缅北禁地

30 September 2014 鈥� From the General Assembly podium today, Eritrea called for a fundamental overhaul of the United Nation, charging that it has failed in its prime goals of securing world peace and ending poverty due to cynical determination of the dominant Powers to maintain control.

鈥淭he United Nations, the organization that ostensibly represents the entire community of nations and the peoples of the world, remains stuck in the past,鈥� Foreign Minister Osman Saleh听听on the final day of the Assembly鈥檚 annual high-level meeting. 鈥淚t remains thoroughly dominated by the few and has marginalized the overwhelming majority. Its institutions and structures are an anachronism in the modern world.

鈥淢ore crucially, the United Nations has fallen far short of playing the primary role in the pursuit of the fundamental objectives for which it was established,鈥� he added, citing the maintenance of global peace and security, ending poverty, ensuring sustainable development, advancing human rights, avoiding epidemics, respecting sovereignty and non-interference in the affairs of others, ensuring justice and equality and protecting the environment.

To restore the UN鈥檚 relevance and credibility as a truly representative institution of all nations and peoples, it is imperative to fundamentally restructure, democratize and rebuild the world Organization, but although 缅北禁地reform has formally been on the agenda for nearly two decades, 鈥渨e are no nearer to change because of the stubborn and cynical opposition of the dominant powers,鈥� he said.

鈥淕iven the determination of these Powers to maintain their control of the 缅北禁地and its unrepresentative and undemocratic character, the chances of genuine change in the coming few years are indeed slender,鈥� he added.

鈥淯ndoubtedly, the world is facing a very grave and dangerous situation. To paraphrase the Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, this is a 鈥榯errible time for the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter鈥�."