Baerbock says UN not to blame for conflicts and violence

The Chairperson of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock called on the international community not to blame the organization for widespread conflicts and violence in the world.

As Report informs, she stated this during the 80th session of the General Assembly.

According to her, the anniversary - 80th session should not be perceived as a moment of celebration, given the ongoing armed conflicts, hunger, violence, and killings of civilians around the world. In particular, Baerbock noted the situation in Gaza and Ukraine.

"Against this backdrop, of course, now is not the time to celebrate. Of course, we need to work better. But what we certainly cannot do is allow cynics to take advantage of the situation and claim that our organization is a waste of money, that it is outdated and irrelevant," said Baerbock.

She emphasized that if the principles of the UN Charter are ignored, it is not the fault of the organization itself.

"Is the UN to blame that the principles of its Charter are ignored? Did tanks enter Ukraine because Article 2 of the Charter is not clear enough on the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity? When civilians, children die in Gaza, is humanitarian law to blame? It is not the Charter that fails. It is not the UN as an institution that fails. The Charter is as strong as member states are willing to support it and hold accountable those who violate it. Just imagine how much worse everything would be if the UN didn't exist at all," she said.

Baerbock also emphasized that countries become stronger only by cooperating and helping each other.

"Helping others is what ultimately makes your own country stronger. Could any one country alone deal with a global pandemic? After all, a virus doesn't have a passport. We were able to overcome the pandemic with the support of WHO. The climate crisis also knows no borders: CO2 emissions affect people everywhere, the richest cannot protect themselves from forest fires. This hall was not built for easy times, it was built to discuss the most difficult topics," concluded Annalena Baerbock.