Mohamad Hasan, Minister for Foreign Relations of Malaysia, asked whether, on its eightieth anniversary, the United Nations should congratulate itself for its inability to end the occupation of Palestine or to allow a rogue State to undermine its Charter.  “Israel can no longer hide behind its pretence of victimhood,” he said, stating that that country is committing genocide in Gaza.  He called for concrete action against the occupying force, long-term support for a self-governing Palestinian State and a reformed UN to ensure that such a travesty of justice never happens again.  Also, repeated failures by the Security Council to fulfil the will of the General Assembly must be strongly resisted.  Member States must demand accountability from the Council’s permanent members and they must question and challenge the use of the veto, he said.

As this year’s Chair of the ASEAN, Malaysia has learned of the colossal efforts that peace requires, he said.  ASEAN is deeply disappointed that ceasefires in Myanmar have been broken in some areas and that violence still endangers civilians.  “Those in power have a responsibility to remember that Myanmar is part of a region, not an isolated country,” he said, calling for efforts towards a Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led end to the conflict in that country.  He urged all parties to fully comply with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and to avoid actions that could provoke miscalculation or conflict in the South China Sea.

It is painfully ironic that the Global South constitutes a majority of the world’s peoples, yet it remains underrepresented in decision-making, underserved in development financing and sidelined in global governance, he continued.  These imbalances must be corrected.  Describing the situation in Gaza as “genocide dressed in the cape of Western tolerance,” he said that the use of the veto in the Security Council must be limited, if not abolished, that authority must flow back to the General Assembly, and that global financing mechanisms be redesigned to ensure transparency and fairness for the Global South.