On June 11, at 16:00 Moscow time (GMT+3), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold an online discussion in partnership with the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI), titled: “The Crisis of Multilateralism: How COVID-19 Is Changing Our Perceptions of the International System”.
In recent years, the crisis of multilateralism has manifested itself mainly in the economic sphere: these are trade and sanctions wars, an increase in protectionism, the revision of agreements, and the weakening of the WTO. But the coronavirus pandemic has shown that in a global crisis, states act according to the principle of “every man for himself” in virtually all areas. Self-isolation at the state level was one of the first measures taken by a number of governments, including within the European Union, which for many years considered itself the standard-bearer for multilateralism. Obviously, after the pandemic, it will be impossible to return to the dialogue on multilateralism in the usual format.
This topic is of particular importance both for Russia, the central participant in a number of regional associations in Eurasia, primarily the EAEU, and for Argentina, a long-term participant in several integration associations in Latin America, the largest of which is MERCOSUR, where, according to experts, Argentina is now critically analyzing its participation. Under the current conditions, the G20 group, which includes both Argentina and Russia, seems to be an important format for multilateral dialogue. In addition, G20 has an intellectual dimension, the T20 engagement group, in which Valdai Club experts take an active part. In particular, the Club took part in the T20 summit in 2018 in Buenos Aires. Now, these platforms, along with the UN, can contribute to strengthening international solidarity and cooperation.
During the discussion, the point of view of Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, will be presented to the participants.
Also, an interactive Q&A session will be held with the participation of media representatives.
How are the views of Moscow and Buenos Aires changing about multilateral institutions, global governance and leadership after the pandemic? Will the current crisis be an incentive for UN and WTO reforms? What awaits regional integration associations and financial agreements? The participants of the discussion will answer these and many other questions.
Speakers:
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Eduardo Valdés, Head of the External Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina;
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Adalberto Rodríguez Giavarini, President of CARI;
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Francisco de Santibañes, Secretary General of CARI;
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María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Chairperson of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly;
- Ricardo Ernesto Lagorio, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Argentina to the Russian Federation, Counselor member of CARI;
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Lila Roldán Vázquez, Head of the Committee for the Study of Russia and Eurasia, CARI;
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Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club;
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Yaroslav Lissovolik, Programme Director, Valdai Discussion Club.
Moderator:
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Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club
Working languages: Russian, Spanish.
Members of the press can participate remotely with prior accreditation and personally pose a question to the speakers. To do this, you need to fill out the accreditation form on our website and indicate your personal mobile number with the WhatsApp application installed. Media requests for questions to the speakers will be accepted until June 10 (20:00 Moscow time) at press@valdaiclub.com or on WhatsApp: +79269307763.
A link to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club, including the website, Facebook, Vkontakte, Instagram, and Telegram.
