New York, September 21 – US President Joe Biden told the annual UN General Assembly session that Russia’s war in Ukraine is an affront to the world and called for reforming the UN Security Council in which Russia has veto power over decisions on global peace and security.
Biden delivered a strong condemnation of Russia, saying the country “is friend of no one” in the world and it has “shamelessly violated the core tenets of the UN Charter with its brutal, needless war” in Ukraine.
Biden’s speech captured the attention of the 193-nation assembly session with his strong condemnation of the war and determination to assist Ukraine. He said Russia’s nuclear threats against Europe is a “reckless disregard” for its own responsibilities as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
UN Security Council
Biden called for enlarging the membership of the UN Security Council, which currently has 15 countries, including Russia, the US, United Kingdom, France and China which are permanent members with veto power. Russia has vetoed resolutions that condemned its military invasion of Ukraine.
Biden said the council should be reformed to include countries from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Talks to reform the council have been going on for over two decades, but the issue of weakening the permanent members’ veto power has remained a stumbling block.
UN Charter and ideals in jeopardy, world divided by multiple crises
The assembly session opened its 77th session on September 21 dominated by the on-going war in Ukraine, conflicts in many countries, climate disasters and a worsening global economy.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the session saying that the world is in “rough seas” with global discontent this coming winter topped by a raging crisis of rising cost of living and other problems.
“The United Nations Charter (or constitution) and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy. We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age. These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of our planet.”
He said the “geopolitical divides” are undermining the work of the UN Security Council – the highest UN responsible for world peace and security – international law and people’s trust and faith in democratic institutions.
Most of the 193 UN member states are represented by their presidents and prime ministers in the largest in-person attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic break out. The exception is Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will deliver his address in a pre-recorded video.
The war in Ukraine, which started with Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year, remained a top concern. UN officials and some governments have accused Russia of violating the UN Charter, human rights of Ukrainians and committing war crimes.
French President Emmanuel Macron in his speech denounced the invasion, saying
“What we’ve seen since February 24 is a return to the age of imperialism and colonies. France rejects this. France, obstinately, will look for peace.”
Turkeye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who helped broker the deal to export Ukraine’s wheat and food stuffs through the Black Sea, said, “We need to find together a reasonable, just and viable diplomatic solution that will provide both sides the opportunity of an “honorable exit.”
He called for reforming the Security Council into “a more effective, democratic, transparent and accountable structure” by increasing the number of permanent members. “The world is bigger than five (permanent members). A fairer world is possible,” he said.
(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)
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