OMM Redaksiyası
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the state of the world “is getting worse” as wars multiply and become more complex, saying divisions among major powers have paralysed the UN Security Council.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, ahead of his final address to the UN General Assembly as secretary-general, Guterres said the deadlock was leaving vulnerable populations in “very dramatic situations”, according to Al Jazeera.
He said the involvement of superpowers and key Security Council members in conflicts had contributed to repeated violations of international law and created an environment of impunity.
“That creates an environment of impunity, in which midsize powers believe that they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them,” Guterres said.
Wars are driving food and energy pressures
Guterres pointed to the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war and the US-Israel war on Iran, including restricted access to food, higher fuel prices and rising global inflation.
He said disruptions to food, fertiliser and energy exports through the Black Sea, combined with difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb, as well as attacks on oil facilities in several Middle Eastern countries, were having a “devastating impact” on economies worldwide.
While developed countries could eventually manage higher interest rates and fuel prices, people in developing nations were facing “a desperate situation” because of rising energy and food costs and shortages of fertiliser, he said.
Guterres calls for UN reform
Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal and UN high commissioner for refugees, has led the organisation since January 1, 2017. His mandate ends on December 31, 2026, and his successor has not yet been chosen.
He said the incoming secretary-general would take charge of an organisation facing multiple crises and in urgent need of reform to remain relevant on the global stage. Guterres said the Security Council “still essentially represents the world of World War II”.
Those being considered to replace him include International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall and Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Fernanda Espinosa.
A candidate must secure at least nine votes among the Security Council’s 15 members and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — before being put to a final vote in the General Assembly.
