Paris Peace Forum – Joint statement with the international organizations

Paris, 11 novembre 2018

Joint declaration by President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, and ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, on the occasion of their meeting at the Paris Peace Forum on 11 November 2018.

We have come together in Paris, France, on 11 November 2018, guided by our shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as well as our commitment to promote democratic values and a rules-based international order reinforced by strong multilateral institutions.

We share a responsibility to build a more peaceful, secure and prosperous world, recognizing that respect for human rights, the rule of law, and equality of opportunity are necessary for securing a lasting peace, security and well-being, and to enable a sustainable development that benefits all, leaving no underserved population behind.

We share a fundamental commitment to investing in the citizens of the world and meeting their needs and expectations, as well as to responding to global challenges. We are resolved to work together in creating a healthy, prosperous, sustainable and fair future for all.

We welcome the ongoing cooperation between the UN, the IMF, the World Bank Group, UNESCO, the ILO, the OECD and the WTO. Areas such as maintaining international peace and security, the protection of the environment and biodiversity, development and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), international trade and investments, human rights and gender equality, the fight against corruption and tax avoidance and evasion are interrelated and require coordinated action. These goals are best achieved through a collective action, with the participation of all states. The most pressing challenges in terms of peace and security – climate change, nuclear weapons proliferation, terrorism, pandemics, food insecurity, water scarcity, trade conflicts – are global in scope and require global solutions.

The international community has made significant strides towards lifting people out of poverty. However, in recent years, inequality has begun to grow again, and large disparities remain regarding access to basic rights and services such as health and education. Inequalities undermine intergenerational mobility and reduce trust in the socio-political system, with negative consequences for democracy. We reaffirm our commitment to work together and in close coordination with each other in order to reduce inequality, paying special attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations.

As global challenges require global attention, collective responsibility and global solutions, we remain determined to spare no efforts in order to achieve a sustainable peace and progress via multilateral approaches. We underline the importance of multilateral policies focused on conflict prevention and the necessity of fostering adapted tools and strategies in this regard. We underscore our determination to promote, in coordination with each other, inclusive approaches that support the diverse range of our missions and take into account the entire peace nexus, including prevention, conflict resolution, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid, decent work and development.

We also underline our determination to foster international cooperation to harness positively the potential of the digital transformation for the benefit of all citizens, mitigating risks and ensuring through a rules-based system that innovation leads to healthier economies, fairer societies and better lives.

At a time when multilateralism is contested, we reaffirm our commitment to the existing international institutions as well as our determination to enable these institutions to be ever more representative of the international community and its shared values. International organizations continue to offer a platform where member states, regional institutions and organizations, cities, and civil society can discuss possible solutions to global problems that no state acting alone can resolve. Working together multilaterally is not optional; it is the only answer.

By creating a space for dialogue to share ideas and actions, partnerships and networks between international organizations promote our common goal of a lasting security and development that benefits all. We remain convinced that in order to achieve sustained peace and sustainable development, we need to engage in strong collective action and enhance our collaboration and partnerships, including with the business community, social partners, financial institutions, civil society and regional and sub-regional organizations.

We also recognize the importance for international institutions to continue to innovate and adapt to evolving challenges and new questions facing the international community. The credibility of the multilateral system is achieved by high levels of coordination between international organizations, their ability to reform and to deliver on their mandates, with member states providing the political support and adequate resources necessary for their work. We underscore our commitment to strengthen our cooperation through regular and periodic exchanges, leveraging our synergies to address common global challenges.