UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 The U.N. Security Council urged the 193 United Nations member nations on Tuesday to use all possible means to settle disputes peacefully. The U.N. chief said that is needed now more than ever as he pointed to 鈥渢he horror show in Gaza鈥 and conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar.
The vote was unanimous on a Pakistan-drafted resolution in the 15-member council.
In urging greater efforts to pursue global peace, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council: 鈥淎round the world, we see an utter disregard for 鈥 if not outright violations of 鈥 international law鈥 as well as the U.N. Charter.
It is happening at a time of widening geopolitical divides and numerous conflicts, starting with , where as Israel denies the United Nations the space and safety to deliver aid and save Palestinian lives, Guterres said.
civilians and aid staff as part of its war with Hamas and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in.
In conflicts worldwide, 鈥渉unger and displacement are at record levels鈥 and security is pushed further out of reach by terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crime, the secretary-general said.
鈥淒iplomacy may not have always succeeded in preventing conflicts, violence and instability,鈥 Guterres said. 鈥淏ut it still holds the power to stop them.鈥
The resolution urges all countries to use the methods in the U.N. Charter to peacefully settle disputes, including negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, referral to regional arrangements or other peaceful means.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who chaired the meeting, cited 鈥渢he ongoing tragedies鈥 in Gaza and between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, one of the oldest disputes on the U.N. agenda, that need to be resolved peacefully.
鈥淎t the heart of almost all the conflicts across the globe is a crisis of multilateralism; a failure, not of principles but of will; a paralysis, not of institutions but of political courage,鈥 he said.
The Pakistani diplomat called for revitalizing trust in the U.N. system and ensuring 鈥渆qual treatment of all conflicts based on international law, not geopolitical expediency.鈥
Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the Trump administration supports the United Nations鈥 founding principles of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and working with parties to resolve disputes peacefully.
Under President Donald Trump鈥檚 leadership, she said, the U.S. has delivered 鈥渄eescalation鈥 between , , and .
The U.S. calls on countries involved in conflicts to follow these examples, Shea said, singling out and China鈥檚 鈥渦nlawful claims鈥 in the .
The war in Ukraine must end, she said, and Russia must stop attacking civilians and fulfill its obligations under the U.N. Charter, which requires all member nations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every other country.
鈥淲e call on other U.N. member states to stop providing Russia with the means to continue its aggression,鈥 Shea said.
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