Multilateralism UNpacked

In this episode, UNU-CPR’s Head of Geneva Office Dr. Adam Day joins Dr. Jack Durrell to discuss the future of UN peace operations at a moment of financial strain, geopolitical fragmentation and declining confidence in peacekeeping effectiveness. The conversation explores how a worsening liquidity crisis is already driving cuts to missions on the ground, and what this means for civilian protection and operational capacity. It also examines how states are increasingly turning to bilateral and alternative arrangements outside the UN system. Looking ahead, Dr. Day reflects on whether current reforms such as UN80 represent genuine strategic change or primarily an effort to manage financial contraction, and considers what emerging “lighter” and more bespoke models of peace operations could mean for the UN’s role in conflict settings. The episode also highlights key missions to watch, including the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the absence of a robust UN presence in Sudan.

In this episode, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Pasarelli is joined by Professor Inken von Borzyskowski about her award-winning book, Exit from International Organizations (co-authored with Professor Felicity Vabulas, Cambridge University Press, 2025). Winner of the Chadwick Alger Prize and shortlisted by the British International Studies Association, the book explores why states leave or are suspended from international organizations – a phenomenon often misunderstood as a recent surge driven by nationalism or populism.The discussion highlights that, despite headlines, exit is rarely terminal. About half of withdrawing states and 80% of suspended states eventually return, demonstrating the resilience of international institutions and the enduring investment of states in multilateralism.For more information:Access Professor von Borzyskowski's research on state exit from international organizations: https://unu.edu/cpr/brief/why-do-countries-walk-away-international-organizations-and-what-do-current-breakups-mean

Episode 8 of Multilateralism UNpacked examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping global governance at a moment when the technology is advancing faster than multilateral systems can adapt. AI is reshaping information environments, influencing conflict dynamics, transforming labour markets, and accelerating both opportunities and risks for sustainable development.For the United Nations – an institution mandated to maintain peace and security, protect human rights and advance global development – AI presents both a major governance challenge and an important test of international cooperation.To examine these issues, Dr. Jack Durrell, Head of Communications at UNU-CPR, speaks with Dr. Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, whose research at UNU-CPR has helped shape global debates on AI governance. Her work has ranged from analysing AI’s implications for peace and conflict to co-developing the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs and contributing to emerging thinking on scientific consensus mechanisms and the International Scientific Panel on AI. Most recently, she co authored the ITU’s AI for Good flagship report, Unlocking AI’s Potential to Serve Humanity, which outlines practical pathways for deploying AI in support of human and planetary well being.As Eleonore now transitions into a senior public leadership role as New York State’s Chief AI Officer, she reflects on her work at UNU CPR and considers:How AI is challenging existing UN capacities and processes;What role the UN can realistically play in global AI governance;How that role is evolving as Member States, companies and civil society shape the agenda;And where the most significant future risks and opportunities are likely to emerge.For more information:Unlocking AI's Potential to Serve Humanity: https://unu.edu/cpr/report/unlocking-ais-potential-serve-humanity-robotics-geospatial-ai-and-communicationsFour Ways the International Scientific Panel on AI Should Approach AI Risks: https://theglobalobservatory.org/2025/09/how-international-scientific-panel-on-ai-should-approach-risk/Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs: https://unu.edu/cpr/news/hamburg-declaration-responsible-ai-sdgsFoundation of Scientific Consensus for International Cooperation: https://unu.edu/cpr/brief/foundations-scientific-consensus-international-cooperationDisinformation and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa: https://unu.edu/publication/disinformation-and-peacebuilding-sub-saharan-africaA Global Architecture for Artificial Intelligence: https://unu.edu/publication/global-architecture-artificial-intelligence

In this episode of Multilateralism Unpacked, Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation at UNU-CPR, speaks with Laurent Gisel, Head of the Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), about one of the most urgent challenges in global governance: the rise of AI-enabled autonomous weapons.Military investment in AI is accelerating, and systems capable of independently selecting and attacking targets are already being developed. Gisel explains how the use of these weapons can violate the principles of the Geneva Conventions. Drawing on a recent ICRC report to the UN Secretary-General, as well as the ongoing activities of the UN’s First Committee, which deals with disarmament and international security, the podcast explores the various military uses of AI and considers the urgent need for a new international treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems.  Related information: The Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols: https://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/geneva-conventions-and-their-commentariesICRC Submission to the UN Secretary-General on Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain: https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/ICRC_Report_Submission_to_UNSG_on_AI_in_military_domain.pdfUnited Nations Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons: https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/78/241

As the United Nations approaches its 80th anniversary, questions about its agility and relevance have taken centre stage. In Episode 4 of Multilateralism UNpacked, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Passarelli speaks with journalist, academic and UNU-CPR Fellow Dr. Adam McCauley about the need for international organizations to adapt and evolve in the face of deep geopolitical flux and rising scepticism toward multilateral cooperation. Drawing on lessons from organizational theory and his experience in government and academia, Dr. McCauley explores how the UN can become a learning institution, one that balances ambition with realism and reimagines coalitions, especially the role of middle powers. As the UN80 reform agenda moves ahead, this conversation lays out what’s at stake and how culture, structure and strategy must align for the UN to thrive in a new era.

President Lula of Brazil has called COP30 the “Turnaround COP” – warning that it may represent our last chance to avoid an irreversible rupture in the climate system. In episode 2 of Multilateralism UNpacked, UNU-CPR Director, David Passarelli, speaks to the COP30 President, Ambassador André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, a veteran Brazilian climate diplomat who will guide negotiations in Belém. Recorded at a workshop organized by a new UNU-CPR project – the Global Governance Innovation Platform – the conversation explores the challenges facing climate diplomacy, mobilizing support for a more sustainable climate agenda and Brazil’s COP30 priorities.