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'Not an a-la-carte menu': Guterres slams selective use of UN charter

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Not an a-la-carte menu: Guterres slams selective use of UN charter
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United Nations: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has denounced the selective enforcement of the UN Charter, describing it as "not an à-la-carte menu".

Speaking at a UN General Assembly event marking the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Charter, Guterres said, "Today, we see assaults on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter like never before: the threat or use of force against sovereign nations; the violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law; the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; the weaponisation of food and water; the erosion of human rights."

He added, "On and on, we see an all-too-familiar pattern: follow when the charter suits, ignore when it does not. The Charter of the United Nations is not optional. It is not an à la carte menu. It is the bedrock of international relations. We cannot and must not normalise violations of its most basic principles."

Calling the Charter a declaration of hope and a cornerstone of global cooperation, Guterres said, "The charter has given us the tools to change destinies, save lives, and deliver hope to the most desperate corners of the world. And we can draw a direct line from the creation of the United Nations and the prevention of a third world war."

He emphasised the ongoing obligation to uphold the Charter’s values, urging respect for international law in both action and word, according to Xinhua News Agency.

"On this anniversary, I urge all member states to live up to the spirit and letter of the charter, to the responsibilities it demands, and to the future it summons us to build – for peace, for justice, for progress, for we the peoples," he said.

The UN Charter, adopted on June 25, 1945, during the San Francisco Conference, serves as the founding document of the organisation and was signed by delegates the following day.


(inputs from IANS)

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TAGS:António GuterresUN Secretary-GeneralUN charter
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