ForMin Aurescu: In order to increase resilience of societies, it is necessary to reconsolidate democratic values

In order to increase the resilience of societies, it is necessary to reconsolidate democratic values, as well as the rules-based international order, on Friday said the Foreign Affairs minister Bogdan Aurescu, at the ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism, a release by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informs Saturday.

According to MAE, Aurescu had an intervention on behalf of Romania at the ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism, which took place on the margins of the 75th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in a videoconference system. The event was dedicated to expressing commitment and collective contribution to a better reconstruction following the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his message, the head of diplomacy pointed out that the serious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in political, economic and social terms have imposed unprecedented challenges on multilateralism, international law, rule-based order and democratic values.

As part of the solutions to overcome the current crisis, Aurescu stressed the importance of strengthening the resilience of all members of the international community, including by stepping up cooperation in areas such as health, economy, digitalisation, climate change and sustainable development goals.

The Minister noted that Romania joined the initiative of "The Coronavirus Global Response", refocusing several projects from official development assistance to the health emergencies of some partner states, especially from the eastern neighbourhood of Romania and sub-Saharan Africa, and more than half of the national funds for international development cooperation have been redirected to respond to pandemic challenges generated by the novel coronavirus.

At the same time, minister Aurescu stressed that in order to increase the resilience of societies, it is necessary to reconsolidate democratic values - fundamental freedoms, democracy, human rights, gender equality and the protection of the most vulnerable - as well as the rules-based international order.

The head of the Romanian diplomacy announced at the meeting that Romania had endorsed the Declaration on the Principles of the Alliance for Multilateralism, and was actively involved in this network. Romania's approach is based both on the belief that an urgent reform of the multilateral system is needed to make it more efficient, pragmatic and more connected to the needs of citizens, and the multilateral vocation of our country which, in December, will celebrate 65 years since it became a full member of the UN, the release adds