Security Council 'outdated, frequently paralysed': UN chief

The UN secretary-general on Tuesday deplored that the "Security Council is outdated and frequently paralysed."

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Portugal's Cascais, Antonio Guterres called on the international community to "keep working to strengthen global governance."

"The Security Council is outdated and frequently paralysed. Meanwhile the International Financial Architecture does not reflect today's economy and has become inadequate and unfair," Guterres said.

He stressed the need for "updating and reforming international cooperation to make it more networked, fair and inclusive."

Peace 'above all'

Guterres also called for peace "above all" in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan.

"We see cynical strategies to sow divisions and widen fault lines in societies," the secretary-general said, and denounced growing "xenophobia, racism and intolerance, with social media being exploited as a powerful weapon."

"Peace in Ukraine," he said, emphasising the need for a "just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions."

"Peace in Gaza," Guterres added, and called for "an immediate ceas-fire," an effective delivery of humanitarian aid, "and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution."

The secretary-general also called for peace, a ceasefire, and the "full implementation" of the Security Council resolutions in Lebanon, and urged all parties in Sudan to "silence their guns" and start working for "sustainable peace."

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