Security Council ‘must spare no effort’ to unite and push for peace - Guterres
New York, US (PANA) - In a world where peace is “never automatic”, leadership is essential on the part of the UN Security Council which must find better ways to unite in the face of gridlock, the UN chief said on Wednesday.
Antonio Guterres was addressing a High-Level Debate in the Security Council on Leadership for Peace, designed to bolster support for the principles of the UN Charter and build on the call for reform contained in the ground-breaking Pact for the Future, adopted on Sunday.
In the face of deepening divisions and growing mistrust between nations, impunity is spreading along with “repeated violations” of international law and the Charter, the Secretary-General told world leaders and senior ministers in the Council chamber in New York.
“Leadership for peace means ensuring that the UN Security Council acts in a meaningful way to ease global tensions and help address the conflicts that are inflicting so much suffering around the world.”
“A united Council can make a tremendous difference for peace”, Mr. Guterres continued: “A divided Council cannot.”
He said it was “imperative” that in the light of the failure to act – due often to divisions between permanent members who wield veto power – members need to “spare no effort to work together to find common ground.”
He said despite inaction over wars in Gaza and Ukraine, there have been notable examples of effective unified action, from overseeing 11 UN peacekeeping operations involving some 70,000 personnel, to a landmark resolution which provides for African Union-led support operations.
These “prove that forging peace is possible”, including in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan”, the UN chief added.
“Our only hope for progress on peace is active collaboration and unity among Council members”, Mr. Guterres continued. “Today, I call on all members to live up to this great responsibility and to the promise of the UN Charter. Contribute to this Council’s success – not its diminishment.”
Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the Security Council’s success is measured by how it overcomes global divisions and the base definition of politics as one of “you are either with us or against us”.
Bridging these differences requires leadership, but, unfortunately, the collective inertia and acceptance of the current situation of emboldened warring parties flouting their legal obligations is setting a new threshold for placing humanity on a scale, disregarding the fact that all human lives have equal value.
International humanitarian law was created to move beyond division, paving the way from polarisation to peace. These laws – treaties your States created and ratified – compel restraint, she added.
“Under the Geneva Conventions, even your enemy must be treated with humanity,” she said. “[International humanitarian law] is not transactional. Let your military commanders understand this: wars can be fought and won while adhering to the letter and spirit of the law.”
While commending all Council members for recalling systematically to the parties in conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, she implored that “we must go beyond that and make sure that the true meaning is adhered to.”
This means taking all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm, not misrepresenting acceptable proportionality calculations and respecting the rules of war “even if your enemy does not”.
Inhumanity fuels violence while preserving humanity fosters de-escalation, she said, noting that States and militaries must fully integrate international humanitarian law into their defense strategies, not just for war, but to achieve victory that allows for long-term stability, she added.
-0- PANA MA 26Sept2024
