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The Index of Countries’ Support for UN-based Multilateralism
Global cooperation and a strong UN system are indispensable to implement shared global goals such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDG Transformation Center of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network developed an index that helps assess countries’ support for UN-based multilateralism (UN-Mi) based on the principles established in the UN Charter in 1945. The index uses six indicators:
- UN treaty ratification,
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) votes with the international majority,
- Membership in UN organizations,
- Participation in conflicts and militarization,
- Use of unilateral coercive measures against other Nation-States, and
- Contribution to the UN budget and international solidarity.
Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) are self-assessments conducted by countries and local governments, respectively, to report on their progress in implementing the SDGs. VNRs are presented at the UN High-Level Political Forum and reflect national efforts, policies, and outcomes related to the SDGs, while VLRs offer a similar mechanism at the municipal or regional level, highlighting the role of cities and local actors in achieving global goals. These reviews are important complementary indicators of commitment to multilateralism and sustainable development.
This platform provides interactive maps, methodology used to develop the UN-Mi, VNRs, VLRs, and knowledge resources and data.
Acknowledgements
The Index of Countries’ Support for UN-based Multilateralism (UN-Mi) was prepared by the SDSN SDG Transformation Center. Lead authors are Jeffrey D. Sachs, Guillaume Lafortune, Grayson Fuller and Guilherme Iablonovski. The statistical work was led by Grayson Fuller and Guilherme Iablonovski, under the supervision of Guillaume Lafortune. The interactive website and data visualization that present the UN-Mi Index was developed by Ruben Andino and Felipe Mantovani, under the supervision of Katsia Paulavets. We thank Sara Allali, Eduardo Weirich, Lorenz Horvath, and Ruben Zukic for their inputs at the reviewing phase. The UN-Mi Index combines data and analyses produced by international organizations, civil society organizations, and research centers. We thank all of these for their contributions. We welcome feedback on the data visualisation platform and data that may help to strengthen future iterations of this work. Please notify us of any publications that use the UN-Mi Index and share your publication with us via info@sdgtransformationcenter.org.