Multilateral Solutions to International Problems: U.S. Leadership at the UN and What Lies Ahead

About

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, in cooperation with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, cordially invite you to a discussion on Multilateral Solutions to International Problems: U.S. Leadership at the UN and What Lies Ahead with the Honorable Bathsheba Crocker, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs and Harvard Law School alum. Former UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights and current Berthold Beitz Professor of International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government John Ruggie will moderate this discussion.

Background

Recent headlines announcing the Paris climate agreement, Iran nuclear deal, and launch of an ambitious global development framework reveal that landmark diplomatic accomplishments remain within the international community’s grasp.  They also represent tangible dividends from President Obama’s decision to reinvest in multilateral approaches to shared challenges. That decision, centered on the United Nations, features unprecedented levels of engagement with international bodies as varied as the UN Security Council, World Health Organization, World Food Program, and UN Human Rights Council.  This renewed engagement by the United States at the UN and other international organizations is driven by the reality that U.S. global leadership is strengthened when we are effectively and routinely utilizing the multilateral system, despite its ongoing management, reform, and conduct challenges.