Turkmenistan has called for a new multilateral “preventive governance” platform and proposed declaring 2028 the Year of International Law. The proposals were made during a meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance in New York on 28 May 2026. The session, which brought together representatives from 60 nations, concluded with a five-point consensus focused on democratizing international relations and strengthening the United Nations.
The proposals aim to operationalize the Global Governance Initiative, originally launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit in September 2025.
Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov presented his country’s vision during the high-level meeting titled “Reforming and Improving Global Governance, Joint Efforts to Overcome Global Challenges,” held at the UN headquarters.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat’s strategy rests on four key pillars:
- Preventive Governance: Turkmenistan proposed establishing a Multilateral Preventive Governance Platform designed for early warning and conflict prevention.
- Upholding International Law: Ashgabat is actively lobbying the UN to designate 2028 as the Year of International Law, aiming to create a global forum on the role of legal frameworks in a rapidly changing world.
- Data Reliability and Digitalization: The country advocates for universal data-integrity standards and joint verification mechanisms to ensure policy decisions are based on credible information.
- Action-Oriented Inclusivity: Turkmenistan stresses that global governance must be measured by its tangible results, built on a foundation of mutual trust and broad inclusion.
In his closing remarks, Meredov emphasized that preventive governance, international law, data integrity, and concrete action are deeply interconnected, forming the core of responsible international cooperation.
The Group of Friends of Global Governance is an informal coalition of UN member states dedicated to fostering inclusive dialogue and finding collective solutions to modern global challenges. The platform champions sovereign equality, international law, and genuine multilateralism.
Group of Friends of Global Governance forges consensus on 5 points: Chinese FM
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that the Group of Friends of Global Governance (GFGG) has reached consensus on five key points regarding global governance, accord9ng to Xinhua.
The minister attended a meeting of the GFGG at the UN headquarters in New York.
Since the group’s establishment, all members have engaged in extensive discussions on reforming and improving global governance, Wang said, adding that the group has reached consensus on five major points.
First, all members support the democratization of international relations, Wang said, noting that all countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, have the right to choose their own social systems and development paths, and to participate, decide and benefit equally in global governance.
Second, all members call for upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring the equal application of international law and international rules, and opposing double standards and coercion, he said.
Third, all members support safeguarding the central role of the UN, practicing multilateralism, strengthening multilateral mechanisms, and opposing unilateralism and power politics, Wang said.
On the fourth point, Wang said all members support reforming and improving global governance and narrowing the North-South divide to ensure that all countries share the benefits of development and that no country is left behind.
Fifth, all members also call for addressing the most pressing challenges facing the international community through concrete actions and practical results to ensure global governance meets the needs of the times and the people, he added. ///nCa, 29 May 2026 [Photo credit – Xinhua]