International co-operation needed as world faces triple crises, say ambassadors to the UAE

The ambassadors of Singapore, France and Germany stressed the dangers of isolationism in a discussion hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation

Hend Al Otaiba, Director of Strategic Communications, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation speaks during a press briefing in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday 15, September 2019. Ministry of Foreign Affarirs and International Cooperation.
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Multilateralism is needed as the world experiences triple crises, ambassadors in the UAE said in a online seminar on international relations.

The discussion between the ambassadors of Singapore, France and Germany, was hosted on the social media channels of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation on Thursday.

Hend Al Otaiba, the ministry’s director of strategic communications, moderated the talk.

The world is experiencing triple crises, said German ambassador Peter Fischer at the beginning of the talk.

“One is a crisis of justice emanating from the streets of Minneapolis, the killing of George Floyd," he said.

"The Black Lives Matter campaign is sweeping across the world and it’s reminding us of something that we knew but which we haven’t acted on enough, that we are all born equal and we share the same dignity.”

The second one is the climate crisis, said the ambassador.

And the third crisis is the Covid-19 pandemic.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 6, 2019.  
Description:STORY BRIEF: Story about Germans who remember the fall of the Berlin wall 
SUBJECT NAME:  German ambassador to the UAE, Peter Fischer.
Victor Besa/The National
Section:  NA
Reporter:  John Dennehy
Germany's Ambassador to the UAE Peter Fischer. Victor Besa/The National Section

International co-operation is necessary to overcome these crises, the ambassador suggested.

“Really what’s the alternative? For any particular country to tell everybody else what the right direction is? I don’t think any of us want that,” said Mr Fischer.

The European Union will play a strong role as the world emerges from the pandemic, said French ambassador Ludovic Pouille.

“The European Union will be more than ever a major actor tomorrow,” he said.

“We cannot just let a new Cold War take over after the pandemic and we will need the EU to play a role in international development and cooperation.”

The pandemic has shown the importance of a social safety net, said the German diplomat.

Ludovic Pouille, French Ambassador to the UAE. Courtesy: French Embassy
Ludovic Pouille, French Ambassador to the UAE. Courtesy: French Embassy

“In Germany, we have this word, black pedagogy, which means you learn only when you’ve experienced some damage and pain,” he said.

“The world cannot afford to do that with the issues of health, security, justice and sustainability.”

Countries must set aside differences to address underlying crisis.

“In international relations, we can’t have it so that if we have disagreement the only two policy options are sanctions or a refusal to talk," he said.

"There has to be another avenue. I’m optimistic that we will find that.”

He noted the UAE's efforts to help Iran with medical supplies and to deliver goods for Palestinians through flights landing in Tel Aviv. These are examples of the bold action needed.

“These are very important things really showing that we have to be bold in this moment and do things that are beyond what we’re used to doing, do new things,” he said.

Cooperation is essential for small states, said Singaporean ambassador Kamal Vaswani.

“Small states can only thrive in a rules based multilateral system so for a country like Singapore, multilateralism is not an option but a necessity."