A THREE SEAS VIEW OF THE UNITED NATIONS – THE POTENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF THE THREE SEAS INITIATIVE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND RELATED INSTRUMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Abstract

In 2015, on the sidelines of the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) was established. It is a format of economic cooperation between 13 countries in Central, North- and South-Eastern Europe that are the eastern part of the European Union (EU). However, the Three Seas Initiative can also evolve using instruments of the United Nations (UN) and play a significant role within this international organization in the context of infrastructure.The author will focus on the research problem of international infrastructure cooperation in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related forms of partnership based on the Three Seas Initiative. The objectives of the article are to analyze the possible impact of the Three Seas format on the evolution of the above-mentioned forms of cooperation and to explain possible actions taken within their framework for the development of the Three Seas Initiative.The issues mentioned will be clarified primarily based on specific Sustainable Development Goals and actions taken within their scope in the countries covered by the SGDs, also neighboring the 3SI area, which are part of the transregional infrastructure projects of the Initiative. In addition, this issue will also be explained using the example of Resolution 77/282 "Building global resilience and promoting sustainable development through infrastructure connectivity", adopted on 26 April 2023 by the UN General Assembly, which draws inspiration from the 3SI format and its current and potential further impact on international infrastructure cooperation. Possible joint actions of the countries that are co-authors of this document and which could implement projects related to the Three Seas Initiative will also be discussed. Moreover, the possible use of other existing UN infrastructural instruments will be indicated.The conducted research will be based on the analysis of initiatives at the UN forum concerning communication, energy and digital infrastructure, correlated with the Three Seas. In this context, investments for the implementation of the SDGs according to specific goals (including their subject and geographical scope) and Resolution 77/282 and possible actions related to it will be analyzed. The final part of the publication will present conclusions resulting from the conducted analyses and recommendations regarding further undertakings and directions of actions that should be taken in these aspects within the Three Seas Initiative and the United Nations.