Every year, during September, world leaders from the 197 UN member countries gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session to deliver finely crafted speeches, meticulously prepared by their foreign affairs offices.
These speeches, shaped by diplomatic obligations and protocols, reflect noble aspirations for a world free from hunger, war, disease, illiteracy, inflation, and the ravages of climate change. Almost every leader speaks of peace, unity, and progress, stressing the elusive pursuit of global harmony.
Yet, these ideals often clash with the harsh realities of the world they claim to represent, while they themselves travel in luxury, stay in splendid hotels, and are dressed in expensive outfits. They remain far removed from the reality of the suffering masses for whom they speak.
This year’s theme - “Leaving no one behind - Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations” - is undeniably noble and grandiose.
It reflects what should be the dream and aspiration of every free person in the world. Yet, the stark contrast between these speeches and the situations of the world’s most vulnerable populations, particularly in Ukraine and Gaza, exposes a deep chasm between rhetoric and reality.
The helpless people here have been far left behind. Their peace has been snatched away and stolen by war criminals and warmongers. Their rights and dignity are being trampled upon, especially in Gaza, where the besieged and unarmed civilians, surrounded by lethal tanks at every street, corner, and crossing, are being ruthlessly butchered, and where the treads of tanks are crushing innocent civilians. Women and children are perishing from rockets, bullets, hunger, heat, disease, and stinking trash.
While we optimistically wish to achieve these lofty ideals, they seem increasingly distant and unattainable. In a world torn apart by deadly conflicts - raging in Ukraine, Gaza, and beyond - world leaders gathered to speak of peace.
US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky all emphasized the importance of peace, albeit from vastly different perspectives.
However, the Israeli prime minister’s speech was notably aggressive, reflecting military preferences and incursions over diplomacy. His reluctance toward peace initiatives was visible, with deep concern, as shortly after his speech, the world witnessed Beirut in flames, highlighting the fragility of peace in the volatile Middle East.
In the backdrop of unilateral Israeli aggression and Lebanon’s sovereignty being trampled, the Middle East teeters on the brink of a new deadly wave of war. The region seems poised for a socioeconomic nosedive, with deadly flames threatening to engulf it.
Preferring bombs over diplomacy and peaceful pursuits is very dangerous and does not augur well for peace. It is very ironic and troubling for the peace-loving people that the US, on the day Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UNGA, approved $7.5 billion in arms meant for Israel to kill and destroy world peace.
Together with powerful and mighty America, chances and prospects for peace are bulldozed and buried under false arrogance and grandiosity. Israel is being allowed to build its grand empire on corpses, human suffering, and rubble rather than peace, diplomacy, and the peaceful pursuit of its objectives.
This aggressive stance underscores the grim reality: while peace is spoken of on global platforms, it remains a rare, elusive, and distant ideal in many parts of the world.
Indeed, in a world ravaged by wars, conflicts, and disputes, peace is the rarest commodity. It is much discussed, portrayed as a priority, but too often, peace remains a victim of empty rhetoric.
It is assaulted time and again without any meaningful action to be protected, adhered to, or achieved. Can we fathom how many countries are currently engulfed in wars and deadly disputes driven by political, ethnic, and religious polarization, crying out for peace? From Gaza to Lebanon, Ukraine to Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Mali, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Mexico, Colombia, and Libya - these regions are beset by relentless violence and internal strife.
They cry out for peace; their people are suffering under the weight of war, violence, and internal strife. The devastation in Ukraine and Gaza is particularly catastrophic. Yet, the verbose debates at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) seem to have no real impact on the aggressors, the enemies of peace, or the weapons and oil mafias fueling strife and chaos for profit.
The UNGA has increasingly become a stage for hollow speeches, where world leaders highlight the challenges their nations face, but their words often ring empty.
The real power at the UN lies not with the General Assembly but with the Security Council, where five permanent members - the U.S., Russia, China, the UK, and France - hold veto powers.
This arbitrary, absolute, dictatorial, and authoritarian veto power is the greatest impediment to world peace and development. It is ironic that the global conscience and collective voice is held hostage by a few wielders of this blind, overriding power.
Take Russia, for example. As an aggressor in the Ukraine conflict, it holds the power to veto any resolution that seeks to condemn its actions. The aggressor, guilty of war crimes, can block efforts to hold itself accountable.
What a glaring contradiction! Similarly, since October 7th, Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been suffering under brutal attacks. Thousands of unarmed civilians - men, women, elderly persons, and children - have been mercilessly butchered.
Yet, when the world condemns Israel’s aggression and the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly calls for a ceasefire, it is the United States - Israel’s chief patron - that uses its veto power to shield Israel from international condemnation and block peace efforts.
Even the flow of essential humanitarian aid has been denied through the coercive use of the veto by the US. By doing so, the US - a self-proclaimed champion of democracy, enlightenment, inclusivity, and human rights - becomes complicit in the ongoing war crimes and massacre of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of Gaza’s future and children’s education.
In the face of these grim realities and to keep pace with a fast-changing world, it is imperative that the UN undergoes urgent reforms; its founding charter needs to be amended through a universal vote at UNGA.
Several world leaders used their speeches to criticize the UN’s failure to address and resolve global disputes. The accumulation of unresolved conflicts surely calls for immediate reforms. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva notably called for the abolition of the veto power, advocating for a democratic and representative UN.
The Security Council, in particular, must be reformed to eliminate the arbitrary, dictatorial veto power, which is frequently used by World War II victors - the US and Russian (the then Soviet Union).
Rather than strengthening the UN, these powers have jeopardized peace efforts and muzzled the voice of the people - the real masters and owners of the planet’s resources. The unchecked right to reject majority decisions at the UNSC has undermined the organization’s effectiveness, relevance, and credibility.
Veto power is highly controversial and has not worked towards world stability; it has been seen as a stumbling block to inaction over war crimes, massacres, and massive human rights violations. It is the General Assembly, the chief organ of the UN, that represents all 197 members, and it should be strengthened; resolutions passed here and decisions collectively made here should be legally binding to enforce the writ of the organization.
If the United Nations is to be a genuine force for peace, it must prioritize democracy, fairness, and transparency. The global sentiment for peace and the peaceful resolution of disputes must be respected.
The UN should reflect the collective will of the global populace, not succumb to the whims of a few powerful states. Failure to implement these reforms risks repeating the mistakes of the UN’s predecessor, the League of Nations, and condemning the institution to irrelevance.
In a world where global democracy is emerging as a powerful force to be reckoned with, the UN should not be a big No for weaker, less developed, and vulnerable countries. For 79 years, the UN has played in the hands of the U.S. and the veto powers. Now the UN should be rid of fetters and made a free, viable, and effective world organization reflective of the true and real aspirations of all the people of the globe.
It is high time that the United Nations, born out of the atrocities and injustices of World War II, becomes a beacon of peace, hope, and justice - not merely a forum for powerful countries imposing their unjust and arbitrary decisions and trespassing collective wisdom or empty rhetoric on weak and poor countries. Only then can it achieve its lofty and noble goals of peace and preventing wars, confront the world’s most pressing crises, and stand out as a force for the betterment of all humanity.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024