PETER PELLEGRINI, President of Slovakia, said that, despite all its faults, the UN is the “the backbone” of the world order and “a vital international ecosystem” for most countries in the world.  The only thing that separates the world from “chaos and arbitrariness” is the joint confidence in the existing system of international relations with the UN as its key element, he said, noting that some countries believe that “the absence of rules will be the breeding ground for their future success”.

Turning to the war in Ukraine — which destroys the lives of the Ukrainian people and is not good to the Russian Federation’s people — he said it was “high time to start looking for a peaceful, sustainable and just end to this conflict”.  The conflicts in Gaza, Haiti and Sudan, although they may seem local, in fact represent an “existential struggle for the nature and future of international law”, he said, noting that the UN cannot fully prevent these conflicts.  This is due to the “lack of joint political will” in the Security Council, rather than an “alleged dysfunction of the Organization”.  “It is a fact that the UN was born with powerful and exclusive checks without effective balances,” he stressed, underscoring the need for a deep reform of the Organization.

Although the role of the UN remains central, he emphasized the need for the Organization to build partnerships with regional organizations like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union “to withstand the challenges” of the current century.  Instead of dividing the world into “Global North” and “Global South”, he proposed to differentiate between those who support and undermine shared rules and obligations.  Also, those who take apart rules, often distort meanings of the words, he said, adding:  “A lie is just a lie, not a fact of on alternate reality.  Aggression is no defence. […] War remains war, no matter what euphemism they call it.”  Therefore, he urged the UN to promote information integrity, noting that words and those who speak them, remain “the most powerful weapons”.

The global debate on climate change is a good example of handling misinformation, he noted, urging the international community to mitigate the consequences of hurricanes, floods and extinguishing fires along with protecting freedom, human rights and dignity.  Outlining steps forward, he said the UN and its agencies can develop practical policies, coordinate national development and assistance programmes into regional synergies.  Moreover, the UN should integrate technological progress into driving social progress and gender equality.  He went on to call for pragmatic dialogue on migration, acknowledging its divisive nature but stressing the need for clear rules and cooperation.  As Slovakia is preparing its candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2028-2029, he highlighted the country’s long-standing commitment to multilateralism, which he described as “the most precious generational wealth that we can relay to our posterity”.