WINSTON PETERS, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Racing of New Zealand, emphasized that, from the earliest debates surrounding the creation of the UN Charter in San Francisco, his country has fought against the veto rights given to the great Powers. He recalled then-Prime Minister Peter Fraser’s warning that the veto, if retained and exercised, could be destructive not only of the Organization’s main purposes, “but of the institution itself”. Power waxes and wanes, and so yesterday’s great Powers — today’s permanent Security Council members — are challenged by periods of competition.  This has serious implications for all States as, while some permanent members exercise restraint in the use of the veto, others consistently and frequently abuse it.  “Not only does Russia lack the sincerity and moral determination required to make the United Nations work, but its delinquency should be a clarion call for long-overdue Security Council reform,” he underscored.

Therefore calling for a Council “that looks more like today’s world” as well as veto reform, he stressed that “all States are equal” and that their “voices matter as much as the more powerful States represented here”. He added:  “It is the quality of our arguments and the principles of justice that inform them — not the size of our militaries — that should hold sway.” Small States need today’s superpowers to talk more, seek better understanding and develop ways of compromising. This — rather than partaking in a zero-sum game — only enhances global stability.  “And this is what we smaller nations seek,” he said.  Pointing out that the global geostrategic and security challenges faced in one era do not remain static, he observed:  “The world has changed, and so must we.”

“Old truths give way to new ones,” he said, underlining the need to now — as then — “have one’s eyes open about the fundamental shifts that are taking place and be nimble enough to adapt”.  He continued:  “And, since war and instability is everyone’s calamity, diplomacy is the business of us all.” From understanding comes opportunity, and from diplomacy comes compromise — the building block of better relations between nations.  He also underscored the need for political leadership to restore trust in institutions, forge unity and fill the gaps when the international community proves unable to do so.  Recalling that displayed by former United States President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin — he said that the agreements reached then “reveal what is possible when leaders exhibit sincerity and moral determination”.  Contrasting that with the “catastrophic and ruinous path that has been followed in Gaza” today, he asked:  “Where is the sincerity and moral determination of today’s leaders at the vortex of this unacceptable violence?”

Noting that his country “has sacrificed many of its young men to wars in faraway lands”, he underscored that New Zealand never wants to experience the catastrophe of another world war.  “So we must do more, demand more and deliver more,” he stressed, rejecting and resisting those who seek to conquer and control.  Humanity’s lasting victories come from peace — not war — and, despite its frustration at the lack of political will required to adapt the Organization to fully meet the challenges of today, New Zealand’s support for the United Nations remains unwavering.  And so, true to its belief that “multilateral diplomacy means taking responsibility for our obligations as Member States”, he announced his country’s intention to campaign “as a voice for small States” for a seat at the Council’s 2039‑2040 term.