Source: United Nations (video statements)
"The privilege to sit at this table carries a duty — above all — to honour the faith" of those people who, for the last eight decades, have placed their trust in the United Nations to save them from the scourge of war, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing the Security Council.
Marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations Charter entering into force, the Security Council held an open debate titled “The United Nations Organization: Looking into the Future”, reflecting on the body’s legacy and the urgent need for reform amid deep global divisions.
Calling the Security Council “a vital necessity, and a powerful force for good,” Guterres warned that its “legitimacy is fragile.” He said too often members act outside the Charter’s principles, stressing that “when one nation flouts the rules, others think they have licence to do the same. And history tells us, with brutal clarity, where that road leads.”
Guterres urged Council members to remember the spirit of the Organization’s founders: “The United Nations emblem does not bear the laurel wreath of a victor, but the olive crown of a peacemaker. To the privileged few who sit at this table, I urge you — be worthy of that crown.”