Temptation of unilateralism "very risky", says French president

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the opening ceremony of Paris Peace Forum in Paris, France, Nov. 12, 2019. The second edition of the Paris Peace Forum opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

PARIS, Nov. 12 -- French President Emmanuel Macron warned against the temptation of unilateralism and called for cooperation between nations on Tuesday when opening the second edition of the Paris Peace Forum, a three-day event of debate sessions aiming at global solutions for global issues.

"We are witnessing a crisis without precedent in our global system," Macron told the gathering, attended by hundreds of speakers, including some 30 heads of states as well as leading figures from international organizations, NGOs, large companies, philanthropy, academia and media.

"We have to carry on launching new initiatives, not to compete with multilateral institutions, but to add to their actions," he said.

Macron added that the temptation of unilateralism is "very risky" and "nationalism is war".

The French president launched the Paris Peace Forum last year to mark the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I. The forum aims at mobilizing all stakeholders for collective action to solve global issues.

This year, a series of discussions on the "governance of governance" touches upon core topics such as anti-globalism, the rise of populism, social inequalities and multilateralism.

Participants will also have detailed debates focusing on governance of artificial intelligence (AI), protection of biodiversity, role of cultural industries in development, drug policy worldwide, cybersecurity, and more.

The United States did not send an official delegation to the forum.