International Webinar on

“The UN in Times of People’s Needs: Rethinking Multilateralism”

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Date: September 16 and 17, 2020

On 16-17 September, North South University (NSU) Bangladesh and the United Nations (UN) in Bangladesh partnered to co-host an international webinar, “The UN in Times of People’s Needs: Rethinking Multilateralism”. The aim of the webinar was to identify the successes of and challenges faced by the UN since its founding, with a view to draw lessons learned over the last 75 years and provide recommendations on the way forward. In particular, the webinar focused on the achievements of the UN and its Member States in serving people in times of need. The webinar also provided an opportunity for the UN to hear directly from people.

The webinar consisted of five substantive sessions focusing on different themes relating to the UN’s areas of work and function, including the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the context of COVID-19; human rights in times of crises; peacekeeping and peacebuilding, humanitarian action; as well as a colloquium on civil society’s perspectives on the UN. 

The seminar concluded by recalling the statements of commitment of two visionary leaders.

First, Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: “For us multilateralism remains the strongest panacea for resolving the global problems and create global goods. The UN is the symbol of hope for peace, stability and prosperity.” – Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the 74th UNGA, 27th September, 2019

Second, UN Secretary General António Guterres: “This is the beginning of a new dynamic of relationships between the UN and ‘We the Peoples’, and this relationship will hopefully be able to shape a new kind of multilateralism – a multilateralism that is inclusive, in which not only the governments, but also civil society, academia, and local communities have a voice and have influence”. – UN Secretary General António Guterres at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, 25th Feb, 2020