UN Security Council president pledges to fulfill Council’s mandate

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 — China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun, who is also president of the Security Council for the month of May, pledged on Wednesday that the Council will do a good job to fulfill its mandate.
“To the Security Council, the task ahead is immense, but let me assure you that the Council is firmly determined to do its part and fulfill its mandate,” Zhang told the UN General Assembly Interactive Dialogue to Commemorate and Promote the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace in his capacity as the Council’s president.
“Currently, we are facing diverse global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and rising humanitarian needs,” said Zhang, “Our challenges are interconnected and can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism.”
Talking about the directions that the Council will work towards, the ambassador said that it will first and foremost firmly uphold the UN Charter.
“The Charter is the cornerstone of multilateralism. In supporting multilateralism, we will firmly defend the Charter, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations, and safeguard the international order based on international law,” he said.
“Further efforts will be made to ensure the Council can adapt to the ever-changing situation, and respond to security threats,” said Zhang, who took the rotating presidency of the Council on Monday.
“Peacekeeping operations and special political missions are important tools to maintain international peace and security, and we are working hard to improve the safety and security of peacekeepers as well as the performance of peacekeeping operations,” he said.
“Our working methods need to keep pace and adapt,” the ambassador stressed.
Zhang underscored the importance for the Council to “promote synergy with other stakeholders.”
“The Council is committed to strengthen its partnership with other principal organs such as the General Assembly, ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council), and the ICJ (International Court of Justice). We will continue to attach importance to working with regional and sub-regional organizations, in all fields of conflict early warning, prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding, in accordance with chapter VIII of the UN Charter,” he said.
The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was established on Dec. 12, 2018 through a UN resolution and was first observed on April 24, 2019.
Preserving the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, which underpin the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is fundamental for promoting and supporting the three pillars of the UN – peace and security, development and human rights. (Xinhua)