Staunch Commitment to Conflict Prevention Key to Tackling Evolving Global Security Needs, Secretary-General Tells General Assembly

Keeping pace with the evolving security landscape was a collective responsibility that required a staunch commitment to conflict prevention — through building capacities, investing resources, and above all, heeding the call of the United Nations Charter to “unite in strength”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, opening a high-level thematic debate in the General Assembly.

Held on the theme, “Maintenance of international peace and security”, the meeting explored lessons learned over the past 70 years, took stock of current challenges and offered an opportunity to recommit to the Organization’s founding spirit.

“This is the spirit we must summon today,” Mr. Ban said.  Amid new challenges of climate change, cybercrime and pandemics, as well as seismic trends such as globalization and migration, too many people continued to suffer: from war, political oppression and human rights violations.  Violence had erupted in places long considered stable.  United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions numbered an unprecedented 128,000 people.

In many respects, he noted, “the world is shifting beneath our feet.  Yet the Charter remains a firm foundation for shared progress.”  In the coming months, he would present a plan to bolster work to prevent violent extremism.  The World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 would be another opportunity to reinforce work to save lives.

In such efforts, he called for a greater emphasis on prevention, mediation and peaceful conflict resolution, as well as enhanced peacebuilding and focus on the root causes of conflict.  Adequate resources were needed.  Urging the Assembly to act on his report on future peace operations, he said the Security Council and Assembly were meant to overcome their differences, motivated by the greater good.  “We must do better in meeting this noble standard,” he stated.

General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft (Denmark) said the United Nations had more to learn — and to do — in order to fulfil its mandate.  Conflict prevention was by far the best investment in peace and security.  Mediation and use of good offices were essential.

For its part, the Assembly would hold a high-level thematic debate on 12 October on the Secretary-General’s High-Level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, he said.  Similarly, to advance synergies among the three ongoing reviews — on peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and women, peace and security — and to exchange views on the Organization’s related performance, the Assembly would hold a high-level thematic debate on 10 and 11 May 2016.

A United Nations that was fit for purpose was the common interest, he said, and States must ensure that the Organization responded in a timely, well calibrated manner.  That required a sustainable budgetary framework for the special political missions and a focus on Security Council reform.

It also required better coordination among the Organization’s three pillars, he emphasized.  The concern for peace, security, human rights and development must find its expression in how the United Nations responded to the current refugee crisis.  He would convene an Assembly meeting to address some of the challenges in that area.  “On this anniversary year, we can and we must move closer to the vision of the United Nations Charter,” he asserted.

Rounding out the opening remarks, Kevin Rudd, Chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, said history was littered with the carcases of global organizations aimed at preserving the peace of their times.  Few, if any, had lasted as long as the United Nations.

Syria, he said, was a sorry tale of cascading failures that did not prevent civil war and the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  The scale of humanitarian assistance required to address refugees had not been anticipated and burden-sharing when refugee crises arose had not been agreed upon.  Across all policy domains, mediation and prevention must be brought back to the core of maintaining international peace and security.

He cautioned against a “learned helplessness” in heeding calls perceived as too great, and instead, urged looking at how to reshape institutions.  “Our forebearers managed to push through the cynicism barrier,” he said, “as we must today”.

In the ensuing debate, senior Government officials agreed cooperation was vital to tackling twenty-first century security challenges.  The line between traditional and emerging challenges had been blurred.  The security landscape had changed — some argued for the worse — amid the meteoric rise of groups such as ISIL and Boko Haram, increased maritime insecurity and transnational organized crime.  All means must be explored for tackling them.

The first focus should be on a reformed United Nations, speakers said, with a responsive Security Council that reflected current geopolitical realities.  M. Javad Zarif, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, said it should expand proportionally to the number of developing countries in the General Assembly, in line with the principle of sovereign equality.

Didier Reynders, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium, voiced support for France’s initiative to limit the Council’s veto use in mass atrocity cases.  Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, added her support for a proposed code of conduct for the Council when dealing with genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.

The Council had a moral duty to act, added Matthew Rycroft (United Kingdom).  Too many vetoes had been used to prevent credible action.  “Those vetoes stay in the reputation of the Council and the entire United Nations,” he stressed.

Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, one of the largest troop contributors over the decades, said reform of the Council had a direct bearing on its relationship with the Assembly.

Other speakers focused on partnerships.  Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, said the United Nations’ cooperation with regional and subregional organizations must be institutionalized as those groups were increasingly the first responders to conflict.  The Organization also must define burden-sharing and adequate financing for them to respond.

Broadly agreeing, Aminu Wali, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, said regional organizations were a bridge between the national and global dimensions of conflict.  They had a deeper understanding of the sensitivities of local actors, and of the dynamics and root causes of local disputes.  That was crucial for devising mediation strategies.  In addition, the life-saving work of Médecins Sans Frontières in rolling back Ebola had shown the important role of non-governmental organizations in a “measured” security architecture.

Alain Le Roy, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service of the European Union, said 17 European Union crisis missions had been deployed — six military and 11 civilian — in support of the United Nations.  The Union had agreed to increase its African peace facility from 750 to 900 million euros for the 2014-2016 period, funding that must be underpinned by development.

Defining principles that should reinforce partnership with the United Nations, Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, cited collective security in the context of the Charter, support for African ownership, enhanced partnerships on decision making, mutual respect and division of labour.  That Africa did not have permanent membership on the Council was a “stark reminder” of the unbalanced system in place for 70 years.

Further speakers underscored the importance of the women’s peace and security agenda, arguing that women must be more involved in decision-making.  Pekka Haavisto, Special Representative of Finland, said women were essential for maintaining peace and building prosperous societies.

The question of whether the essence of the Charter was being upheld arose throughout the day, with many calling it the most important source of international law.  Yet, said Piotr Ilichev of the Russian Federation, there had been violations: the bombing of Serbia, occupation of Iraq and the flagrant manipulation that was causing destruction in Syria.  “Closing our eyes to unilateral actions has led to chaos and a fertile breeding ground for extremism,” he said.

On that point, Louay Falouh, of Syria warned about “certain Member States” changing the wording of Article 21 to justify their interference in sovereign countries.  Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia said the Russian Federation had been aggressive in the Caucasus Mountains region, while Sergiy Kyslytsya, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said one of the founding five countries had shown “real aggression” toward his country.

Despite those events, said Lundeg Purevsuren, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, adherence was essential.  The Charter embodied a delicate balance of States’ interests.  “It is the ultimate guarantee of the security of all nations”, he said.

The Prime Minister of Slovenia also spoke in today’s debate.

Also participating in the meeting were Ministers and other representatives of Denmark, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Finland, Nigeria, Brazil, Italy, Turkey, Viet Nam, Norway, United Republic of Tanzania, Maldives, Panama, China, Mexico, Republic of Korea, India, United States, Namibia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Japan and Israel.

The Executive-Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also spoke.