Events
UN reform, world politics discord, Ukraine. Highlights of Belarus foreign minister’s speech in UNGA
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
For decades the United Nations Organization has served an important purpose by offering a venue for representatives of various countries from all the regions of the world to participate in a discussion about how they can make life on the planet safer and better. But, regretfully, this discussion has not been converted into concrete positive actions recently. Why is the international political situation deteriorating? What is the key apple of discord? How can the state of affairs be fixed? What priority steps should the United Nations Organization and its member states take? Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik delivered a speech at the 78th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization in New York, USA on 23 September and answered these questions.
The Belarusian minister of foreign affairs noted that the situation is global politics is only getting worse and this trend is having a negative impact on other spheres of international relations.
What challenges does the UN face?
Sergei Aleinik said: “And what is the role of the United Nations Organization in these processes? Should the UN be only a podium for discussion? This is precisely how many see the organization’s role. Therefore, it should hardly come as a surprise that the United Nations Organization is often accused of inaction and inability to stop the growing global chaos, stop a three-dimensional crisis in the areas of security, food, energy that has already engulfed the entire world.”
According to the Belarusian diplomat, such accusations are not entirely fair. “The UN is all of us! The organization could go only as far as its member states would allow it to go. On the one hand, it is a correct logic. On the other hand, it is the logic of dangerous determinism. It implies that the United Nations is a hostage to some external forces and will be able to effectively fulfill its mandate only when positive changes occur in the external environment. Does it seem to you that we have heard something along these lines before?” Sergei Aleinik wondered.
What fate may await the United Nations Organization?
The official reminded that the League of Nations faced the same attitude on the eve of World War Two. Only a century ago a lot of discussions about threats of that time took place on the shores of Lake Geneva. However, the discussion produced no effect and the world was inexorably sliding into an abyss. And the League of Nations faded into oblivion due to its uselessness.
“The United Nations Organization may suffer the same fate if it remains a passive onlooker. We are convinced that the vast majority of member states do not want such an outcome. If it is true, then the UN should not wait, but act. The organization must strive for results that will trigger positive changes in external factors, will bring peace, stability, and sustainable development to the entire planet,” Sergei Aleinik stressed.
The minister agreed that it would be very difficult to achieve particularly in the current context of “toxic” global politics. “However, if we as member states or a sensible global majority help our organization, then the United Nations Organization will be up to the task,” he said.
What does Belarus suggest to UN countries?
A century ago the famous American diplomat George Kennan tried to evaluate Soviet Russia’s relations with the West. He wrote: “Some degree of conflict and antagonism is present in any international relations. This is why some measure of compromise is necessary everywhere if political societies are to live together on the same planet”.
“Let us take this piece of wisdom as guidance and, despite the high degree of antagonism inherent in the current international system, let us seek compromise and agreement everywhere. And let us act within the framework of the United Nations Organization,” Sergei Aleinik said.
What does Belarus suggest? According to the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs, first, it is necessary to stop ostracism as a practice in the UN. The practice goes against the organization’s very essence: according to the UN Charter, all its members are equal.
“Let us treat each other with respect and equality. No one should stoop to insults and disrespectful language, for instance, by using the word ‘regime’ in relation to legitimate authorities of member states. Similarly certain countries should abandon attempts to limit the ability of any other member states to participate in the UN’s work. This behavior represents a direct violation of the UN Charter,” the diplomat pointed out.
Second, Sergei Aleinik stressed, individual member states should cease their attempts to turn the United Nations Organization and its affiliated organizations into a tool of their foreign policy. “Getting the organization involved in politicization only serves to discredit it in the eyes of ordinary people across the globe. After all, the United Nations Organization was founded for the sake of cooperation in the interests of people rather than for settling interstate scores,” he said.
Belarus is convinced that bilateral problems should not be brought to international organizations as an apple of discord.
Third, countries can and should work successfully within the framework of the United Nations Organization to tackle common challenges, Sergei Aleinik believes. He suggested approaching them in accordance with the logic of moving from something simple to something complex. For instance, matters of security can be treated as first-tier challenges. “It is precisely these issues that constitute the most dangerous, I'd even say explosive, bone of contention in global politics,” the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs said.
The other areas such as fight against climate change, transnational crime, pandemics, and diseases represent second-tier challenges. They are easy to solve through joint efforts.
“So let us step up work in this direction. Ordinary people worldwide are waiting for the results,” the minister remarked.
Sergei Aleinik mentioned a positive example of how it is possible to work together successfully even in the face of sharp political differences. At a session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention in May 2023 Belarus sponsored a draft resolution on taking action against trafficking in persons. Initially Western countries took a negative stance on the initiative due to political reasons. However, after joining the negotiations in the end, they grasped the initiative’s importance and began working towards a positive outcome. The resolution was adopted by consensus and all interested parties started implementing it.
What is the cause of the global food crisis?
Sergei Aleinik said: “All of us need common sense particularly badly for finding ways to resolve the global food crisis. Let us proceed from the fact that there is enough food in the world for everyone. At the same time millions of people across the planet are starving.”
This “contradiction” resulted from unilateral illegal sanctions that Western states impose in violation of the UN Charter against some countries they dislike or in order to gain an advantage in a competitive economic struggle, the official pointed out.
In turn, the sanctions constrain the ability to export fertilizers, food to developing countries that need them most. Consequently, the global food crisis is artificial, not a systemic one.
This is why it is easy to resolve because it only requires removing the illegal barriers. The countries that erected them should dismantle them. This logic holds true not only with regard to global food security, but also in relation to all the other areas of international life. Sergei Aleinik said: “The unilateral coercive measures imposed by the West directly or indirectly against virtually all states in the rest of the world must be lifted immediately. This is what both common sense and common interests of all people around the world urgently demand.”
What reforms does the UN Security Council need?
The fact that the international security system is falling apart is the key problem. Belarus believes that the best way to resolve the problem is to add more permanent members to the UN Security Council.
“The Council does not reflect today’s geopolitical realities. Three of its five permanent members are representatives of the West. They are not interested in changing the status quo in the world. As a result, the Council does not fulfill its functions of maintaining international peace and security. Only a more representative and democratic body will be able to cope with the challenge,” Sergei Aleinik explained.
But Belarus does not intend to secure a position in the most important organization in the UN system. Belarus suggests expanding the permanent membership by including large developing nations from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is the imperative of the time, the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs stressed.
China and Russia support this kind of reform of the UN Security Council as they have repeatedly stated.
“We urge the Security Council’s other three permanent members to recognize the new realities and to agree to reflect them in a renewed organ,” Sergei Aleinik said.
What does Belarus think about the “great game” in Ukraine?
In his speech Sergei Aleinik could not help but mention the conflict in Ukraine.
“It is very difficult for us to see the suffering of the kindred people for a year and a half. Unfortunately, Ukraine and its people have become a bargaining chip in the ‘great game’ played by the West to preserve global hegemony. It is obvious that by ratcheting up arms supplies to the country, the West is intent on continuing this war to the last Ukrainian. But does Ukraine want that? Do Ukrainians need a war of attrition? We are convinced that they do not,” the diplomat stressed.
In turn, Belarus has always stood for peace in Ukraine and has taken all necessary measures for this purpose. As the Belarus president noted, even now the republic is ready to do everything in its power.
print version
make home page
add to bookmarks
