Posted on September 21, 2025
The Charter of the United Nations is based on the principle of sovereign equality of all Member States. In practice, however, this ideal was compromised. The power remains concentrated in the hands of a few, the strongest nations folding the system to their will – and their whim – giving birth to unilateralism, hegemonic ambitions and retirement in economic protectionism. These transgressions threaten not only world peace and stability, but also undermine the credibility and authority of international institutions that have been created to maintain collective governance.
It is more and more aware that the existing structure – widely shaped by the frames centered on the West – has become ineffective and inequitable. Before our eyes, the system failed to prevent regional conflicts, provide inclusive economic growth or to face the decisive collective challenge of our time – climate change, an existential threat to the world of world and the North.
This broader failure is reflected in recent events that have exposed the gaps in global governance. The unilateral military actions of Israel – in particular its “genocide” in progress in Gaza and its strikes in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and Qatar – show its blatant contempt for law and international systems created to prevent such violations. However, even in the face of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court, the international system did not keep Israeli leaders responsible for what a United Nations commission of inquiry described as “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” in Gaza. Instead, Tel Aviv was protected by strata of political and military support in the United States and its Western allies.
The war in Ukraine provides another brutal example. The United States and its partners armed the international financial system to punish Russia and forced states that refuse to align themselves with their position on the conflict. Such a selective application shows how Western powers exploit global institutions to serve close geopolitical interests.
Perhaps the biggest blow for global governance has come from the United States itself-the architect of origin of the system. The Trump Administration sparked a trade war by unilaterally imposing radical prices on trading partners, in violation of the Obligations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Not only did Trump weaken multilateral institutions by withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO), undermining international efforts to meet critical and public health challenges.
In the midst of this new wave of unilateralism, the international institutions established after the Second World War to prevent wars, stimulate economic development and respect the rule of law have difficulty fulfilling their founding mandates. The United Nations and its multilateral structure are faced with a legitimacy crisis born of the under-representation of the world South, the erosion of international standards and flagrant failures on climate change, pandemics, AI and the governance of external space.
Such gaps make systemic reform not only desirable but inevitable. And the first imprint of these reforms was presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the recent Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin. He proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) – A complete executive, focused on people and action focused on promoting a fairer, inclusive and democratic international order. Rooted in the vision of President XI of a “community with a shared future for humanity”, the GGI is based on five basic concepts: sovereign equality, the rule of law, multilateralism, governance centered on people and tangible action.
Let’s decompose it.
First of all, sovereign equality. Each state, whatever its size, strength or wealth, deserves equal respect, a voice and participation in global decision -making. Although the UN Charter devotes the same principle, the powerful nations and blocks continue to monopolize decision -making. Thus, the accent put by the GGI on equality strongly resonates with the world South, offering a transforming vision of equity and inclusion in global affairs.
Second, the rule of universal law. For governance to be credible, international law must be applied in an equal and consistent manner. However, a selective application of law by the West has eroded the credibility of global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, where the West holds enormous structural advantages. The GGI questions these standard doubles and the selective application, calling for major powers to give an example.
Third, authentic multilateralism. The GGI says that complex global challenges cannot be resolved by unilateralism or exclusion blocks. This strongly contrasts with the zero -sum mentality of the United States – rightly captured by the former American secretary of state Antony Blinken, who pointed out to the Munich 2024 security conference: “If you are not at the table, you will probably be on the menu.”
In the GGI vision, “everyone is at the table” in global decision -making – and no one is “placed on the menu”. The initiative says that the UN will remain the central platform for multilateral cooperation, while encouraging other institutions to complete its role. Unlike exclusive alliances and unilateral actions, the GGI plans a more democratic, inclusive and effective multilateral system.
Fourth, an approach centered on people. GGI places human well-being at the heart of governance. Whether it is a question of meeting global challenges, including climate change, poverty, health or digital divisions, the initiative stresses that institutions must remain connected to the needs and aspirations of ordinary people. A governance system detached from people she seeks to serve the risks losing her legitimacy. This perspective contrasts directly with the trend of Western leaders, embodied by Trump’s “America First” approach, to prioritize close national interests in global cooperation.
Fifth, tangible results. Abstract ideals and high concepts are not enough. Governance must produce real, coordinated and sustainable actions to resolve both urgent problems and long -term challenges. It argues that the nations developed must assume their responsibilities by providing more public goods, while developing countries must collaborate to improve their collective capacity.
The GGI is not an isolated initiative. It is shed in the broader framework defined by President XI, aimed at approaching the many dimensions of global challenges. This framework also includes the Belt and Road (BRI) initiative, Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). Everyone focuses on a different dimension: BRI on infrastructure and connectivity; GDI on UN development and agenda in 2030; GSI on peace and security; And the GCI on intercultural dialogue, the GGI serving as a global framework to reform principles and institutions of governance.
Some Western commentators can reject it as a “theoretical proposition”, but the history of China suggest the opposite. China has systematically reflected its global vision of governance in concrete action. From the eradication of poverty and technological advancement at home to South-South cooperation abroad, Beijing has shown that it can translate vision into practice.
That said, the GGI does not seek to cancel the existing international system, but rather to reform it, making it more inclusive, credible and reactive to the realities of an increasingly polarized, uneven and chaotic world. If anything, the GGI presents a convincing alternative to the domination of unilateralism and the double standards that have undermined confidence in world institutions. Unlike the symbolic commitments which often fail in substance, the GGI underlines practical action and shared responsibility, in particular between the nations developed and in development.
While the GGI can disrupt the Western concept of a “rules based” order – or what remains of it – the Beijing Plan is always the promise of providing a fairer system. The vision of President XI of a “community with a shared future for humanity” can hardly prove to be a greater disappointment than the reality that takes place before us today: a global system is increasingly losing in favor of powerful and growing inequalities and leaving the world more divided than ever.
