Lavrov: UN needs to adapt to new realities

The foundation for a just world exists: the UN Charter. However, the UN needs to carefully adapt to new realities, and this primarily concerns the reform of its Security Council – as stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking during the Primakov Readings International Forum in Moscow

photo: www.tass.ru

“It is important to eliminate the historical injustices that have emerged since the decolonisation process was completed. This refers to the emergence of many dozens of young sovereign states. The injustice lies in their lack of representation in the UN Security Council,” said the Russian Foreign Minister.

“These realities need to be reflected in the size of the UN Security Council,” added Sergei Lavrov. “New members of the council (this could be countries in developing regions: Asia, Africa, Latin America) must enjoy authority in their parts of the world and in such organisations of global reach as the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 (G77).”

Speaking about the upcoming reorganisation of the world, the Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that multipolar systems – to which most countries on the planet are now inclined – existed before: both in the 19th and 20th centuries. Meanwhile, the difference with the current multi-polarity is that it can take on a planetary scale. After all, new players representing the Global South and Global East have appeared on the stage of world politics,” Sergei Lavrov underlined.

“The unbalanced, unfair model of globalisation, in which the ‘golden billion’ received major benefits, is becoming a thing of the past. The emerging polycentric architecture must be inclusive, have a co-operative rather than antagonistic character, and must protect against dangerous confrontation between world centres and disputes between them. It is in the common interest to try to create a global concern based on generally accepted principles and norms of international law, respect for the cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern world and the right of peoples to determine their own paths of development,” he stated.