. Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, whose research at UNU-CPR has helped shape global debates on AI governance. Her work has ranged from analysing AI’s implications for peace and conflict to co-developing the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs and contributing to emerging thinking on scientific consensus mechanisms and the International Scientific Panel on AI. Most recently, she co authored the ITU’s AI for Good flagship report, Unlocking AI’s Potential to Serve Humanity, which outlines practical pathways for deploying AI in support of human and planetary well being.As Eleonore now transitions into a senior public leadership role as New York State’s Chief AI Officer, she reflects on her work at UNU CPR and considers:How AI is challenging existing UN capacities and processes;What role the UN can realistically play in global AI governance;How that role is evolving as Member States, companies and civil society shape the agenda;And where the most significant future risks and opportunities are likely to emerge.For more information:Unlocking AI's Potential to Serve Humanity: https://unu.edu/cpr/report/unlocking-ais-potential-serve-humanity-robotics-geospatial-ai-and-communicationsFour Ways the International Scientific Panel on AI Should Approach AI Risks: https://theglobalobservatory.org/2025/09/how-international-scientific-panel-on-ai-should-approach-risk/Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs: https://unu.edu/cpr/news/hamburg-declaration-responsible-ai-sdgsFoundation of Scientific Consensus for International Cooperation: https://unu.edu/cpr/brief/foundations-scientific-consensus-international-cooperationDisinformation and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa: https://unu.edu/publication/disinformation-and-peacebuilding-sub-saharan-africaA Global Architecture for Artificial Intelligence: https://unu.edu/publication/global-architecture-artificial-intelligence

In this episode of Multilateralism Unpacked, UNU-CPR’s Head of Communications, Jack Durrell, speaks with Senior Researcher Michael Franczak, sharing insights from his experience at COP30 in Belém. Their conversation explores why COP 30 felt substantially different from previous summits – marked by the acknowledgement of a 1.5°C overshoot, shrinking aid budgets and Europe’s energy and security pressures. While meaningful advances emerged on trade, adaptation and subnational leadership, the absence of new finance pledges and stalled fossil fuel phase-out language underscored the limits of the process. Together, they reflect on the mixed outcomes, the obstacles holding back global climate ambition and the opportunities that could still drive momentum forward.

In this episode of Multilateralism Unpacked, Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation at UNU-CPR, speaks with Laurent Gisel, Head of the Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), about one of the most urgent challenges in global governance: the rise of AI-enabled autonomous weapons.Military investment in AI is accelerating, and systems capable of independently selecting and attacking targets are already being developed. Gisel explains how the use of these weapons can violate the principles of the Geneva Conventions. Drawing on a recent ICRC report to the UN Secretary-General, as well as the ongoing activities of the UN’s First Committee, which deals with disarmament and international security, the podcast explores the various military uses of AI and considers the urgent need for a new international treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems.  Related information: The Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols: https://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/geneva-conventions-and-their-commentariesICRC Submission to the UN Secretary-General on Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain: https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/ICRC_Report_Submission_to_UNSG_on_AI_in_military_domain.pdfUnited Nations Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons: https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/78/241