A New Agenda for Peace

The challenges that we face can be addressed only through stronger international cooperation. The Summit of the Future, in 2024, is an opportunity to agree on multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow, strengthening global governance for both present and future generations. The UN Secretary-General has been invited to provide inputs to the preparations for the Summit in the form of action-oriented recommendations, building on the proposals contained in his report entitled “Our Common Agenda”, which was itself a response to the declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations. The present policy brief is one such input. Peace remains an elusive promise for many around the world. Conflicts continue to wreak destruction, while their causes have become more complex and difficult to resolve. This may make the pursuit of peace appear a hopeless undertaking. However, in reality, it is the political decisions and actions of human beings that can either sustain or crush hopes for peace. War is always a choice: to resort to arms instead of dialogue, coercion instead of negotiation, imposition instead of persuasion. Therein lies our greatest prospect, for if war is a choice, peace can be too. It is time for a recommitment to peace. In the present document, the Secretary-General offers his vision of how we can make that choice.