UN Chief: Rule of Law Risks Becoming ‘State of Lawlessness’

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the rule of law is at serious risk of becoming “the state of lawlessness,” pointing to a series of wrongdoing around the world since Russia’s invasion. Ukraine and coups in Africa. Sahel region to North Korea’s illegal nuclear weapons program and Afghanistan’s unprecedented attacks on the rights of women and girls.

The UN chief also cited as examples the breakdown of the rule of law in Myanmar since the military toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, sparking “a cycle of violence, repression and gross violations of human rights,” and the weak rule of law in Haiti, which is beset by widespread rights abuses, rising crime rates, corruption, and transnational crime.

“From the smallest town to the world stage, the rule of law is everything that stands between peace and stability and a brutal struggle for power and resources,” Guterres told the UN Security Council.

However, the Secretary General lamented that in all regions of the world civilians are suffering the effects of conflicts, killings, increasing poverty and hunger, while countries continue to “disobey international law with impunity”, including through the illegal use of force and the development of nuclear weapons.

As an example of the violation of the rule of law, Guterres first pointed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The Ukraine conflict has created “a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe, traumatized a generation of children and accelerated the global food and energy crisis,” the secretary-general said. And referring to Russia’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine at the end of September, as well as its annexation of Crimea in 2014, he said that any annexation resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the UN Charter. and international law.

The UN chief then condemned unlawful killings and extremist acts against Palestinians and Israelis in 2022, saying Israel’s settlement expansion, which the UN has repeatedly denounced as a violation of international law, “is generating anger and despair.”

Guterres said he is “very concerned” about unilateral moves in recent days by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new conservative government, which is pursuing an ultranationalist agenda that could threaten a two-state solution.

“The rule of law is at the center of achieving a just and comprehensive peace, based on a two-state solution, in line with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements,” he stressed.

More generally, the secretary-general said that the rule of law is the foundation of the United Nations and is key to its efforts to find peaceful solutions to these conflicts and other crises.

He urged the 193 UN member states to uphold “the vision and values” of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, comply with international law and settle disputes peacefully.

The council meeting on strengthening the rule of law, chaired by Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, whose country decided on the issue, sparked clashes, especially over the war in Ukraine, between Russia and Western supporters of the government. from Kyiv. Nearly 80 countries spoke.

“Today we are beset by aggressive warfare in Europe and conflicts, violence, terrorism and geopolitical tensions, ranging from Africa to the Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific,” Hayashi said.

“We, the member states, must unite for the rule of law and cooperate with each other to deal with violations of the Charter, such as aggression” and “the forcible acquisition of territory by a member state,” he said in a statement. Clear. reference to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council “an unwavering commitment” to the United States and a fundamental principle of the United Nations is that “no person, no prime minister or president, no state or country is above the law”.

Despite “unmatched” progress towards peace and prosperity since the UN was founded on the ashes of World War II, he said some countries are failing in their commitment to the principles of the UN Charter – “the most obvious example” Russia – or are they “allowing rule-breakers to continue without being held accountable”.

Thomas-Greenfield called for accountability for those who fail to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, human rights and fundamental freedoms and named the Taliban rulers of Russia, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, Belarus, Cuba, Sudan and Afghanistan.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the West of using the council meeting “to sell the narrative about Russia’s apparent responsibility for causing threats to international peace and security, while ignoring its own violations.” atrocious”.

He said that prior to February 24, “international law was repeatedly flouted,” claiming that the roots of the current situation “lie in Washington’s astonishing desire to play a role of global policeman.”

Nebenzia pointed to numerous cases, including the NATO bombings in the former Yugoslavia and Libya, the US-led invasion of Iraq “using a false pretext” of the presence of weapons of mass destruction, the “war on terror” in Afghanistan, and blamed the West for what Moscow calls the current “special military operation.”

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said “it is very black and white” that Russia is responsible for crimes in Ukraine and must be held accountable.

He also warned the Security Council: “The law of force that Russia has been practicing barbarically today on Ukraine gives a very clear signal to everyone in this room: no one is safe anymore.”

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