Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks to the UN Security Council open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security: practicing multilateralism, reforming and improving global governance, in New York today:
I thank Minister Wang Yi and China for convening this important discussion.
This year marks the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations. Born out of the ashes of the Second World War, our Organization was the result of a global commitment to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war".
It also signalled a commitment to an entirely new level of international cooperation grounded in international law and our founding Charter. To help countries move past the horrors of conflict to forge sustainable peace. To tackle poverty, hunger and disease. To assist countries in climbing the development ladder. To provide humanitarian support in times of conflict and disaster. To embed justice and fairness through international law and respect for human rights. And to work through this Council to push for peace through dialogue, debate, diplomacy and consensus-building.
Eight decades later, one can draw a direct line between the creation of the United Nations and the prevention of a third world war. Eight decades later, the United Nations remains the essential, one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights. But eight decades is a long time. And because we believe in the singular value and purpose of the United Nations, we must always strive to improve the institution and the way we work.
We have the hardware for international cooperation - but the software needs an update. An update in representation to reflect the realities of today. An update in support for developing countries to redress historical injustices. An update to ensure countries adhere to the purposes, principles and norms that ground multilateralism in justice and fairness. And an update to our peace operations.
Global solidarity and solutions are needed more than ever. The climate crisis is raging, inequalities are growing, and poverty is on the rise. As this Council knows well, peace is getting pushed further out of reach - from the Occupied Palestinian Territory to Ukraine to Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond.
Terrorism and violent extremism remain persistent scourges. We see a dark spirit of impunity spreading. The prospect of nuclear war remains - outrageously - a clear and present danger. And the limitless promise of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence is matched by limitless peril to undermine and even replace human thought, human identity and human control.
These global challenges cry out for multilateral solutions.
The Pact for the Future you adopted in September is aimed at strengthening global governance for the twenty-first century and rebuilding trust - trust in multilateralism, trust in the United Nations, and trust in this Council. At its heart, the Pact for the Future is a pact for peace - peace in all its dimensions.
It puts forward concrete solutions to strengthen the machinery of peace, drawing from proposals to the New Agenda for Peace that prioritize prevention, mediation and peacebuilding. The Pact seeks to advance coordination with regional organizations and ensure the full participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in peace processes. And it calls for strengthening the Peacebuilding Commission to mobilize political and financial support for nationally owned peacebuilding and prevention strategies.
The Pact also includes the first multilateral agreement on nuclear disarmament in more than a decade… New strategies to end the use of chemical and biological weapons… And revitalized efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space and advance discussions on lethal autonomous weapons.
It also calls on Member States to live up to their commitments enshrined in the UN Charter and the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the political independence of States.
It reaffirms unwavering commitment to abide by international law and prioritize the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue. It recognizes the role of the United Nations in preventive diplomacy. It reinforces the need to uphold all human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural. It calls for the meaningful inclusion of women and youth in all peace processes.
And it specifically calls on this Council to ensure that peace operations are guided by clear and sequenced mandates that are realistic and achievable - with viable exit strategies and transition plans.
But the Pact does even more for peace. It recognizes that we must address the root causes of conflict and tensions. Sustainable peace requires sustainable development. The Pact includes support for a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Stimulus to help developing countries invest in their people and tackle key challenges, like moving towards a future anchored in renewable energy.
It includes a revitalized commitment to reform the global financial architecture to better and more fairly represent the needs of developing countries. And it includes a Global Digital Compact that calls for an artificial intelligence governance body that brings developing countries to the decision-making table for the first time.
The Pact also recognizes that the Security Council must reflect the world of today, not the world of 80 years ago, and sets out important principles to guide this long-awaited reform. This Council should be enlarged and made more representative of today's geopolitical realities. And we must continue improving the working methods of this Council to make it more inclusive, transparent, efficient, democratic and accountable.
These issues have been under consideration by the General Assembly for more than a decade. Now is the time to build on the momentum provided by the Pact for the Future and work towards a greater consensus among regional groups and Member States - including the permanent members of this Council - to move the intergovernmental negotiations forward.
Throughout, I call on Members of this Council to overcome the divisions that are blocking effective action for peace. The world looks to you to act in meaningful ways to end conflicts and ease the suffering these wars inflict on innocent people.
Council Members have shown that finding common ground is possible. From deploying peacekeeping operations, to forging life-saving resolutions on humanitarian aid, to historic recognitions of the security challenges faced by women and young people, to the landmark resolution 2719 supporting African Union-led peace support operations through assessed contributions.
Even in the darkest days of the cold war, the collective decision-making and vigorous dialogue in this Council maintained a functioning, if imperfect, system of collective security. I urge you to summon this same spirit, continue working to overcome differences and focus on building the consensus required to deliver the peace all people need and deserve.
Multilateral cooperation is the beating heart of the United Nations. Guided by the solutions in the Pact for the Future, multilateralism can also become an even more powerful instrument of peace. But multilateralism is only as strong as each and every country's commitment to it.
As we look to the challenges around us, I urge all Member States to continue strengthening and updating our global problem-solving mechanisms. Let's make them fit for purpose - fit for people - and fit for peace.
