UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned global respect for international law is eroding, saying only the Security Council has the legal authority to make binding decisions on peace and security, and to authorise the use of force.
Last week, US President Donald Trump suggested his Board of Peace for Gaza could, over time, replace the UN – a remark that has renewed debate over whether Washington will try to initiate an alternative to the post-Second World War international order.
“The Security Council alone adopts decisions binding on all,” Mr Guterres told an open debate on upholding the UN Charter. "No other body or ad hoc coalition can legally require all member states to comply with decisions on peace and security.
He added: “Only the Security Council can authorise the use of force under international law, as set out in the Charter. Its responsibility is singular. Its obligation is universal. That is why reform is essential."
Citing conflicts and crises from Gaza and Ukraine to the Sahel, Myanmar and Venezuela, Mr Guterres said that, around the world, "the rule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle … is being treated as an a la carte menu".
He listed what he described as dangerous precedents – the illegal use of force, attacks on civilian infrastructure, human rights abuse, the illegal development of nuclear weapons, unconstitutional changes of government and the denial of humanitarian aid.
The open debate exposed divisions among world powers over how international rules should be enforced.
Tammy Bruce, deputy US representative to the UN, defended Washington’s approach and said action mattered more than words. “President Trump inherited a world on fire,” she said. “As an answer to this, he did not issue strongly worded letters or theoretical word-salad speeches at meetings about meetings. He speaks bluntly, clearly and he took action.”
Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the UN, rejected any notion that any one nation could act as global enforcers of international law.
“We never believe that any country has the right to act as international police, nor do we accept that any country can style itself as an international judge,” he said.
