Leaders from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean have called for a stronger focus on diplomacy and conflict prevention, warning that the UN must do more than respond …reports Asian Lite News Desk
Leaders from across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean have urged the United Nations to put greater emphasis on preventing conflicts rather than focusing primarily on their consequences.
The call was repeated during the General Assembly debate, as countries questioned whether the international system had become better at managing humanitarian emergencies than preventing violence from breaking out in the first place.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan offered one of the strongest criticisms, saying the UN too often responded “only after disaster has arrived. We count the dead. We deliver supplies.”
The international community then faced the task of rebuilding what had been destroyed, he said, before waiting for another crisis to emerge.
“We must move from reaction to prevention,” Hasan said, pointing to Gaza as the most urgent example. Malaysia argued that effective prevention required stronger institutions, early diplomacy and greater attention to the political conditions behind recurring violence.
Rwanda raised a similar concern over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva saying the situation demonstrated the limits of responding only after a crisis had escalated.
“The roots of the conflict in eastern (Democratic Republic of the Congo) are political,” he said, pointing to longstanding grievances, exclusion and governance failures. He argued that the response should therefore also be political.
Rwanda called on the UN Security Council and other international actors to support peace initiatives already under way.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo presented a sharply different account of responsibility for the fighting, accusing Rwanda of conducting a war of aggression through the AFC/M23 armed movement.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said the Security Council had already established a framework for peace and that the priority should be implementing existing decisions.
“We do not need new texts to replace those which have already been adopted,” she said. “What we need is their implementation.”
The wider debate also focused on the future of multilateral diplomacy and whether countries could continue working together despite deep disagreements.
Gambia pointed to its experience chairing the General Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee as evidence that progress remained possible without complete agreement between countries.
“Multilateralism does not require unanimity on every issue,” Vice President Muhammed Jallow said.
He said governments needed to remain at the negotiating table, listen to one another, compromise and continue working through differences. The same approach, he argued, should be applied to preventing and resolving conflicts.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb called on countries to renew their commitment to international law and said the international community should not become indifferent to wars and human suffering.
He also called for greater investment in conflict prevention, human rights and sustainable economies.
Switzerland similarly stressed the importance of keeping communication channels open, even when governments have opposing positions.
“Our experience has also taught us that dialogue is not a sign of weakness,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin said.
He said Switzerland would continue providing places where parties that had stopped speaking to each other could eventually resume contact.
Dominica President Sylvanie Burton said the UN should be assessed not only on how it responds after people have suffered, but also on whether countries can work together to prevent suffering in the first place.
The UN Charter calls on countries to settle disputes through peaceful means including negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Depending on mandates approved by member states, the organisation can also deploy envoys, peacekeeping missions, sanctions and humanitarian operations.
India has also repeatedly backed dialogue and diplomacy in addressing international conflicts and remains a longstanding contributor to UN peacekeeping. The issue of conflict prevention is particularly relevant to developing countries, which can face food, energy and economic consequences from wars despite having limited influence over them.
