Ban urges for revitalizing multilateralism

Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, said in a video speech that "we must elevate our efforts to revitalize multilateralism and persevere through the collective challenges we are facing".

He made the urge when addressing a Lanting Forum event hosted by the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday about the Global Security Initiative.

Beijing issued "the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper" at the Tuesday event.

Ban called on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to step up and take genuine leadership roles in maintaining international peace and security.

"This is how the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security as detailed in the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper will be achieved," he said.

Ban warned that the world is living in "an unprecedented era of multifaceted crisis and heightened global insecurity and uncertainty", and geopolitical tensions are intensifying.

"The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be finally at the end of long and painful tunnel, having seriously disrupted our economies, societies and way of daily life. And our planet is on fire with the climate crisis deepening," he said.