NEW YORK, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called late Monday for serious reforms at the UN Security Council, warning of worsening global conditions if such a step was not considered.
This call came during a UN open debate on "Leadership for Peace", in which Ban and several key officials participated in.
During the session, Ban said, "The Security Council's ongoing failure to properly function constitutes the most egregious cause," adding that the permanent members abused the right to veto to "shield themselves, their allies and their proxies from accountability." Without meaningful reforms, "the UN risks lurching towards either collapse or irrelevance," he affirmed.
Since he left office in 2016, the global conditions have worsened with confrontation among leading countries becoming the norm, while regular individuals pay the hefty price.
"This deeply disappointing situation is characterized by confrontation rather than cooperation among major powers," he said, pointing to the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip as among the world's major crises.
Ban, a member of The Elders group of the UN, insisted that without reforms, civilians will have no protection and those committing crimes would go unpunished. (end) ats.gta