The major challenges of our time, including climate change and the pandemic, can only be mastered through international cooperation. Germany’s security, prosperity and ability to take action in the foreign policy sphere depend on the country’s involvement in alliances, multilateral organisations and international agreements. The white paper on multilateralism adopted by the Cabinet on Wednesday documents, for the first time, how Germany works to strengthen multilateral institutions and rules.

COVID-19 pandemic – we must be willing to embrace cooperation based on solidarity

The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest global health crisis for many years. It is exacerbating problems that already existed in many countries. Germany is working to ensure that the international community does significantly more to support the weakest in the world. That is why Germany considers a stable, equitable international order that is able to take action to be vital, with the United Nations as the most important multilateral organisation.

Germany is second largest funder of the UN system

Germany is second only to the USA in the volume of funding provided for the United Nations system, making it one of the most important actors at international level. Support goes in particular to humanitarian relief measures including the Central Emergency Response Fund and the UN World Food Programme.

Germany also makes the second largest financial contribution to The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator multilateral cooperation platform. The ACT Accelerator works worldwide to foster the swift development and production and the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests, as well as helping health systems cope with the coronavirus.

Almost 5,000 German troops are engaged in multilateral peace and security missions around the world, as well as providing impetus for international cyber standards and regulations, for regulating lethal autonomous weapons systems, and for ending sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Federal Government invites discussion of multilateralism

In this white paper, Germany affirms its commitment to “multilateralism for the people” and will strive in future too to find common responses to global challenges and to ensure a peaceful, rules-based international order.

With the presentation of the white paper, the Federal Government invites a discussion of the form multilateralism of this sort can take in the 21^st century, and how it can be realised. You will find more information and details on upcoming events on the white paper on multilateralism in the weeks to come on the social media channels of the Federal Foreign Office.

Multilateralism for the future

In future too, Germany will be advocating values-based multilateralism. German engagement for upholding and developing multilateralism in its many facets is based on four basic principles:

• The multilateral order must not stand still, but must evolve.
• The rise of new actors and powers poses significant challenges for the multilateral order. The Federal Government believes that this dynamism should also be seen as an opportunity.
• The Federal Government advocates a more active and more effective multilateralism. Flexible formats for cooperation and support within the multilateral framework, informal partnerships and advisory forums, broad coalitions of states, regions, non-governmental organisations, private-sector actors and individuals are all part of this understanding of multilateralism.
• With the return of the USA to the Paris Agreement on climate change and other key forums of multilateral cooperation, the basis for a rules-based and value-driven global order for the future has improved significantly.