European Council president Charles Michel has demanded the United Nations reform its Security Council to make it “more inclusive”.
Speaking at an open debate at the UN, Michel emphasised the body was formed at a time “the world wanted peace at all costs”, and providing certain nation-states with the ability to veto proposals was seen as an acceptable compromise.
“We accepted your right to veto in exchange for securing global peace,” he said. “This was the founding pact between the most powerful nations and the rest of the world, underpinned by the UN Charter and the new multilateral institutions.”
Together, we can make a difference.
Together, we can again change the course of history.
But it will take courage, daring, and leadership.
#UNGA #UNGA79 pic.twitter.com/NbKgT2oQC5— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) September 25, 2024
“But today, this pact is under constant assault. Every bomb that falls in Kyiv, every hospital demolished in Gaza, every village destroyed in Sudan, each of these tragedies is one more attack on our humanity.
The Security Council must be reformed, to make it more inclusive, more legitimate, and more effective
“When these crimes go unpunished, they become ‘normal’, they become the way of the world, they become the law. When crimes go unpunished, the victims lose faith, we all lose faith. And a new, more brutal world is born. This is not the world I want to hand over to my children, to our children.”
These factors, Michel added, showed a Security Council revamp was now necessary because some of its members were “not living up to their responsibility”.
“The Security Council must be reformed, to make it more inclusive, more legitimate, and more effective,” he said.
“When Russia invades Ukraine to wipe out Ukraine’s culture and language, this does not build Russia up, it tears Russia down in the eyes of the world.
“When Hamas kills and kidnaps Israelis, this does not give Palestinians a state, it causes unspeakable suffering.
“When Israel illegally occupies Palestinian soil for decades, and kills tens of thousands of innocent women and children, this does not strengthen Israel’s security, it makes Israel less safe.
“The worth of a nation — the worth of a community — is not measured by its capacity for violence, nor by the strength of its armies. The worth of a nation is measured by its willingness to lift others up and to take the next small step to make the world more peaceful,” he concluded.
Michel went on to claim that the European Union would remain a body committed to “peace and security”, and the bloc must be “a spark bringing more light and more hope to the world”.
Belgian Labour Party MEP Marc Botenga has called for an end to European “exit allowances”, citing what he called the “indecent golden parachute” of European Council President Charles Michel. https://t.co/g102Lp0CaQ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) September 19, 2024
