FM Fidan blasts UN leadership as global crises escalate during pivotal summit
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gives speech during the U.N. Future Summit organized on the occasion of the 79th U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S. on September 23, 2024. (AA Photo)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticized the United Nations for its failure to demonstrate effective leadership in addressing current global challenges during the U.N. Summit of the Future in New York on Monday.
“Both the international community and the United Nations are facing a historic test,” Fidan stated, lamenting the U.N.’s inability to respond adequately to the escalating threats facing humanity.
He called for a new, effective structure capable of delivering common solutions to global issues, emphasizing the need for a more just, inclusive, and effective multilateral model.
‘World is bigger than five’
Fidan specifically pointed to the necessity for comprehensive reform within the U.N., particularly regarding the Security Council.
We need a more just, inclusive and effective multilateral model. Comprehensive reform is needed in the United Nations, especially in the Security Council. In fact, the world is bigger than five.
FM Hakan Fidan
Echoing Erdogan’s criticism
His remarks echo long-standing calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has consistently advocated for U.N. reforms, often citing the slogan, “The world is bigger than five,” to highlight the unrepresentative nature of the Security Council.
Erdogan has also criticized the U.N.’s ineffectiveness in responding to international crises, particularly the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 41,000 people, mostly women and children, and left more than 95,000 injured.
‘Reform of financial architecture is a must’
“The resolutions that are adopted with an overwhelming majority at the General Assembly cannot be implemented because of the Security Council,” further added the foreign minister.
“International peace and security cannot be left to the will of a privileged clique consisting of a limited number of countries,” he said.
Stressing that efficient tools and mechanisms to promote dialogue in the face of increasing polarization are needed, Fidan said the reform of the international financial architecture is also “a must.”
“This is the only way to achieve the sustainable development goals. To pursue these objectives, we will continue to work and voice our views on every platform,” he added.
Turning to the new technologies, especially digitalization and artificial intelligence, the minister said Türkiye welcomes the adoption of the Global Digital Compact, which is one of the fundamental components of the Pact for the Future.
“We expect the international community to increase its support to the United Nations Technology Bank, hosted by Türkiye, in its critical task of closing the digital gap between developed countries and the Least Developed Countries,” he added.
