The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to pursue peace and uphold international law at a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday.
The secretary-general expressed significant concern about disregard for and violation of international law globally, citing conflict “from Gaza to Ukraine, from the Sahel to Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar, and many other parts of the world.” He focused particularly on Gaza, describing it as a “horror show…with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.”
Guterres cited Action 16 of the Pact for the Future, adopted last year by the General Assembly, as an example of how members should work to end conflict. Action 16 prescribes “preventive diplomacy, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the importance of dialogue between States.” He further emphasized states’ obligations under Article 2.3 of the UN Charter, which states that “All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.”
The UN has recently criticized Israel’s actions towards UN humanitarian personnel in the Gaza Strip. A compound of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Deir Al-Balah was repeatedly targeted by the Israeli military on July 21, and staff have been “collapsing from hunger and extreme exhaustion” due to the difficulty of finding food. Guterres also condemned an artillery strike on a Catholic church in Gaza on July 17.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN. The UN was established in 1945 through the UN Charter, including the creation of the Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining “international peace and security.” The Council has five permanent members (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members (presently Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia). Pakistan currently holds the presidency of the Council.
