Guatemalan leader takes swipe at UN Security Council vetoes
President Bernardo Arevalo expressed a sentiment felt by many smaller UN member states when it comes to the Security Council.
Currently, only five countries – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – are able to veto resolutions on the 15-member panel, often leaving it hamstrung. The US has repeatedly used its power to shield Israel, while Russia has used the veto to block condemnation of its actions in Ukraine.
Arevalo said those who carry the veto power use it to “avoid decisions taken that are hard hitting against those states which repeatedly violate the charter of [the UN]”.
“Let us recall to the members of the Security Council that it is their primary responsibility to maintain international peace and international security, and that in the performance of its functions, it must proceed according to the purposes and principles of the United Nations,” he said.
Arevalo also condemned what he described as the degradation of democracy in Nicaragua and Venezuela and promised to support to crisis-wracked Haiti.
He also said the root causes of migration and climate change need to be addressed and “reaffirmed commitment” to resolving an ongoing border dispute with neighbouring Belize at the UN’s top court.
Ceasefire resolutions on Gaza, Sudan must be ‘implemented and upheld’: Swiss president
Viola Amherd said the protection of civilians in conflict “must be granted more importance” by both the Security Council and wider General Assembly.
“Not only are people and civilian infrastructure insufficiently protected, but they are coming under repeated attack, we can see violations of international humanitarian law in Myanmar, in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and in Sudan,” Switzerland’s president said.
She pointed to ceasefire resolutions that have been passed by the UNGA for both Gaza and Sudan.
“There is an urgent need for these resolutions to be implemented and upheld,” she said.
‘When Gaza dies, humanity will die’: Colombia president
Colombia’s first leftist president says only the voices of the most powerful countries are heard on the international stage.
“The power to destroy life is the power that allows voices to reverberate throughout United Nations,” Gustavo Petro said, equating influence at the organisation to military might.
“We speak here, but we’re not listened to,” Petro added, decrying the influence of the wealthy over conflict, climate change, and inequality.
This is particularly felt when it comes to Israel’s war on Gaza – and the political cover offered by some powerful countries, he said.
“When Gaza dies, humanity will die,” Petro said. “The whole of humanity. [Israeli President Benjamin] Netanyahu, as a criminal, is letting those bombs rain down on Gaza.”
