The forgotten promise of preventive diplomacy

Harry S Truman, former US president, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in December 1946. Photo: United Nations

Eighty years after its founding, the UN finds itself at a critical juncture. Its purpose is on trial, and its mission urgently requires recalibration. The world it inherited from the scorches of the Second World War no longer exists, yet many of the organisation’s practices remain rooted in a bygone era – out of sync with today’s realities and detached from those it was created to serve.

Despite its shortcomings, the UN remains the most universal international organisation, representative of a world of nation-states. It belongs to its members, who built it to safeguard humanity from war and destruction. Its strength lies in the complementarity of its organs: the General Assembly embodies the collective will of nations, the Security Council carries primary responsibility for peace and security, and the Secretariat ensures continuity, institutional memory, and expertise. Acting in concert, these bodies can fulfil the UN’s founding purpose – making peaceful diplomacy the guiding principle of its work.

As two former presidents of the UN General Assembly, from Latin America and the Caribbean and South-East Europe, we know regions that, though different in history, share a common exposure to the latent risks of political instability and conflict.

It is against this backdrop of our regions’ joint vulnerability that we launch the Global Preventive Diplomacy Initiative, a comprehensive effort to place prevention at the strategic core of international organisations, both within the UN system and beyond.

The Global Preventive Diplomacy Initiative is an effort to place prevention at the core of international organisations

Time and again, political instability, forced displacement, and organised crime have spilled across borders, weakening state institutions, eroding systems of government and fuelling endless cycles of violence and mistrust.

These realities underscore a simple truth: in today’s world, preventive diplomacy is not a luxury but a necessity – the most cost-effective and humane investment nations can make to avert the outbreak, escalation or recurrence of crises.

Our time at the helm of the UN offered both examples of successful prevention and sobering lessons where the organisation failed. The UN must reflect on how it has successfully halted conflicts, managed emerging crises, and where its response came too late.

In an era of rising disorder and declining trust, the UN must return to its core mission: preventing conflict before it erupts. Preventive diplomacy must be results-driven, transparent and stripped of bureaucratic excess and ideological bias. If done properly, it can respond to national interest, advance peace, and reduce the need for costly interventions, while allowing for collaboration and co-operation to address global challenges.

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This reflection must also consider leadership. Over the decades, secretaries-general, presidents of the General Assembly, members of the Security Council, and other stakeholders have provided examples of courageous, impartial and effective engagement.

Some cases highlight what can be achieved through principled and proactive leadership, cognisant of the fact that the UN remains a venue for international co-operation. Their legacy highlights what principled leadership can achieve, while also reminding us of the urgent need for a more systematic UN approach to prevention.

In this spirit, together with other former presidents of the General Assembly, ministers, and international figures, we are relaunching efforts to make preventive diplomacy a central pillar of peace and security. Greater attention, resources, and political commitment must be directed toward prevention as the most pragmatic and forward-looking strategy to preserve peace.

We therefore call for a renewed global commitment: investing in early warning systems, fostering principled dialogue, strengthening states against destabilising pressures, and ensuring that both local actors and international mediators are integral to peacebuilding. Above all, prevention must move from rhetoric to practice, becoming a core political priority for member states.

Eight decades after the UN’s founding, preventive diplomacy remains both an unfulfilled promise and a vital opportunity. History shows that when political will is aligned, even the most entrenched conflicts can yield to resolution. It is time to make prevention the defining principle of international security in the 21st century.

Vuk Jeremic is a former president of the UNGA and former minister of foreign affairs of Serbia

Maria Fernanda Espinosa is a former president of the UN General Assembly and former Ecuadorian foreign and defence minister