New york: A side event titled ‘Multilateralism on a Crossroads: Challenges and Pathways to Peace’ took place in New York, USA, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center as part of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Participants gathered for a group photo before the opening of the event, which sought to address pressing global issues through multilateral cooperation.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Vera Vik-Freiberga, delivered an opening speech highlighting the critical time for multilateralism, especially given recent global conflicts. She emphasized the criticism faced by international organizations concerning issues like Ukraine and Gaza. Following her, Albanian President Bajram Begaj spoke about the importance of multilateralism in bringing together countries from various backgrounds to address global challenges. He acknowledged Azerbaijan’s role in facilitating an agreement with Armenia in the US.

COP29 President M
ukhtar Babayev reflected on the successes of last year’s conference in Azerbaijan, illustrating the potential of multilateral efforts to achieve significant outcomes. He mentioned that agreements reached during COP29 had been in negotiation for nearly a decade, underscoring the event’s importance.

The event also featured discussions led by Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšic, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov, and Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States Binali Yildirim. Topics included the challenges to multilateralism, necessary reforms within the UN, global peace and stability efforts, and the fight against the climate crisis. Additionally, the discussions touched on the connections between Europe and Asia and the impact of regional projects on people’s well-being.