Зүүн Хойд Ази дахь олон талт хамтын ажиллагаа: "Улаанбаатарын яриа хэлэлцээ" 9-р бага хуралд тавьсан НҮБ-ын Суурин зохицуулагчийн илтгэл

Abstract: 

To foster multilateral cooperation in the Northeast Asia region, Confidence-building measures need to be expanded exponentially to foster effective multilateral cooperation. I am proposing a five-pronged approach with a 5 Cs, leveraging Communication, initiatives based on Common interest areas, collective efforts to address Climate Challenges including Disaster risks, Conflict prevention measures for promoting Peace, Security and Regional Cooperation for contributing to Global Governance as well as strengthening Cooperation in Sustainable Development and Sustainable Financing.

Introduction: 

To respond to the questions, what confidence-building measures (CBMs) or incentives for multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia are working best in the current geopolitical environment and what could be some practical steps, ideas, or recommendations to foster better multilateral cooperation in the region, let me first say, as an introduction, that the North-East Asia region represents dramatic diversity with some of the world’s largest states by landmass and by population being represented with high-tech market economies, command economies as well as resource driven economies are also present in the subregion. Wealth, poverty, ethnic homogeneity, and diversity all coexist in the countries of this region. However, political and geopolitical outlooks and priorities are vastly different. 

Due to these diverse development approaches and complex relationships between the countries of this region, it has not been able to capitalize on institutionalized regional cooperation mechanisms, unlike in ASEAN, CICA etc. Although the Northeast Asian region lacks an overarching security mechanism, numerous efforts have been made to build confidence and trust. State actors as well as even non-state actors have put forward and tried to promote various types of confidence-building measures (CBMs).

Main discussion

While functional and mainly bilateral cooperation in specific areas have been established in place of a multilateral entity covering multi-sectoral issues, it has not been possible to institutionalize regional cooperation mechanisms. Sectoral cooperation mechanisms have been effective to some extent in solving technical issues in certain fields. However, the growing interdependence and spill-over effects among different sectors call for a new approach to address common challenges in the subregion. 

Therefore, we propose looking at 5 possible approaches and enablers to enhance confidence-building measures (CBMs).

1. Communication: As an essential prerequisite for building relationships of trust and confidence, communication remains one of the most important enablers for CBMs. Forums like the UB Dialogue instituted by Mongolia, continues to make relentless and persistent efforts to provide a platform for free and open exchange of ideas and perspectives on issues of mutual interest. Mongolia has reached out to not only to countries in the region but also globally, to initiate channels of communication to augment diplomatic relationships. Having established diplomatic relations with a total of 192 member states, Mongolia has fully implemented the goal of establishing diplomatic relations with all UN member states.

In his statement at the General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of Mongolia said that “It is encouraging to note that Mongolia’s efforts in pursuing regional peace and security within the framework of its peace-loving, open, and multi-pillar foreign policy are expanding and the number of participating countries is growing year by year.”

1. Common interest areas: Sports, Culture, Human Rights, Health, Art, Music, Tourism as well as Trade possibly some of the low hanging fruits amongst common interest areas that can be leveraged. 

When countries rally around their areas of common interest with like-minded partners, it fortifies their willingness to engage freely and amplifies openness towards exploring further cooperation. It is helpful to begin in safer and non-controversial areas that can increase the willingness and spirit of collaboration as they foray into more challenging areas of common interest. 

There have been regular events held in Mongolia where all interested countries have been invited and Mongolia has also made efforts to go to other countries as a demonstration of their interest in pursuing a strong commitment towards contributing valuably towards enhancing CBMs.

1. Climate Challenges including Disaster risks: 

The 2023 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that “If global temperature increases by half a degree, it will lead to increased poverty, heatwaves, sea-level rise, coral reef decline and habitat loss and severe drought. Every increment of global warming will be immeasurably costly.” Therefore, governments should take urgent measures to implement the Paris Agreement, heed the guidance of scientists, raise public awareness, regulate resource utilization, preserve, and restore biological diversity, foster ecologically friendly and economically efficient technologies, such as the use of renewable energy, and substantially bolster climate financing.

With this determination, in 2023, Mongolia became one of the first countries to adopt the SDG Finance Taxonomy by introducing major legislative reforms aimed at increasing foreign and domestic investment. 

Mongolia’s Climate fragility possesses a great a great threat not only internally abut also extends to its neighborhood. Over three-fourths of the land, ie: around 76.8% faces a risk of desertification and land degradation and about 22.9% at severe or very severe risk levels. The severity of winter with the recurring Dzud conditions poses acute pressure on livestock and the livelihood of herders. 

1. Conflict prevention measures for enabling Peace, Security and Regional Cooperation, possibly contributing to Global Governance. Today’s tense and complex geopolitical dynamics are undermining both global and regional security, and provoking misunderstandings among nations. Consequently, the most effective means to address these complex issues is peaceful dialogue. 

It has been more than three decades since Mongolia declared its territory as nuclear-weapon-free, and has been fully supporting the international community’s efforts for disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Mongolia has clearly expressed support to the initiatives and activities of the United Nations and has been actively contributing to the establishment of a “Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes”.

As per records of the CBM reports in accordance with decisions of Biological Weapons Convention Review Conferences, where States Parties have consented to their CBMs being publicly available, Mongolia has so far submitted 7 reports on CBMs between 1990 and 2024 with a big gap of over 26 years between 15 May 1995 and 26 May 2021. Efforts need to be enhanced to contribute to report on CBMs with clear articulation and transparency in the proposed approaches for strengthening efforts for confidence building.

1. Cooperation in Sustainable Development and Sustainable Financing: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serves as a point of convergence to strengthen multilateral cooperation in North-East Asia, especially in the context of accelerating progress of implementation through collective and transformative actions across countries. This is perhaps the most warranted need at this point. With the upcoming “Summit of the Future” scheduled in September 2024, where the first chapter focusses on Sustainable Development and Financing for Development, we need to accelerate of even turbo-charge to fill in the huge gaps in the achievement of the SDGs. We are nowhere near the promise of inclusive and sustainable development envisioned by our leaders in their commitments made in the 2030 Agenda.

Subregional priority areas that have the potential to further strengthen multilateral cooperation to achieve the universal, common agenda on sustainable development include environmental sustainability, sustainable connectivity, and innovation for resilient and inclusive societies. These areas are also in line with the national priorities of countries in the subregion at the same time responding to the needs of developing countries like Mongolia and leveraging the strengths of key economies like China, Japan, Republic of Korea.

Conclusion

Shared challenges facing countries can only be addressed cooperatively and some solutions can only be effective if they are part of a broad-based and inclusive approach. “Broad-based” and “inclusive” refers to aspirations for participation by not only the governments but also civil society, the private sector as well as multilateral institutions. This approach perhaps would add the required resilience to the solutions found, by increasing the range of stakeholders in any particular solution. 

Enhancing cooperation necessarily implies state-led approaches, but the lack of linkages between sectors and institutional support for such linkages should be addressed. Governments must explicitly target horizontal linkages, creating frameworks and fora for them to develop. Those institutions may not be all-encompassing at first but could increasingly encourage strong linkages to other sets of issues. This approach is well in line with the inclusive, networked multilateralism, a reinvigorated multilateralism, in line with “Our Common Agenda” highlighted by the UN Secretary General. 

References:

1. Statement by the President of Mongolia, at the General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly,  (https://president.mn/en/2023/09/21/statement-at-the-general-debate-of-the-78th-session-of-the-united-nations-general-assembly/)
2. ESCAP, December 2020. Inclusive subregional cooperation in East and North-East Asia for sustainable development (https://www.unescap.org/publications/inclusive-subregional-cooperation-east-and-north-east-asia-sustainable-development). 
3. ESCAP, April 2024. Asia and the Pacific SDG progress report 2024 (https://unescap.org/kp/2024/asia-and-pacific-sdg-progress-report-2024).   
4. The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.( https://www.s-cica.org/index.php?view=page&t=about) 
5. Our Common Agenda: https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda
6. Mongolia’s Diplomatic Relations with all UN Member Countries (https://montsame.mn/en/read/332979) 
7. CBM Report Submissions (https://bwc-cbm.un.org/state/mng)