Visions for a new world order: Perspectives from Norway and the Global South

In recent years, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for a more just and equitable world order rooted in respect for international law and increased representation for the Global South. But what will such a world order look like in practice? And how can it be achieved?

These questions were paramount at this year’s CMI annual lecture where the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, addressed the audience with a keynote stressing the importance of keeping all countries to the same standards.

He walked the audience through the reasoning behind Norway’s calls for a more equitable world order, arguing that in times of dramatic changes in alliances and shifts in the political landscape, it is more important than ever to insist on respect for international law and inclusion of countries from the Global South in discussions about priorities for the future.

Kravik’s keynote was followed by a panel discussion featuring Meera Sabaratnam, associate professor at the University of Oxford, Munzoul Assal, senior researcher at CMI, and Nadim Khoury, associate professor at the University of Innland, moderated by CMI senior researcher Cathrine Talleraas.

With a background from Palestine and Sudan, Khoury and Assal spoke about ongoing conflicts leading to massive loss of lives and argued that the international community must keep previous failures in mind when engaging in discussions for viable solutions.

Sabaratnam argued that a colonial legacy still puts it mark on international structures that govern for example extraction of natural resources and the flow of money, continuing to hinder a just world order.

A key word in the discussions was accountability, and how an insistence on adhering to international law must be followed up with demands for accountability for violations of international law and human rights violations.