July 16, 2024
Mr. President,
After the Second World War, the United Nations Charter created an international order in the service of peace, based on the sovereign equality of States, respect for international law, the non-use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes. It has entrusted this Council with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.
In the service of this ambition, we acknowledge only one method: multilateralism, that is the development of collective universal rules, to which we all choose to adhere, to enable the emergence of a more just, more democratic and more sustainable world order.
Russia cannot call for such a world order while flouting the fundamental principles of multilateralism.
Like a pyromaniac firefighter, it calls for a more just world order, but is multiplying its violations of the Charter and jeopardizing our collective security. Although the Charter prohibits the use of force except in self-defense or when authorized by this Council, it has illegally resorted to it against Georgia in 2008, against Crimea and the Donbass in 2014, and has been waging a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine for over two years. It thus continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, rules laid down by the Charter and to which, I believe, we are all committed, including beyond this Council.
It flouts international law by deliberately targeting civilians and hospitals. It systematically bombs Ukrainian energy and food infrastructures, intentionally depriving the civilian population of access to essential goods. It disregards international law by deporting Ukrainian children and systematically employing torture and rape as weapons of war, as noted by the International Commission of Inquiry and the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Russia claims to be strengthening multilateral cooperation, but it is violating the sanctions regimes on North Korea and Iran, by sourcing weapons and munitions from these two countries. It is also flouting the orders of the International Court of Justice, which demanded, as early as March 2022, that it suspend its military operations in Ukraine.
Lastly, it is ignoring the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, which has unequivocally condemned its violations of the Charter and called on it to put an immediate end to its aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Defending effective multilateralism is, of course, essential if we are to face up to global challenges. Our responses to the challenges of security, climate, health and technology can only be collective.
France defends the enlargement of the Security Council to include new States, in both its permanent and non-permanent categories. Along with Mexico, we advocate for limiting the use of the veto, to strengthen the Security Council’s capacity to fulfill its responsibilities.
We are committed to reaching and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We are taking concrete action on climate change, by promoting a timeline for the phase-out of fossil fuels. Together with Costa Rica, we will host the United Nations Conference on the Oceans in 2025. We continue to call for a joint fight against poverty. This is what the “Paris Pact for People and Planet” is all about.
France supports initiatives in favor of inclusive multilateralism, whether within the framework of the Summit for the Future, or in terms of digital governance.
In conclusion, Mr. President, allow me to recall that Russia was a founding member of this organization. In the past, it was also on the side of multilateralism. It is clearly no longer so. It must take the necessary steps without further delay to once again respect the rules and principles of this organization.
Thank you.