Statement by Dame Barbara Woodward at the United Nations in New York.
“The United Kingdom remains deeply committed to the United Nations.
But 80 years since its creation, with more countries engaged in conflict than ever before, we are falling short of its founding mission to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
And despite progress on health and education, significant global challenges remain.
The climate crisis is accelerating and the Sustainable Development Goals are off-track.
Why so? There is more to this than the often-mentioned liquidity crisis.
In 80 years, UN membership has increased from 51 to 193 Member States, but the UN and its institutions are not fully representative of all its members.
We now live in a multipolar world, not a bipolar or unipolar one, whose challenges, climate, pandemics and cyber security are more transnational than national.
As the Secretary-General reminded us and so many speakers today have reiterated, the Pact of the Future demonstrated a clear desire and a clear commitment to reinvigorate the multilateral system, including through reforming the UN and the international financial system.
Together, we need to redouble our efforts and find new ways to address emerging challenges.
2025, the UN’s 80th anniversary and a year of key summits, is the first step on this path.
Next month we have the Commission on the Status of Women and the Beijing +30 meeting; in June we have the UN Oceans Conference; in July FFD4. And later in the year the UN Social Summit and COP30, back in Brazil.
Together, these summits seek to address our shared concerns.
Their success is critical for progress and the UN’s reputation as our multilateral home.
Second, we need to use the UN more effectively to deliver international peace and security.
Such progress must go hand in hand with upholding human rights.
This starts first and foremost with the defence of the UN Charter as colleagues have references.
Nowhere is that more true today than in Ukraine, whose sovereignty and territorial integrity is under threat from Russian aggression.
We must work to ensure that all UN tools, including its good offices, are used to deliver and advance peace.
For example, Personal Envoy Lamamra has a crucial platform to bring together the warring parties in Sudan.
We encourage reinvigorated momentum for mediation efforts, as well as a renewed focus on prevention to reduce crises before they happen.
This year’s Peacebuilding Architecture Review is an important opportunity in this regard.
We also need to refresh our peacekeeping approach to ensure missions are fit for purpose and defend UN peacekeepers wherever they serve.
Attacks against them are unacceptable.
We honour, in particular today, MONUSCO peacekeepers who have fallen in defence of civilians in the DRC.
Finally, in the face of growing global crises, from Sudan to Myanmar, we need to support the UN’s development and humanitarian programmes, across its agencies.
In Gaza, UNRWA, alongside the WFP and UNICEF, provides over 50% of all food aid.
We commend OCHA’s tireless efforts to reach those in need.
Humanitarian access and the protection of aid workers are integral to their successful delivery.
In conclusion, President, colleagues, the Council is often characterised as an ineffective geopolitical theatre.
While reform of its membership is needed and the UK supports that, this body has the tools to implement its peace and security mandate.
We now need to strengthen our collective will to use them more effectively and, as the Secretary-General has said, in our 80th year, work to build the more peaceful, just and prosperous world that we know is within reach.”
Sources: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Dame Barbara Woodward DCMG OBE.
