MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) - The UN remains the central element of international life, but its principle of universality has been seriously undermined, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov said as he addressed the plenary meeting of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 27 September, BelTA has learned.
This year, the United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary. The UN was created by the victors of the bloody war, and Belarus was among the founding members, a country where every third person was killed, tortured, or burned.
“Throughout all these years, the Belarusian delegation has been one of the most reliable supporters of strengthening the organization's foundations, initiating the boldest peace-loving initiatives forged throughout history. Therefore, we have the right to speak directly about what our organization has achieved by its anniversary,” Maxim Ryzhenkov said.
In his speech, he highlighted several key points. First, the minister emphasized, it is undeniable that the UN remains the central element of international life. This is possible due to its unquestionable legitimacy, universal membership, and comprehensive agenda. “However, we observe that the principle of universality has been seriously undermined, especially in the last decade. By those who persistently try to turn the UN into an instrument for realizing their own interests, which runs contrary to the aspirations of all humanity,” the Belarusian top diplomat said.
“Secondly, it is true that the UN is preventing the planet from sliding into a new world war. Its key mechanism, the Security Council, allows great powers to discuss matters of war and peace at the table, rather than on the battlefield. However, unfortunately, this body is being used less and less. Its influence on world affairs is not what it used to be. And, let's be frank, the UN has proven incapable of preventing many bloody regional conflicts of our time. And this trend is only increasing,” Maxim Ryzhenkov said.
“Thirdly,” he noted, “a vast network of international structures has been established under the auspices of the UN, and numerous legal documents have been developed. This infrastructure ostensibly provides the means for effective cooperation across the entire spectrum of human activity. But if you look closely, only a few of the UN structures remain truly functional. They are the ones actually fulfilling their mandates. Why is this? This is obvious. The organization must keep pace with the times. This necessitates reform, first and foremost of the UN Security Council. I am referring, among other things, to expanding the category of permanent members to include developing countries from Africa, Latin America, and Asia," the diplomat explained.
“The fourth problem is that the UN has become highly instrumentalized. And the actions of the United States to reduce its support for the UN are a very troubling signal,” Maxim Ryzhenkov noted.
This year, the United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary. The UN was created by the victors of the bloody war, and Belarus was among the founding members, a country where every third person was killed, tortured, or burned.
“Throughout all these years, the Belarusian delegation has been one of the most reliable supporters of strengthening the organization's foundations, initiating the boldest peace-loving initiatives forged throughout history. Therefore, we have the right to speak directly about what our organization has achieved by its anniversary,” Maxim Ryzhenkov said.
In his speech, he highlighted several key points. First, the minister emphasized, it is undeniable that the UN remains the central element of international life. This is possible due to its unquestionable legitimacy, universal membership, and comprehensive agenda. “However, we observe that the principle of universality has been seriously undermined, especially in the last decade. By those who persistently try to turn the UN into an instrument for realizing their own interests, which runs contrary to the aspirations of all humanity,” the Belarusian top diplomat said.
“Secondly, it is true that the UN is preventing the planet from sliding into a new world war. Its key mechanism, the Security Council, allows great powers to discuss matters of war and peace at the table, rather than on the battlefield. However, unfortunately, this body is being used less and less. Its influence on world affairs is not what it used to be. And, let's be frank, the UN has proven incapable of preventing many bloody regional conflicts of our time. And this trend is only increasing,” Maxim Ryzhenkov said.
“Thirdly,” he noted, “a vast network of international structures has been established under the auspices of the UN, and numerous legal documents have been developed. This infrastructure ostensibly provides the means for effective cooperation across the entire spectrum of human activity. But if you look closely, only a few of the UN structures remain truly functional. They are the ones actually fulfilling their mandates. Why is this? This is obvious. The organization must keep pace with the times. This necessitates reform, first and foremost of the UN Security Council. I am referring, among other things, to expanding the category of permanent members to include developing countries from Africa, Latin America, and Asia," the diplomat explained.
Maxim Ryzhenkov pointed out that over eight decades, the membership of the organization has multiplied, and many states that were not even on the world map when the UN was founded want their opinions and voices to be taken into account.
“And they have the right to this, as they are now important political and economic actors. They rightly expect the UN to work in the interests of all its members and to strengthen cooperation among them, rather than being a tool for manipulation by individual countries, including for settling scores with other states,” the minister stated.
“And they have the right to this, as they are now important political and economic actors. They rightly expect the UN to work in the interests of all its members and to strengthen cooperation among them, rather than being a tool for manipulation by individual countries, including for settling scores with other states,” the minister stated.
“The fourth problem is that the UN has become highly instrumentalized. And the actions of the United States to reduce its support for the UN are a very troubling signal,” Maxim Ryzhenkov noted.
“If the organization can renew itself along with the times and serve as an impartial forum, it will be needed by all: the strong and the weak, the developed and the developing. Otherwise, it will face the fate of the League of Nations. Belarus does not want this, as it currently sees no alternative to the UN. This is precisely why we are speaking sincerely today about these institutional problems: in order to understand their nature and correct them,” the Belarusian top diplomat said.
Screengrab/un.org
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