He was addressing a high\u2011level open debate of the UN Security Council convened by Somalia, which holds the Council presidency for January. The discussion took place against a backdrop of multiplying conflicts, rising global tensions and weakening confidence in international institutions, even as the UN marks 80 years since the adoption of its Charter, the document intended to prevent war and human suffering.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rule of law is a cornerstone of global peace and security,\u201d Guterres said, calling it \u201cthe beating heart\u201d of the UN Charter. For eight decades, he noted, the Charter, alongside the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions and other core legal instruments, has helped the world avoid another global war and limit the impact of countless conflicts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But he warned that these commitments are increasingly being ignored. \u201cAround the world, the rule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle,\u201d he said, pointing to what he described as blatant violations of the UN Charter and international law, including the illegal use of force, attacks on civilian infrastructure, human rights abuses and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
From Gaza to Ukraine, he added, the rule of law is being treated as \u201can \u00e0 la carte menu\u201d, with States choosing which rules to follow. This, he warned, encourages impunity and undermines trust among nations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For smaller or less\u2011powerful countries, especially those shaped by historical inequalities and colonial legacies, international law is \u201ca lifeline promising equal treatment, sovereignty, dignity and justice\u201d. For powerful States, he said, it is \u201ca guardrail\u201d that defines what is acceptable during times of tension or conflict.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He stressed the unique responsibility of the Security Council, the only body empowered by the Charter to adopt binding decisions and authorise the use of force. \u201cIts responsibility is singular. Its obligation is universal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22969,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-22968","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Warning that the \u201crule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle,\u201d United Nations (UN) Secretary\u2011General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres on Monday urged world powers to recommit to international law as the foundation of peace, justice and multilateral co-operation.","published_date":null,"news_description":"Warning that the \u201crule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle,\u201d United Nations (UN) Secretary\u2011General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres on Monday urged world powers to recommit to international law as the foundation of peace, justice and multilateral co-operation.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/22968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/22968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26089,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/22968\/revisions\/26089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=22968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}