Some food for thought on the occasion of the Belgium’s King’s Day reception on 15 November 2024 in The Hague
Ambassador Olivier Belle’s Thought-Reflecting Speech on King’s Day
During the reception celebrating King’s Day on 15 November 2024 in The Hague, H.E. Ambassador Olivier Belle, Permanent Representative of Belgium to International Institutions in The Hague, captivated the audience with a memorable and visionary speech. Addressing the challenges facing multilateralism and the rise of “multiparticularism,” his remarks sparked reflection among attendees. Diplomat Magazine is proud to share this remarkable allocution, ensuring it reaches a wider audience and continues to inspire dialogue on the future of international cooperation.
It has been an intense year for the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the International institutions established in The Hague. For the near future, the permanent representation has many projects to contribute efficiently to the work of those international institutions as well as to save multilateralism. We say “save”, because multilateralism is facing a difficult period. Multilateralism’s golden age seems far away. Today, we have reached a point where confidence in the capacity of multilateral bodies to deal with global challenges is fading.
Why and how have we entered such troubled waters ? Various elements have played a role. The growing influence of the private sector in many fields of sovereignty has reduced the ability of States to continue to play the leading role in addressing challenges of general interest. The field of general interest itself has been conquered by initiatives inspired by particular interests. And this evolution led naturally to a new way of doing, thinking and perceiving politics. States seems to disappear behind a small group of leaders surfing on social networks.
So we live in a new environment where multilateralism is slowly being replaced by multiparticularism. Particular interest seems to override general interest. It seems to be a natural consequence of the current state of the world characterised by fear, violence, harsh competition, scarcity of resources, gaps of development, environmental degradation, etc… The question is whether multiparticularism can help address the many challenges facing the planet, and not just humanity. We may doubt this given the state of international relations.
Multilateralism proved to be an adequate tool. But it is only a tool. And a tool is only useful if one can use it properly and when one knows precisely what needs to be built. It is not multilateralism which is in crisis. Perhaps it is our imagination that leaves to be desired. It is maybe a kind of fatalism which inspired a sort of intellectual decline. Perhaps a clear understanding of general interest is lacking. It is therefore time to try to regain a certain sense of the general interest, to figure out in which areas it should guide our action, and to honestly share the political will to tackle the challenges the planet is facing together. And for this, multilateralism will remain the best tool.
