United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has criticized the presence of global powers that violate international law within the Security Council. He emphasized that reforming the 15-member body should be regarded as an “absolute priority.” Guterres’ remarks come amid ongoing discussions about the effectiveness and legitimacy of the Security Council in addressing contemporary global challenges.
And if there are two multilateral institutions where this reform is essential, it’s the Security Council and the Bretton Woods system,” he said, referring to the 1944 agreement heralding a new international monetary system in which the external values of foreign currencies were fixed in relation to the US dollar.
And that has been paralysing the Security Council, as we know,” Guterres told reporters Wednesday. “That impunity has created this environment in which we see more and more countries violating international law”, international humanitarian law and human rights law, and “doing it in total impunity. And the question is that the way power is distributed and power is used in our world does not allow multilateral institutions to act effectively,” he said.
“Well, let’s be clear. We have geopolitical divides, and in these geopolitical divides, we have powers that themselves violate international law and sit in the Security Council. “That is why the reform of the Security Council must be an absolute priority. “And let’s be clear. The question is a question of power. “And one thing that is essential in this redistribution of power is the reform of multilateral institutions.
It is unacceptable to have a Security Council with a composition that reflects the world of many decades ago instead of reflecting today’s world.
The week-long General Debate, which will bring Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers, leaders and envoys from around the world to the UN Headquarters, commences on September 22, when US President Donald Trump will address world leaders from the iconic green podium in the UNGA Hall.
When asked what the one lesson he would take away from his last 10 years as the world’s top diplomat is, Guterres said “The lesson that I would take away is that when we have a world that is becoming more and more multipolar, it is essential to reform the multilateral institutions to be able to make those institutions effective in relation to the promotion of peace, development, and human rights that are the three pillars of the UN.”
