ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses multilateralism from the perspective of development, focusing especially on climate. It presents a narrative of the evolution of the development pillar discussed at the UN, initially as economic growth and later as sustainable development, including tackling climate change. The main topics covered are the UN conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the climate agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement in 2015, and the agreements on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. These multilateral agreements have highlighted the persistent division between high- and middle/low-income countries, commonly referred to as the dichotomy of “developed/industrialized and developing” countries since the 1990s, leading to more inclusive multilateralism. This evolution is demonstrated through qualitative analysis of relevant meeting records and treaty documents. In addition to the evolution of the development pillar and related debates, the last section discusses the politics of multilateralism as viewed from ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region, notably Indonesia. This provides an example of how global development commitments are implemented in the Global South.
