UN chief Guterres defends role amid Security Council gridlock

United Nations chief António Guterres has defended the work of body’s Security Council amid talk of its ineffectiveness in the current global context, in an interview with Euractiv's partner EFE.

Guterres made the comments ahead of the UN's annual General Assembly high-level week, opening on 24 September in New York.

He said “It is not fair’ to judge the institution by the paralysis of the Security Council, which in two years has been unable to influence the wars in Ukraine or Gaza due to geopolitical divisions that have resulted in its “paralysis”.

Guterres said it continues to be ”the most important humanitarian actor in the world”, and the greatest weapon in the fight against hunger, natural disasters and epidemics.

At 75 and after seven years as secretary-general, Guterres faces challenges amid the UN's diminishing prestige, particularly as the United States, an unwavering ally of Israel, and Russia and China struggle to reach a consensus on major and minor conflicts.

Despite these challenges, Guterres stressed the UN’s key role in negotiating solutions for climate change, regulating the digital world and promoting sustainable development.

He described this as "the only alternative to the neo-liberal model of economic development," which he argued has proven ineffective in solving global problems. 

He also highlighted its  “irreplaceable role” in creating regulatory frameworks in areas as diverse as nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and intellectual property.

From 'another era'

Over the past years, Guterres has repeatedly stated that much of the UN's political ineffectiveness stems from an organisational model created 70 years ago by the victors of World War II.

He noted that the model was built for a world very different from today, one in which modern Africa had not yet emerged and Asia lacked its current economic and demographic power.

Guterres expressed concern over the rise of populism and anti-democratic discourse, which he attributed to the failure of Western democracies to adapt to rapidly changing communication techniques.

He decried the growing anti-immigration rhetoric seen worldwide, even in countries with progressive governments.

Guterres warned that without an international consensus recognising that migration is "indispensable" and without policies that encourage regular migration, the movement of people will increasingly be controlled by smugglers.

He cautioned that, in the absence of effective cooperation between origin and destination countries to create job opportunities, migration will be viewed as "a global labour market dominated by traffickers."

Territorial integrity 'non-negotiable'

Asked about a possible negotiated end to Russia's war in Ukraine, and specifically whether a "peace-for-territories" approach might be acceptable, Guterres firmly rejected any changes to Ukraine's borders.

Russia has annexed four territories in the east, which it attempted to legitimise through unilateral referendums.

"If we abandon the principle of territorial integrity, the world will descend into chaos," he warned.

He pointed to Europe, where numerous ethnic minorities could spark similar conflicts, recalling the irredentism that fueled previous wars on the continent, particularly in the Balkans.

Guterres also praised African leaders for maintaining their artificial borders, those drawn by colonisers, though he acknowledged exceptions in places like Western Sahara, Mali, Eritrea, and Sudan.

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Alice Taylor-Braçe]