multilateral
/mʌltɪˈlat(ə)r(ə)l
/adjective
1Agreed upon or participated in by three or more parties, especially the governments of different countries: multilateral negotiations multilateral nuclear disarmament...
- He was outlining our multilateral disarmament policy.
- The multilateral negotiations offer us the best opportunities as a trading nation.
- Our interests are best protected not by unilateral action but by multilateral agreement and a world order governed by rules.
1.1Having members or contributors from several groups, especially several different countries: multilateral aid agencies...
- It is not, and was never meant to be, a multilateral development aid agency for the poorer countries of Europe.
- It is a multilateral aid programme and operates on the basis of voluntary contributions pledged at irregular intervals.
- The first Chennai Water Supply Project, also funded by the multilateral agency, was completed six years ago.
Derivatives
multilaterally
- Indeed, the importance of the distinction between unilateral and multilateral is often overstated, since all countries pursue their interests both unilaterally and multilaterally.
- The six parties undertook to promote economic cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and investment, bilaterally and/or multilaterally.
- Western Europeans want to believe that all international disputes can be resolved amicably, or as they call it, diplomatically, and multilaterally.