António Guterres spoke at a press conference on the final day of an official visit to Japan, marking 70 years of cooperation with the UN, and highlighted the importance of partnership in a world “shaken by conflict, climate chaos and inequality.”
He noted how rising inflation and a deepening cost of living crisis are being worsened by ongoing unrest in the Middle East, which has led to “skyrocketing” prices for energy and raw materials, including fertilizers.
Defend freedom of navigation
“It is essential to immediately restore freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz, and end all violations of the ceasefire and create the conditions for a political solution to the conflict,” he said.
The Secretary-General said mistrust and geopolitical divisions are blocking effective solutions.
“Countries are violating international law with impunity,” he said. “Military spending is outpacing aid spending, while funding cuts have devastating consequences for the world’s most vulnerable people.”
The UN Secretary General regularly addresses the Security Council. (pictured)
Security Council Reform
In his wide-ranging remarks, Guterres reiterated his long-standing call to reform outdated international institutions.
“The global problem-solving architecture – in particular, the UN Security Council and global financial institutions – are They are not as effective as they should be in this difficult time.“, said.
He stressed that “the most important reform that needs to be established is the reform of the UN Security Council.”
‘Serious legitimacy problem’
The Council is made up of five permanent members (China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia, who have veto rights) and 10 non-permanent members who are elected for two-year terms.
He called for expanding the number of permanent members, noting that only one Asian country is included when the continent contains half the world’s population, while no African or Latin American country is represented.
“This is a serious problem of legitimacy and inefficiency.“And it is absolutely essential to increase the number of permanent members and increase the number of non-permanent members so that the Security Council corresponds to today’s world, to the realities of today’s world,” he said.
Guterres also stressed the need for “a multilateral system that is fairer, more capable of continuing to uphold international law and hold countries accountable to it.”
He also defended the UN as “the essential and unique meeting place to promote peace, sustainable development and human rights”, but said the organization is only as strong as the member states’ commitment to it.
Set a ‘bad example’
The Secretary-General was asked whether international institutions such as the United Nations can prevent conflict.
He responded that “it is not multilateralism that is in crisis,” pointing out “the behavior of superpowers that violate international law, that sometimes create conflicts themselves and that use their veto power in the Security Council to guarantee their impunity.”
This makes it “very difficult for the United Nations Secretariat to contain the dramatic increase in the number of conflicts around the world,” he said.
“Because When the bad example comes from the superpowers, other medium powers around the world think they can do whatever they want.without any punishment,” he continued.
“And you see what’s happening in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), you see what’s happening in Sudan. You see what’s happening in the Horn of Africa.”
The Secretary-General said that “it is clear that we now have a number of powers that have permanent external interference within countries in conflict, which makes it extremely difficult for us to prevent and mediate conflicts”, thus underlining the importance of Security Council reform.