World leaders on Thursday, the third day of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, stressed the central role of the United Nations and the need to reform the organization to make it fit for purpose.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the principles of the UN Charter have a bearing on the survival of human civilization.
“I want to raise the voice on behalf of my country, but also on behalf of those who today, 78 years after the establishment of the United Nations, truly and equally believe that the principles of the UN Charter are the only substantial defense of the world peace, right to freedom and independence of nations and countries,” he said. “But more than that, they are the pledge of the mere survival of the human civilization.”
A new global wave of wars and violence that are impacting the foundations of international security is a painful consequence whose cause lies in abandoning the principles envisaged in the UN Charter, he said.
When big powers bend the principles, when there is no morality in world politics, it is clear that humanity is about to enter an era of big divisions and big conflicts, he warned.
“And precisely in this difficult situation, the United Nations is the last substantial platform that brings us all together, regardless of all our differences and divisions. I believe that the commitment to peace and development, the desire to resolve disputes through dialogue, to find common ways to end human suffering, and to ensure a more prosperous and stable future is precisely what unites us,” said Vucic.
“For the preservation of global peace so that we all do not disappear in a Darwinist conflict led by great powers, it is necessary to join our forces, just like 78 years ago, in a common fight for an international order based on the UN Charter,” he said.