Maleeha urges UN to guarantee right of self-determination

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi has urged the UN to guarantee the right of self-determination to people living under foreign occupation.

“Unless the rule of international law is applied, people’s expectations of justice and fairness from the UN will remain unmet.”

Speaking in the Security Council debate on the UN Charter and Maintenance of Peace and Security, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative regretted that the Charters’ principles were flouted in pursuit of narrow “national interests” by the powerful.

She said that member states solemnly entered into this Covenant 70 years ago with the trust that these principles are immutable. Instead, she added, “We see unilateralism and arbitrariness in consequential decisions of war and peace. We see unwarranted foreign adventures and then we also see their unforeseen but devastating consequences”.

Stressing UN responsibility to prevent violation of sovereignty and the territorial integrity of States, Ambassador Lodhi said the use of force or threat of use of force, contravening international law, must be censured and effectively deterred.

“Failure to do so has already created an impression that the UN has become an instrument of the powerful, not the guardian of the principles of international law.”

The Pakistan’s envoy also called for a renewed focus on peaceful means to settle international disputes, preventing violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and upholding the principle of sovereign equality.

She said that the UN Charter does not just collectively bind us to efforts aimed at saving us from the scourge of war but also a shared commitment to create a world order based on the rule of law.

Ambassador Lodhi said failure to accomplish this will not only endanger the progress achieved in previous years but also risk making the “institution appear irrelevant” in a world marked by increasing turmoil and trouble, where insecurity prevails and injustice persists.

She called for a world order based on justice and respect for obligations arising from international law, and most critically, the purposes and principles of the Charter itself.

She pointed out that the world was hardly at peace today as conflicts abound, human rights abuses remain rampant and humanitarian law is flouted in open violation of the Charter’s principles.

Ambassador Lodhi said, “Today, we reaffirm our commitment to the UN Charter because we continue to think that adhering to these principles will save us from the scourge of war.”