A group of leaders including European Council President António Costa and the presidents of Brazil and Kenya have launched a new “Partners for Multilateralism” initiative as delegates gather for the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
The initiative — referred to as P4M — is described as a “flexible, open framework” for countries from different regions and political traditions to work together on reforms to the United Nations and other international bodies, according to an op-ed published by the European Council on Monday.
Costa was joined as an author by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Kenya’s President William Ruto and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney.
They said global trade reached a record $35 trillion last year and that six billion people are connected to the internet, describing growing interdependence alongside rising geopolitical tensions.
They also wrote that 2025 saw 65 state-based armed conflicts, the highest number recorded since 1946, and that global military spending rose to a record $2.9 trillion.
Reform focus and stated principles
P4M will support reform of the UN and other multilateral institutions to make them “more representative, legitimate, effective and trusted”, the leaders wrote.
They said the initiative will also seek to strengthen co-operation between regional organisations, contribute to peace and security, improve global economic governance, and develop common approaches to issues including artificial intelligence, climate change, health security and digital transformation.
The leaders listed principles they said were “not negotiable” under the UN Charter, including sovereign equality, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the prohibition of the threat or use of force, international humanitarian law, sustainable development, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The European Council said Costa, alongside Ruto, Lula, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Barbados’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Carney and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, convened the “Partners for multilateralism, international law, peace and prosperity summit” on 21 September 2026 on the margins of the UN General Assembly High Level Week.
