Guterres calls for new global order that works for all
Munich, Germany (PANA) - Global governance in its present form is entrenching divisions and fuelling discontent, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday.
“Our world is facing existential challenges, but the global community is more fragmented and divided than at any time during the past 75 years,” he said, highlighting the need for “a global order that works for everyone”.
Mr. Guterres said if countries fulfilled their obligations under the UN Charter, every person on earth would live in peace and dignity.
However, governments are ignoring these commitments and millions of civilians are paying a terrible price, with record numbers forced to flee.
Addressing the conflict in Gaza, he said nothing can justify the unconscionable attacks launched on 7 October, and nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Israel’s military response.
“The situation in Gaza is an appalling indictment of the deadlock in global relations,” he said. “The level of death and destruction is shocking in itself. The war is also spilling over borders across the region and affecting global trade.”
With the humanitarian response “now on life support”, he warned that an all-out offensive on the city of Rafah – the core of the humanitarian aid operation in Gaza, and where nearly half the population is now sheltering – would be devastating for civilians already on the edge of survival.
“I have repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a humanitarian ceasefire. That is the only way to massively scale up aid delivery in Gaza,” he said.
Furthermore, the war triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine two years ago “in clear violation of the UN Charter” has no place in 21st century Europe. The suffering and loss of lives has been appalling, while the impact on the global economy has been devastating, particularly for developing countries.
“We desperately need a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine, for Russia, and for the world. A peace in line with the UN Charter and international law, which establishes the obligation to respect the territorial integrity of sovereign States,” he said.
But beyond these and other immediate crises, the international community must strengthen the global peace and security architecture to address threats and challenges that were inconceivable when the UN Charter was drafted, such as the climate crisis, Artificial Intelligence or cyberweapons.
Mr. Guterres pointed to his New Agenda for Peace, launched last July, which aims to update global collective security systems through what he has called “a more networked and inclusive multilateralism”.
Recommendations include reforming the UN Security Council, recommitting to eliminate nuclear weapons, and giving greater emphasis to the role of sustainable development and climate action in preventing conflict.
The New Agenda for Peace will be discussed at the Summit of the Future, to be held in September at UN Headquarters in New York.
The UN chief said the international community should work for just solutions based on justice.
“There is always an opportunity to create a more inclusive, comprehensive, and effective global order that works for everyone.”
-0- PANA MA 16Feb2024
