39th ACUNS Annual Meeting - CHH participated in the Annual Meeting of the Academic Council on the United Nations System

The Common Home of Humanity participated in this year´s Annual Meeting of ACUNS, the Academic Council on the United Nations System, entitled “Multilateralism under Challenge and the Future of the Pact”. From 1-3 July, this Annual Meeting (incorporado link: https://acuns.org/2026-annual-meeting-2/) in Lisbon, Portugal, intended to critically assess the UN system’s capacity to facilitate multilateral cooperation and reflect on its performance since the last comprehensive UN system-wide reform effort, the UN60 World Summit in 2005.

CHH promoted two roundtables, and participated in other panels and a Plenary Session. 

The CHH Roundtable on “Bringing the Functional Aspect of the Planet to International Law” was chaired by Sara Moreno Pires (CHH and University of Aveiro) with the participation of Augusto Lopez-Claros (Global Governance Forum), Viriato Soromenho-Marques (University of Lisbon), Paulo Magalhães (CHH), and Cristiane Derani (Director of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, Brazil). The discussion highlighted the need to rethink international law and global governance and reconsider a stable climate within safe and just boundaries as a new legal object of multilateral governance. 

The second roundtable on “Reforming Multilateralism by Reforming the UN” was chaired by Sara Moreno Pires (CHH and University of Aveiro), having as invited speakers Paulo Magalhães (CHH); Augusto Lopez-Claros (Global Governance Forum) and Sofía García (Article 109º Coalition). This roundtable has addressed the current threats to multilateralism, from the resurgence of nationalism, rejection of the rules that enable peaceful coexistence between nations or climate change. Main questions guided the important debate: How can international organisations be reformed to build a more inclusive multilateralism? Which international coalitions are willing and able to promote more effective global governance? How can the UN be guaranteed the necessary instruments and means to promote a stable climate? What role can global civil society play in establishing a humanistic and ecological multilateralism?

CHH Executive Director Paulo Magalhães was invited to participate at the Plenary Session “ACUNS Holmes Lecture: Challenges and Opportunities for Development”, to debate the keynote speaker Ms. Kitty Van Der Heijden, United Nations United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). At this roundtable Paulo Magalhães shared the debate with Professor Stephen Marks, O.P. Jindal University and Professor Alice Odingo, University of Nairobi, moderated by Professor Ai Kihara-Hunt, Special Rapporteur, UN Human Rights Council. This session was recorded and is available here (incorporado link:  https://www.youtube.com/live/sfMTwLnVDUA?si=2NLUTXgizQ4lyqBR).

CHH also participated in the session “Governing an Overheated Planet: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and the Future of Multilateral Cooperation”, with the Paper “CLEAR Carbon Legacy and Ecosystem Activity Restoration”. Finally, Paulo Magalhães was Chair of the session: “Green Deals and Global Strain: Navigating Energy Diplomacy, Climate Litigation, and Geopolitical Fragmentation”.

It was also a great opportunity to reinforce the collaboration with Article 109º Coalition that CHH recently joined as a member to support a stronger, fairer and more inclusive international system for the future.