Attaf: “Reform of the United Nations system is no longer a luxury but a necessity”

Mr. Ahmad Attaf, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, advocated in his speech delivered on behalf of Algeria during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly for the reform of the United Nations system.

State Minister Attaf began his keynote speech by thanking the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, who, Attaf says, “remained steadfast in defending our organization in the face of attempts to fracture its foundations, and who strove to strengthen its role when attempts were made to diminish it, and who devoted himself to keeping the voice of multilateral action high when attempts were made to mute it”.

The state Minister pointed out that “the world stands today at a crossroads”, where in various regions of the world “tensions are rising, the scope of conflicts is expanding, and crises are growing, while the level of trust between states is declining, and self-isolation and polarization are worsening, and selfishness and exclusion are imposing their dominance at the expense of cooperation, and the imposition of coercive measures in unilateral ways is growing, and the logic of force is returning to impose itself, canceling the advantages of dialogue and ignoring the benefits of accord and consensus”.

Mr. Attaf warned that in this “crisis-ridden” international circumstance, the danger lies not in the outbreak of wars alone, but in “war becoming normal and acceptable, the exception turning into a rule, and the rules of international law becoming applicable at times and suspended at others, subject to what the balance of power alone dictates, and nothing else”.

Mr. Attaf questioned, “what international system can stand straight when principles are selected according to the identity of those who violate them? And what trust can remain in international law when the aggressor is granted the right to self-defense, while the victim is asked to prove even their right to exist? And what future awaits humanity if the logic of imposing the fait accompli and legalizing it returns as a card in managing conflicts or redrawing their outcomes?”.

State Minister Attaf emphasized that the matter is not about “a passing crisis in the international system, but rather a deep review of our collective conscience, and our ability to preserve and develop the system we established after two world wars, so that future generations do not suffer the scourges of wars”.

He further pointed out that the world failed to learn from the lessons of history and did not transform them into measures that put the world safe from the setbacks of yesterday, adding, “also, because we built a system of international relations that placed at the core of its purposes the rejection of wars and the fortification of an eternal peace without providing it with the conditions and tools to achieve an ambition of this magnitude”.

Mr. Attaf also emphasized that the slogan of the session, “rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, does not only reflect the challenges of the stage, but also poses a fundamental question: “how do we restore trust in an international system whose rules and institutions have had their trust shaken?”.

Mr. Attaf underscored that Algeria believes the beginning “starts from the place where the will of the international family should be embodied: from the United Nations itself. From this very place. And from this hall in particular”.

The state Minister indicated to this effect that “reforming the United Nations system is no longer an institutional luxury, nor an option that can be indefinitely postponed. It has become a necessity imposed by the profound transformations the world has witnessed, and also imposed by the need for a more just, more representative, and more equitable international system”.

He noted that peoples cannot be asked “to trust in multilateral action if its institutions continue to reflect the balances of a past world”, nor can we talk “about international justice unless the historical imbalances that still characterize the structure of international decision-making are addressed”, nor advocate “for international peace and security if the system of international relations continues to favor wars as a tool for resolving conflicts”.

Accordingly, “Algeria calls for strengthening the role of the General Assembly and its authority, and for a deep reform of the Security Council to make it more representative, more just, and more effective, and to put an end to selectivity and double standards in the application of international law”, Attaf confirmed.

Algeria also renews “its steadfast support for the Common African Position, and affirms that correcting the historical injustice inflicted on Africa requires permanent and fair African representation in the UN Security Council, with full powers”.

He finally stated that if restoring trust “begins with reforming institutions, it cannot be complete without doing justice to peoples aspiring to self-determination and achieving their national projects”.