NEW MULTILATERALISM HIGHLIGHTED

    In the outgoing 2009, "new multilateralism" might be one of the most-frequently-mentioned phrases in the UN. No matter if it was climate change or the A/H1N1 flu outbreak or the economic downturn, the UN always stressed tackling the pressing challenges in a renewed multilateral way.

    According to Ban, there are five essential elements of a new multilateralism: prioritize the provision of global public goods; apply an integrated approach to address the complex challenges; privilege the most vulnerable; mobilize broader forces, including the private sector, civil society and academia; drawing upon the strengths of all nations, particularly those that are rising in the new century.

    "None of the problems we face at this time can be solved by any single nation, any single people or organization. Never has the imperative of acting together been so self-evident," Ban said in a statement earlier this year.

    "That is why I have been speaking about the need for a renewed multilateralism. A multilateralism that delivers real results for real people. A renewed multilateralism focused on the global common good," he added.

    Meanwhile, the once-tense ties between the United States and the UN saw improvement after Obama took office. In his first appearance in the UN, Obama told the General Assembly that the United States will take "a new engagement approach" with the UN and "stands ready to begin a new chapter of international cooperation."

    The UN is imperfect; but it is also indispensable, said Susan Rice, the U.S. permanent representative to the UN.

    "There can be no substitute for the legitimacy the UN can impart or its potential to mobilize the widest possible coalitions... The UN is essential to our efforts to galvanize concerted actions that make Americans safer and more secure," she said.