multilateral
adjective
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Since lateral means "side", multilateral means basically "many-sided". The philosophy of multilateralism claims that the best solutions generally result when as many of the world's nations as possible are involved in discussions, and multilateralists often favor strengthening the United Nations. Today multilateralism can be seen at work in, for example, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the International Criminal Court. But the U.S. doesn't always join the major multilateral organizations, instead often behaving as if a unilateral approach—that is, going it alone—was best for the interests of a powerful nation.
Examples of multilateral in a Sentence
Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Getting to a higher number, which is likely to total at least $200 billion to $300 billion per year, will require a mix of funds ranging from multilateral development bank financing to pledges from individual countries and private capital.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
Modi and Xi had not held formal bilateral talks since then, although both participated in multilateral events.
—Reuters, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024
Moreover, development finance institutions and multilateral development banks can amplify these efforts by aligning their resources with philanthropic dollars and private investors.
—Klaus Schwab, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Multilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multilateral. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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multilateral
adjective
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