Multilateral solutions most effective in the long run, says UN head at Geneva

Sometimes national or unilateral solutions might seem easier and quicker, but in the long run, if the challenge is global, the solution should also be global, a high-ranking United Nations (UN) official has said.

During an interview with Xinhua, Tatiana Valovaya, director-general of the UN Office at Geneva, said that in order to have a global and multilateral solution, a real dialogue should be conducted within nearly 200 member states around the world, which is not easy but eventually will be proved the most effective.

"If you want to have a global solution, one country or two country or even 20 countries can't dictate to the rest what to do. It should be exactly the solution which is a result of discussions between all the members of the international community," the director-general said.

In order to make the solution more acceptable, she noted, the multilateralism for today's world should be more inclusive and integrated.

Given the still raging pandemic, Valovaya said that the real question for now is not to judge who did well or who is to be blamed, but to learn from each other's experience so as to be better prepared for future challenges.

"One lesson for me from the pandemic is clear: a situation like the pandemic needs solidarity, needs multilateral response and a global approach, but not the attempts to have national responses, which might be effective for a brief period of time, but not in the long run," she emphasized.

Deeming the COVID-19 pandemic just a wake-up call showing how our world can change overnight, she said, "before new crises come to everybody's home, we have to put aside our differences and to unite and work together to find global solutions for global problems."

Another lesson the UN official drew from the pandemic is the importance of the sustainable development agenda, which she described as a road map for the whole humanity.

Viewing China as one of the key players in the world arena, she said, "we can't reach sustainability if China is not leading the way."

Noting the role of China in achieving sustainable development goals is crucial, she pointed out that the country can share its experience of how it managed to achieve its success and help others during this process.

"So there are lots of things that we count on China and many other member states who can not only develop their own agenda, but also support others," she said.