[…] He (Gueterres) then turned to multilateral cooperation, which he called the “beating heart of the United Nations; its raison d’être and guiding vision”. The Organization’s establishment in 1945 represented humanity’s best attempt to prevent any repetition of the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust, he said. The multilateral system has held together and delivered some notable successes while the tools and mechanisms established by the Charter of the United Nations have played their part in averting a third world war. Much of the world’s progress on many issues, from peacekeeping operations to disarmament and non-proliferation efforts to coordinated global humanitarian efforts, would not have been possible without countries standing together as a multilateral human family. Yet the multilateral system is under greater strain than at any time since the United Nations was created, and tensions between major Powers are at an historic high. […]
Speaking in his national capacity, Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Council President for April, said that the United Nations-centred global system is now “enduring a profound crisis”. The root cause of this is certain Member States’ desire to replace international law and the Charter of the United Nations with a “rules-based order”. Such rules were crafted and applied to counter the natural process of establishing new, independent development centres. The West continues its attempts to deter such formation with illegitimate unilateral measures. He later underscored that the Ukrainian issue cannot be considered separately from the geopolitical context. […]
The representative of the United States said today’s meeting is on a serious topic, even if it was convened by a Council member whose actions show a blatant disregard for the Charter. The world needs an effective United Nations and international multilateral system. The Russian Federation’s invasion of its neighbour runs counter to the Organization’s most fundamental principles and it is trying to redraw international borders by force in violation of the Charter. This should concern everyone as “today is the Ukraine, tomorrow it could be another country.” She agreed that the Council must better reflect today’s global realities and find viable paths for the twenty-first century. “We must rally behind the UN Charter,” she said. […]
Several delegates criticized the expanding use of unilateral coercive measures, and other selective uses of international law, as serious threats to international cooperation, peace and security. The representative of Iran, for example, said these measures are a concerning example of harmful unilateral acts that run counter to the fundamental principles of international law, the Charter and basic human rights. “These illegal measures have far-reaching humanitarian consequences and can undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving disputes and promoting cooperation,” he said.
Venezuela’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, noted ongoing attempts to divide the world into blocs, with a growing resort to unilateralism in the illegal application of unilateral coercive measures against more than 30 countries. These so-called sanctions, a new form of pretended domination and neo-colonialism, have become the preferred tool of certain Governments to exert pressure while generating untold suffering on entire peoples. Läs referaret
