Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnich)
Wicklow, Ireland, 1-2 September 2026
The EU reaffirms its steadfast commitment to and fundamental interests in an effective, renewed and strengthened multilateralism, rooted in international law and the universal purposes and principles of the UN Charter. At a time of growing geopolitical tensions, increasing contestation and grave violations of international law- including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the UN Charter, a rules-based international order and a multilateral system with the United Nations at its core remain the essential global framework to ensure respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, peaceful settlement of disputes, predictability, accountability and equal application of international law.
The EU recalls the indispensable role of the United Nations in maintaining peace and security, promoting sustainable development, advancing human rights, and addressing global challenges that no State can tackle alone. The EU remains committed to advancing effective multilateral action, including through the implementation of the Pact for the Future and its annexes, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring no one is left behind. Multilateral cooperation is equally crucial to promoting gender equality and strengthening democracy and the rule of law worldwide.
The EU recognises that working effectively in the multilateral sphere requires sustained commitment to international law and the UN Charter, and determination to bridge divides and foster dialogue. The EU will intensify its efforts to be a constructive, reliable and credible partner in the multilateral system, playing an active role in shaping the international agenda, working with all partners, regional organisations, and the wider UN system to build cross-regional alliances and coalitions, strengthen international cooperation, and advance global solutions to common challenges. The EU recognises the importance of the Franco-Mexican initiative to regulate the use of the veto in the UNSC in cases of mass atrocities.
The EU recalls that the delivery of a positive impact on people’s lives is a primary benchmark of effective multilateral action. Such impact must be clear and measurable. To this end, the work of the UN agencies on the ground, including humanitarian ones, is of paramount importance and deserves to be commended.
The EU stresses the importance of reforming and further developing the multilateral system so that it remains effective, inclusive, representative, accountable, cost-efficient and responsive. We reaffirm our support for the ongoing UN reform process, including and beyond the UN80 initiative, to ensure that the United Nations is better equipped to deliver across its three mutually reinforcing pillars of peace and security, human rights and sustainable development.
The EU emphasises the importance of ensuring adequate, sustainable and predictable financing for the United Nations to enable the Organisation to fulfil the mandates entrusted to it by Member States. We recall that the payment of assessed contributions in full and on time is a legal obligation under the UN Charter.
The EU remains a staunch supporter of a robust, effective and independent UN human rights pillar and calls for adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for the UN human rights system, as well as the systematic mainstreaming of human rights throughout all UN activities.
The EU underscores the need to protect the institutions that uphold the respect for international law and ensure accountability for violations and breaches of international human rights and international humanitarian law, including international courts, their officials and those cooperating with them.
The EU recognises the essential role of the International Court of Justice in the peaceful settlement of disputes and the clarification of international law. It also underlines the crucial contribution of the ICC to ending impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and the need to preserve and protect its independence, impartiality and effective functioning free from pressure, intimidation or interference.
The EU remains committed to the respect of the legal order established by United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea given its centrality and universality and to the respect of its integrity. We urge all States to abide by the fundamental principles and rules of the law of the sea.
The EU remains convinced that through fostering dialogue, trust, solidarity, and collective action, multilateralism is essential for preventing conflict, accelerating sustainable development, combatting poverty and inequalities, including gender inequality, undertaking effective climate action, promoting respect for the rule of law, democracy and human rights, and addressing emerging challenges. We will continue to work with partners across regions to uphold the respect for international law and strengthen the multilateral system. We are also ready to work with the next Secretary-General, to build trust, mobilise collective action, accelerate UN reform, and deliver solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives on the ground. A world with dynamic multilateral institutions and effective, reinforced multilateralism is a safer, more prosperous and more sustainable world.
