UK must be bold in its defence of the rules-based international order at the UN General Assembly, says Lords report
The House of Lords International Relations Committee is today calling on the Government to use the United Nations General Assembly in September to champion multilateralism, to push for increased resources for the UN and to advocate internal reform to strengthen the organisation.
The Committee took evidence from Mr Fabrizio Hochschild, Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Co-ordination, United Nations, on 9 May 2018. The session gave the Committee an opportunity to question Fabrizio Hochschild on the UK-UN relationship, the global context in which the UN is currently operating, and the priorities for the forthcoming 73rd Session of the General Assembly in September.
The priorities include:
- Conflict proliferation and prevention
- Terrorism
- Human rights
- Migration
- Delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals
- Internal UN reform
The Committee is calling on the Government to take issues up at the General Assembly including:
- Increased resources for the UN
- The need to reform the UN to enable it to meet current global challenges, particularly conflict resolution and settlement
- Discouraging the use of vetoes at the Security Council
- More effective UN action to respond to sexual abuse by peacekeepers
Chairman of the Committee Lord Howell of Guildford said: “The rules-based international order is facing considerably greater stresses and threats. At a time when conflicts are numerous, protracted, and complex, the role of the UN in seeking to resolve and settle conflicts is ever more essential.
“In advance of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly in September, we urge the UK Government, as a permanent Member of the Security Council, to work with its partners to strengthen the UN. The Government should encourage other member states to increase the funding they provide, and support an ambitious role for the UN in facing global challenges.”
