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World leaders gathered virtually on Monday to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nationsas the coronavirus pandemic and economic disruption challenge the effectiveness and solidarity of the organization that was created after the horrors of World War II.
Millions of people were forced into lockdown and economies were devastated when COVID-19 began to spread around the world earlier this year. Now, some countries are facing a second wave and the 193 members ORN has it fought to prevail over a distrustful United States, an assertive China, and a growing rivalry between the two.
On its own website to mark the anniversary, the UN said the event took place at a “time of great upheaval for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social impacts.”
The coronavirus has intensified protracted tensions between the United States and China. Washington accuses Beijing of a lack of transparency about the outbreak, which began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
In an apparent blow to Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday: “No country has the right to dominate global affairs, control the destiny of others, or reserve development advantages to itself. And even less should it be. allow yourself to do whatever you like and be the hegemon, the bully or the boss of the world. Unilateralism is a dead end. “
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Xi’s comments were not on the video he recorded for the meeting. They were included in a longer statement that, according to the Chinese UN mission, was sent to the world body.
China has come forward as the main cheerleader for multilateralism after US President Donald Trump’s disregard for international cooperation led Washington to abandon the global climate accords and Iran, and leave the Human Rights Council of the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO).
‘Reasons for concern’
Trump was listed as the first speaker among member states on the UN agenda for the event. Instead, it was the United States Acting Deputy Representative to the UN, Cherith Norman Chalet, who spoke in the General Assembly hall.
The world body had proven in many ways to be a “successful experiment,” he said, but added that “there were also reasons for concern.”
“The United Nations it has resisted meaningful reform for too long, too often lacks transparency, and is too vulnerable to the agenda of autocratic regimes and dictatorships, “he said.
Flags are flown outside the United Nations headquarters during last year’s meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. This year’s event, marking 75 years since the founding of the UN, will take place virtually [File: Jennifer Peltz/AP Photo]
Al Jazeera diplomatic correspondent James Bays said Trump’s absence drew attention.
“People wonder if it was a deliberate snub or an indication of how high the United States feels the UN has on its priority list,” he said, speaking from outside the UN headquarters in New York City.
Other leaders spoke of the need for countries to work together on issues such as climate change and the pandemic, and lamented rivalries that undermine the UN and international cooperation.
“Our shared home is in disarray. Our foundations are crumbling,” French President Emmanuel Macron told the assembly.
“The wars of annexation, the use of chemical weapons, mass arrests are happening with impunity, “he continued.” Our international system is hostage to rivalries. It is weakened by its inability to prosecute those responsible for these abuses. “
But Trump chose the timing of the UN anniversary to It imposed sanctions on Iran for violating a UN arms embargo and demanded its compliance by US allies, despite its decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the United States from the six-power accord. Allies says she has no authority to make such demands.
Reform calls
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the pandemic had exposed the world’s frailties.
“We can only tackle them together. Today we have a surplus of multilateral challenges and a deficit of multilateral solutions,” he said. “Nobody wants a world government, but we must work together to improve global governance.”
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The 15-member Security Council took months to back a Guterres call for a global ceasefire, to allow countries to focus on fighting COVID-19, as a result of disputes between China and the ORS.
Several leaders called for reform of the UN and the Security Council in particular, arguing that it was unfair that the USRussia, China, France, and the United Kingdom were the only permanent powers with veto power.
“A council structure that leaves the fate of more than seven billion people at the mercy of five countries is neither fair nor sustainable,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The special one-day event on Monday took place before the annual gathering of world leaders at the A, which starts on Tuesday. There will be no presidents or prime ministers physically present in New York due to the pandemic and all statements have been prerecorded for broadcast in the General Assembly hall.
the A It was created after the Second World War when countries decided to unite to avoid another such conflict. While there hasn’t been a war of that scale since then, the leaders adopted a statement on Monday recognizing “moments of disappointment.”
“All of this requires more action, not less,” the statement said.
