UN Independent Expert on International Solidarity, Cecilia M. Bailliet

The catastrophic defunding and dismantlement of international humanitarian and development assistance programs supporting the inclusion all people in the enjoyment of human rights is the abandonment of the aim of the international community to affirm the dignity and worth of each human person on the basis of equality and non-discrimination.

The adoption of governmental policies that deny access to food, water, medicine, housing, and access to asylum to vulnerable people is a betrayal of the commitment within Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that we should “act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood” in accordance with reason and conscience. 

The characterization of this shift as marking the end of a Liberal Age that was marked by an increase in inequality and turn towards a new epoch should be examined as the opportunity to declare allegiance to universal values that may restore the orientation of the international community towards recognizing an obligation to maintain peaceful relations between nations, support sustainable development, and genuinely protect  vulnerable people and the global commons. 

I call for the pursuit of an epoch of International Solidarity that would be premised upon an embrace of a new multilateralism founded on the principle of recognizing unity in diversity. Bottoms-up solidarity initiatives should be defined by local communities and supported by national and international partners, including states, international organizations, civil society, corporations, faith-based institutions, and others. Networked International Solidarity is the hallmark of  21st century multilateralism as set forth by the UN Secretary-General in Our Common Agenda. Different societies will demonstrate international solidarity in different ways according to culture, tradition, capacity.

The international community should follow the leadership of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples that pursue World Views based on solidarity with the environment.  Youth groups, in particular, should be given greater access to platforms connecting them with policy makers to create strategies for increasing inclusion of all in the enjoyment of human rights and combatting disinformation that feeds polarization. The new order may be decentralized but strengthened through a continued commitment to multilateralism to successfully address global challenges.