Addressing a Council meeting on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security, UN Secretary-General – António Guterres said for 8 decades, rule of law has helped humanity avoid the third world war and is the human toll in countless smaller conflicts.
The founder of this UN organization understood that global problems can only be solved by not wielding weapons of war but instead by maximizing diplomacy’s tools in which supported by a system based on international law, by dialogue not on zero-sum rhetoric of division, by collaboration and certainly not by geopolitical competition.
The fact now unfortunately shows that around the world, the rule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle,” denouncing “flagrant violations of international law and brazen disregard for the UN Charter.” The Secretary-General said, “from Gaza to Ukraine, and around the world, the rule of law is being treated as an à la carte menu. We see States flouting the rule of law with impunity; through the illegal use of force, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, human rights violations and abuses, the illegal development of nuclear weapons, unconstitutional changes of government, and denial of lifesaving humanitarian aid.” These violations set dangerous precedents, encouraging other countries to do what they want, instead of what they are required to do under international law.
UN chief stressed that United Nations Security Council stands alone in its Charter-mandated authority to act on behalf of all Member States on questions of peace and security and stressed that no other body or ad-hoc coalition can legally require all Member States to comply with decisions on peace and security. Security Council alone adopts decisions binding on all and only the Security Council can authorize the use of force under international law, as set out in the Charter.
Related Link:
Rule of Law: Corner stone of Intl. Peace and Security – UN Chief | United Nations
