About the Initiative
Why We Speak
Voices of Multilateralism is an independent platform for departing Ambassadors and senior UN officials to speak candidly about the multilateral system — its achievements, its failures, and its future.
Founded in July 2026 by eleven Ambassadors representing Barbados, Benin, the European Union, Germany, Guyana, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, Tajikistan, and Vietnam — diplomats who between them carry decades of combined UN service.
On this page
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Founder Statement
H.E. Ambassador Fatumanava-o-Upolu III
Dr. Pa'olelei Luteru
Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations
Founding Chair, Voices of Multilateralism
A Message from Ambassador Luteru
"Multilateralism is not merely a diplomatic method — it is the architecture of a shared future. Voices of Multilateralism exists to ensure that the wisdom of those who have served within that architecture is not lost, but carried forward."
As Founding Chair of Voices of Multilateralism, Ambassador Luteru has articulated the initiative's core conviction: that seasoned diplomats have a responsibility to speak — to share the lessons of decades spent navigating the world's most complex negotiations, and to offer their perspectives at a moment when the multilateral system faces profound challenges.
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Our Mission
An Independent Platform for Honest Reflection
Voices of Multilateralism was founded on a straightforward premise: that the United Nations and the broader multilateral system face challenges of a severity not seen since the organisation's founding — and that the people who have spent careers inside that system have both the knowledge and the responsibility to speak plainly about what they have witnessed.
This is not an advocacy organisation. We do not lobby governments, issue policy demands, or campaign for particular candidates or reforms. We are a platform — a space where departing Ambassadors and senior officials can publish their analysis, give interviews, and record their testimonies for the historical record.
What unites our contributors is not a shared political position but a shared conviction: that the multilateral system matters, that its current difficulties are serious, and that honest public discourse about those difficulties is more valuable than diplomatic silence.
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How We Began
How the Initiative Began
Voices of Multilateralism was launched by Samoa in March 2026 and immediately joined by eight further founding members. The initiative was born from a conviction that departing Ambassadors — freed from the constraints of active service — carry an obligation to speak plainly about the system they have spent careers building.
A preparatory phase from March to July 2026 brought the Founding Group to eleven nations, developed the concept note, and established the editorial framework that would govern the platform's work.
On 7 July 2026, the Founding Group convened its inaugural meeting at the Permanent Mission of New Zealand in New York. The Inaugural Statement was adopted and the Work Plan validated — marking the formal establishment of the initiative. In August 2026, Samoa identified 29 prospective contributors and issued the Guidelines for Contributors, with letters going out to a first batch of 12 to begin securing content for the publication and the website.
Samoa launches the initiative and is joined by eight further founding members, bringing the Founding Group to nine nations.
Preparatory phase: the concept note is circulated, the editorial framework is developed, and the Founding Group expands to eleven member nations.
Inaugural Founding Group Meeting convened at the Permanent Mission of New Zealand in New York. The Inaugural Statement is adopted and the Work Plan is validated.
Samoa identifies 29 prospective contributors. Guidelines for contributors are issued and letters go out to a first batch of 12 contributors to secure content for the publication and the website.
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Launch Event
The Founding Meeting — 7 July 2026
On 7 July 2026, eleven founding diplomats gathered at the Permanent Mission of New Zealand in New York to formally launch Voices of Multilateralism. Chaired by Ambassador Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr. Pa'olelei Luteru, the founding members represent Barbados, Benin, the European Union, Germany, Guyana, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.
New York · 7 July 2026
Inaugural Founding Group Meeting
Hosted at the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations. Eleven founding diplomats convened to formally establish the initiative and adopt its inaugural statement.
Official Document
Inaugural Statement — 7 July 2026
The founding statement adopted at the inaugural meeting and signed by the nine founding members.
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Editorial Principles
How We Work
Independence
Voices of Multilateralism accepts no funding from member states, UN agencies, or organisations with a direct interest in UN reform outcomes. Contributors write and speak in their personal capacity.
Candour
We ask contributors to say what they actually think — not what is diplomatically convenient. This means naming failures, identifying institutional pathologies, and disagreeing with former colleagues when the evidence warrants it.
Rigour
All published essays are reviewed for factual accuracy. Contributors are asked to distinguish clearly between what they witnessed directly, what they infer from evidence, and what represents their personal judgement.
Diversity
We actively seek contributors from across the geographic, institutional, and professional diversity of the UN system — not only from the P5 countries or the most prominent agencies.
Permanence
Contributions are archived and made freely available in perpetuity. We believe the historical record of this period in multilateralism's history matters — and that it should be accessible to researchers, students, and citizens everywhere.
Dialogue
Where contributors disagree with one another — as they sometimes do — we publish both perspectives. The initiative is a conversation, not a consensus.
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The Founding Group
Who Started This
The initiative was convened by eleven founding members representing Barbados, Benin, the European Union, Germany, Guyana, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, Tajikistan, and Vietnam — departing Ambassadors who between them represent more than two hundred years of combined service to the United Nations system.
Founding member nations
Join the Conversation
If you have served the United Nations and have something to say about its future, we want to hear from you.