Children learn to cooperate early, but world leaders at the UN struggle to get that done

NEW YORK (AP) — Our children are told when they're little: Play nicely. Work together. Don't hit. Use your words. Multiply that by nearly 200 countries, leaders of varied backgrounds and a preposterously complex set of 21st-century priorities and goals, and you come up with what exists in the world today: the United Nations.

There, the word for “play nicely” and “work together” is a complex one — “multilateralism” — and its goals often get lost in its syllables. But the principle remains the same: Unite to get more done, unite to offset bullies, unite to find outcomes that all can endorse and that benefit as many of the planet's human beings as possible — and can be the foundation for an eventual lasting world peace.

At the U.N. General Assembly this week, it's a principle that leaders — and, not surprisingly, leaders of smaller nations most of all — mention constantly. That's not just because the U.N. has stood for multilateralism since it rose from the dictator-inflicted rubble of World War II. It is because today, in an interconnected era where human fates lie more than ever in what other humans do in other places, cooperation isn't just an ideal but a necessary reality, whether anyone wants it or not.

But the problem, many leaders say, is that despite that hope that the U.N. still offers, the aging model of multilateralism — “a mirror that obstinately reflects the values of 1945,” according to Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena — hasn't been retooled to be effective in an era it quite possibly never envisioned.

“We cannot ignore that our common multilateral progress is failing us in the hour of greatest need,” said Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands.

“This old political shell of the post-1945 political order can barely contain the contradictions," said Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. “We cannot continue to rule in the old way, but the new is yet to be born.”

Both of those nations are small ones, and that's no coincidence. Though many larger nations embraced multilateralism and still do — to a point, depending on their own strategic priorities — it is smaller states that embrace it most fervently. After all, they stand to benefit most from a united front in everything from military operations to development. “For small states, multilateralism in international law is not an option. It is in fact an existential necessity,” Singapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said Saturday.

Four generations after World War II ended, the challenges of the 21st century and — of late — the rising tide of populism have led many to conclude that old models of multilateralism aren’t working. But even leaders who still believe that working together and equally is ultimately the most effective and most secure way to do things lamented, one after another, that they are still waiting for the emergence of such a fresh approach.

António Guterres, head of the United Nations for the past seven years, has spent most of that time preaching passionately about the virtues of multilateralism — first patiently, then less so, then more urgently, now increasingly desperately. He knows things aren't working. He believes they still can — not in spite of an increasingly complex world but precisely because of its realities.

“I have no illusions about the obstacles to reform of the multilateral system,” Guterres told leaders this week. “Those with political and economic power – and those who believe they have power – are always reluctant to change. But the status quo is already draining their power. Without reform, fragmentation is inevitable, and global institutions will become less legitimate, less credible and less effective.”

Fragmentation. That's a key word here. The rise of the internet and the global economy and the subsequent repercussions stitched things together in some ways but tore them into a million pieces in others. Long-prevailing narratives are crumbling — for good and for ill. Putting the pieces back into a recognizable and productive mosaic — the very job of the United Nations — is a Sisyphean task.

This is where most conversations about multilateralism tend to end up. The very things that make it strong — many voices, many backgrounds, many diverse priorities — also make it, and the United Nations itself, almost impossible to wrangle.

That has a particularly strong impact on those smaller states, which need that collaboration desperately in the face of larger, more muscular ones.

Increasingly beleaguered Tuvalu can't solve the encroaching waters of climate change on its own. Saint Kitts and Nevis isn't going to figure out all the impact of AI alone. Without a thriving international economy, there are a lot more problems that descend upon everywhere from Kazakhstan to Suriname to Eswatini. African nations in particular have been seeking a permanent seat on the powerful U.N. Security Council so they can have a strong bloc of cooperation — and power — within the larger one.

“Multilateral institutions, including the Security Council, do not represent African needs and aspirations,” said Nangolo Mbumba, Namibia's president.

Because of the wide perception that multilateralism is at a breaking point, Guterres this year convened a summit that produced a “Pact for the Future,” a wide-ranging plan that the secretary-general said was “designed to bring multilateralism back from the brink.”

He said that, unlike many other U.N. initiatives, this one must be more than talk and documents but produce tangible, collaborative results in coming years. Essentially, it resembles a soft reboot of the United Nations itself to make it more relevant in an age of globalization, interconnectivity, fragmentation and artificial intelligence.

Many speakers this week have seized upon precisely that kind of modernization across the board — what Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, called “enlightened multilateralism.” To nations like his, that notion would represent a more substantive inclusion, a world in which they are not simply partners but equal partners — not just being a member of the club of nations, but helping to run the clubhouse.

Could the “great powers” ever accept this? Could a reset, even a limited one, of the only truly global body of nations push the United Nations back on the path it has long envisioned? Everyone, including Guterres, insists that it's possible — but that time for a new and reinvigorated multilateralism is running out.

"The world stands fractious, polarized and frustrated. Conversations have become difficult; agreements even more so," said Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. “Conversations have become difficult, agreements even more so. This is surely not what the founders of the U.N. would have wanted of us.”

The founders recognized that people wouldn't always play nicely — but that they had to work together. And, ideally, not hit each other. And using their words? Even in a forum committed to dialogue and understanding (not to mention long equipped with real-time translation), that is becoming a taller order with each passing year. “If we carry on like this," Jaishankar said Saturday, "the state of the world is only going to get worse.”

Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, has been writing about international affairs since 1995. Follow him at http://x.com/anthonyted

India's Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Namibia President Nangolo Mbumba addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres puts his hand over his heart after speaking to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

President of the Marshall Islands Hilda Heine addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Mexico's Minister for Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

The United Nations headquarters during the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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WEEKEND COVERAGE

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NEW/DEVELOPING

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MIDEAST-TENSIONS — Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has confirmed that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, is by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah. By Bassem Mroue and Melanie Lidman. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. WITH: MIDEAST-TENSIONS-THE-LATEST; HEZBOLLAH-BIDEN — Biden and Harris call the Israeli strike killing Hezbollah’s Nasrallah a ‘measure of justice;’ LEBANON-ISRAEL-DISPLACED -- Hundreds of families displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs after the area was pummeled by Israeli airstrikes. (all sent).

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TROPICAL-WEATHER — Hurricane Helene caused at least 52 deaths and billions of dollars of destruction across a wide swath of the southeastern U.S. as it raced through, and more than 3 million customers went into the weekend without any power and for some a continued threat of floods. By Stephen Smith, Kate Payne and Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: US-TROPICAL-WEATHER-APPALACHIA — Floodwaters pushed by remnants of Hurricane Helene have left North Carolina’s largest mountain city largely cut off by damaged roads and a lack of power and cellphone service. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

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ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Former President Donald Trump has sought again to link Vice President Kamala Harris to illegal border crossings during a visit to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, a town of 5,000 people just across the Mississippi River from Iowa. He claimed the Democratic nominee was responsible for migrants who have come into the country illegally and have committed crimes. By Todd Richmond. SENT: 850 words, photos.

NYC-MAYOR-INVESTIGATIONS-DEFENSE — For months, New York City Mayor Eric Adams refused to criticize the federal authorities investigating his administration. Not anymore. The day his indictment on corruption charges became public, Adams defiantly suggested without evidence that prosecutors had gone after him because he had criticized President Biden’s immigration policies. The U.S. attorney who brought the case said it had nothing to do with politics. By Anthony Izaguirre. SENT: 790 words, photo.

SPACE-X-STUCK-ASTRONAUTS — SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year. By Marcia Dunn. SENT: 660 words, photos, audio.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian officials say at least nine people have died in two consecutive Russian drone strikes on a medical center in the city of Sumy. SENT: 290 words, photos.

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US-JFK ASSASINATION-FILM AUCTION — Footage of motorcade racing JFK to the hospital after he was shot sells for $137,500 at auction. SENT: 380 words, video.

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NATIONAL

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COLORADO SUPERMARKET SHOOTING-CONNECTIONS — Daughter finds “earth angel” in woman who made her dad laugh before 2021 Colorado supermarket shooting. It’s one of several connections that Erika Mahoney has made with those impacted by the shooting. SENT: 1,020 words, photos, video.

BOEING-STRIKE — The union representing striking Boeing factory workers in the Pacific Northwest say contract talks “broke off” with the company after another bargaining session. SENT: 310 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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SOUTH-AFRICA-MASS-SHOOTINGS — Seventeen people, including 15 women, were killed in two mass shootings that took place in close proximity to each other in a rural town in South Africa, police said. SENT: 350 words, photos.

UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-THE-NEXT-GENERATION-INTERVIEW – Dr. Felipe Paullier is quick to say he doesn’t speak for the world’s roughly 2 billion tweens, teens and young adults. But as the United Nations’ first assistant secretary-general for youth affairs, he’s tasked with advocating for young people and their concerns to be incorporated into the organization’s work. SENT: 640 words, photo. WITH: UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-RUSSIA — Russia invokes its nuclear capacity in a UN speech that’s full of bile toward the West; UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-NORWAY-PALESTINIANS — Europeans, Arab and Muslim nations launch a new initiative for an independent Palestinian state; UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-CHINA — China, at UN, warns against ‘expansion of the battlefield’ in the Ukraine war; UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-DREAMING-OF-MULTILATERALISM- At the U.N. General Assembly this week, the principle of multilateralism is mentioned constantly. (all sent)

NEPAL-FLOODS — Flooding caused by continuous rainfall has killed at least 32 people in Nepal’s capital, and another 12 are missing, police said. SENT: 230 words, photos. BELGIUM-POPE —Pope Francis’ trip through Belgium reached new lows on Saturday when defiant Catholic university women demanded to his face a “paradigm change” on women’s issues in the church and then expressed deep disappointment when Francis dug in. SENT:1080 words, photos.

FRANCE-ABORTION-RIGHTS — Hundreds of people have marched in Paris in support of the right to abortion for women across the world. Saturday’s march was organized by civil society groups to mark International Safe Abortion Day. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-MEDICARE-ADVANTAGE-COMPLICATIONS -- Thinner benefits and coverage changes await many older Americans shopping for health insurance this fall. That’s if their plan is still available in 2025. More than a million people will likely have to find new coverage as major insurers cut costs and pull back from markets for Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run version of the federal government’s coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and older. SENT: 880 words, photos.

CLIMATE-HEAT-GREEN-CITIES — Cities are adding trees and green spaces as one way to blunt the impact of warmer average temperatures and heat waves that are longer and hotter due to climate change. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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SNL-50TH SEASON PREMIERE — “Saturday Night Live” is about to begin its 50th season. Jean Smart will host. The “Hacks” and “Designing Women” star who just won her sixth Emmy has never hosted the sketch comedy institution. Jelly Roll will be the musical guest. SENT: 350 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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FBC--T25-GEORGIA-ALABAMA — No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama in a rematch of last season’s Southeastern Conference championship — and assorted other huge games. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7:30 p.m.

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