President Karis: As a peacekeeper the Security Council has failed those in need of help and must be urgently reformed

At a public debate on peace at the UN Security Council in New York yesterday, President Alar Karis said that as a peacekeeper, the council had let down those in need. He called on UN member countries to push for reforms that would help the UN protect humanity, not send it to its doom.

“For decades now we have entrusted the protection of the world to the UN, but the Security Council as it currently stands is incapable of protecting those who need help,” he noted. “The promise of peace is the very basis of this organisation, but it remains out of reach for far too many people. Deprived of a well-functioning UN, the world will fall into further chaos.”

President Karis says that nowhere is this more painfully evident than in Ukraine. “Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, is blatantly violating international law by targeting Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure,” he said. “Aggression, war crimes, forced deportations of children and genocide are all acts for which the political leadership in Russia must be held accountable. There can be no lasting peace if there is no justice.”

The Estonian head of state stressed that Russia cannot be part of the international decision-making process while it continually violates UN resolutions and vetoes any attempt to hold it to account. “Russia sits right here at the Security Council table while it does arms deals with Iran and North Korea that violate the council’s own resolutions and abuses its veto rights to avoid any responsibility,” he pointed out. “Such hypocrisy undermines the foundations of both the council and the UN as a whole. Instead of defending the UN Charter, Russia is trampling all over it.”

President Karis implored UN member countries to improve the working methods of the UN and the Security Council so that the council is capable of more effectively addressing 21st-century challenges: conflicts, climate change, cybersecurity, global inequality and more.

“Let us start by everyone respecting the provisions of the UN Charter,” he said. “Why is the aggressor voting on resolutions regarding its own aggression? This violates the most elementary logic of the charter, which is to provide impartiality and international support in resolving conflicts.”

The head of state added that Estonia supports the initiative put forward by France and Mexico to limit the use of vetoes on the Security Council. At the same time, he underscored the need to boost the powers of the General Assembly.

“Estonia views the UN as an organisation in which the principles of peace, sovereignty and human rights are not merely words, but guiding principles for action,” he explained. “We must protect civilians, we must hold aggressors accountable and we must ensure that the rule of law is respected. We owe it to the millions of people suffering in war zones, as well as to future generations. We must be leaders who acknowledge hard truths and who lead the UN to where it needs to be: at the very heart of international security and stability.”

Gallery (Office of the President of the Republic/Raigo Pajula): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBJX6Z